''Playing by the Rules'', The City Voice
Sven von der Heyden and his group received two awards last year: for the Grand Hotel Lublinianka in the category of Best Overall Real Estate Development, and personally the one for the Personality of the Year 2002. Both were granted by the European Construction Journal. Von der Heyden Group is among the most active developers in Warsaw and the Polish market as such. The company has successfully carried out several projects, including those in 68 Nowogrodzka St. (Prima Court) and 4 Skorupki St. (Headquarters of the Polish Bank Guarantee Fund). The investor currently is completing a $19.3-million project at 5 Mysia St. (Liberty Corner), partly the new corporate headquarters of the Polish Press Agency PAP.
Sven von der Heyden, Chairman of Von der Heyden Group:
I am proud and honored by the title Personality of the Year. I must say I was rather surprised by the distinction. This is an award for my 12 years of work in Poland, also that of my staff and my partners backing us; I would never have earned this distinction without them. Running a business in Poland is becoming more difficult now in some respects but, in others, it is getting easier. More difficult, as business opportunities are not as open as they used to be; competition is tougher and there are fewer attractive lots in Warsaw to build on. On the other hand, our work has become easier as the administration has become much more professional and our attitude towards authorities in the past seems to pay off. The approach of my Polish partners towards business, for instance the architects and engineers, is very professional.
In many areas Poland is more competitive than many Western countries, there is a vast surplus of professionals, architects and engineers who are prepared to meet great challenges and are very conscientious workers. However, there are also difficulties, like the current economic recession, but I’m sure that already 2003 will be better than 2002.
Focusing on Warsaw I pin great hopes on the new mayor, Lech Kaczyński and his team. I think he has a very strong character and that he will carry out the changes essential to the city.
The difficulties I encounter in Warsaw also occur in other cities and they concern mainly legal and administrative aspects. Many regulations should be made more flexible, Warsaw should have a strong grip on rebuilding and keeping its architectual heritage but on the other hand support serious investors and not hinder or delay them when it comes to rebuilding or renovating historic buildings. Warsaw urgently needs to improve its appearance by not just building some more skyscrapers.
The bureaucracy in Poland is still excessive, you will meet many situations in Poland where achieving what you want takes longer because of bureaucratic procedures but one eventually gets there, therefore you just need great patience.
I strongly disagree that corruption is such a problem as it is being trumpeted everywhere. Politicians and administration employees shall simply be much better paid so they can concentrate on pushing their cities and Poland forward, competition for FDI is fierce, we can observe that every day.
We do not offer bribes to achieve a goal. If you treat Poles with respect, fairly, professional and in an open manner, you get a lot of help without resorting to such underhanded methods. What is being said about corruption here perhaps applies to one or the other large-scale deals but in general not to medium-sized companies.
It was not by accident that we started in Warsaw; the city has a strong educational base and attracts the best-educated people from all over Poland, which means a high level of qualifications compared to other cities even in comparison to Western Europe.
Warsaw offers enormous space for growth and it has already become a base for the Central and Eastern European operations of many multinational companies. Warsaw also has an increasingly attractive cultural life. So, if you want to develop absuccessful business in Poland it is advisable to start from Warsaw, one has to act now and not later.
Sven von der Heyden, Chairman of Von der Heyden Group:
I am proud and honored by the title Personality of the Year. I must say I was rather surprised by the distinction. This is an award for my 12 years of work in Poland, also that of my staff and my partners backing us; I would never have earned this distinction without them. Running a business in Poland is becoming more difficult now in some respects but, in others, it is getting easier. More difficult, as business opportunities are not as open as they used to be; competition is tougher and there are fewer attractive lots in Warsaw to build on. On the other hand, our work has become easier as the administration has become much more professional and our attitude towards authorities in the past seems to pay off. The approach of my Polish partners towards business, for instance the architects and engineers, is very professional.
In many areas Poland is more competitive than many Western countries, there is a vast surplus of professionals, architects and engineers who are prepared to meet great challenges and are very conscientious workers. However, there are also difficulties, like the current economic recession, but I’m sure that already 2003 will be better than 2002.
Focusing on Warsaw I pin great hopes on the new mayor, Lech Kaczyński and his team. I think he has a very strong character and that he will carry out the changes essential to the city.
The difficulties I encounter in Warsaw also occur in other cities and they concern mainly legal and administrative aspects. Many regulations should be made more flexible, Warsaw should have a strong grip on rebuilding and keeping its architectual heritage but on the other hand support serious investors and not hinder or delay them when it comes to rebuilding or renovating historic buildings. Warsaw urgently needs to improve its appearance by not just building some more skyscrapers.
The bureaucracy in Poland is still excessive, you will meet many situations in Poland where achieving what you want takes longer because of bureaucratic procedures but one eventually gets there, therefore you just need great patience.
I strongly disagree that corruption is such a problem as it is being trumpeted everywhere. Politicians and administration employees shall simply be much better paid so they can concentrate on pushing their cities and Poland forward, competition for FDI is fierce, we can observe that every day.
We do not offer bribes to achieve a goal. If you treat Poles with respect, fairly, professional and in an open manner, you get a lot of help without resorting to such underhanded methods. What is being said about corruption here perhaps applies to one or the other large-scale deals but in general not to medium-sized companies.
It was not by accident that we started in Warsaw; the city has a strong educational base and attracts the best-educated people from all over Poland, which means a high level of qualifications compared to other cities even in comparison to Western Europe.
Warsaw offers enormous space for growth and it has already become a base for the Central and Eastern European operations of many multinational companies. Warsaw also has an increasingly attractive cultural life. So, if you want to develop absuccessful business in Poland it is advisable to start from Warsaw, one has to act now and not later.
