Jan and Mark build bridges in Central and Eastern Europe

From the Bradford School of Management "Management Matters" magazine, Spring 2005

Mark Armitage and Jan Szczepanski, alumni from the classes of 1999 and 2000, have pooled their experience to launch a business advisory service in Central and Eastern Europe.

MOST, which means "bridge” in all Slavonic languages, seeks to help companies in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary do business with the UK. MOST also aims to help UK businesses wishing to extend their operations into Central and Eastern Europe.

"We provide advice across the business spectrum, from business development to the outsourcing of manufacturing and back-office services and processes,” explained Mark.

Mark and Jan kept in touch over the last five years, developing their ideas for collaboration. Jan also kept in regular contact with the School, and in particular with alumni manager and careers adviser Lorraine Lucas, and Helen Owen, who chairs alumni.

Lorraine encouraged Jan to approach the Leon Kozminski Academy, Warsaw – a School of Management partner – to find out what advice it could provide. Jan and Mark met Janet Bohdanowicz, programme director, and Jan Dabrowski, vice-director of the business school’s Centre for Management Studies.

"We found the meeting of great value in providing further networking contacts, one of whom has subsequently been developed into a business partner based in Warsaw,” said Jan.

MOST hopes to continue to tap this local business knowledge by working with the Leon Kozminski students and alumni in the future.

"Interest in MOST from both Central and Eastern Europe and the UK has been far in excess of what we anticipated,” said Jan.

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