Check out how we celebrated this special occasion!
There are some industries and some professions where time has somehow stopped. But not this one. The IT sector, like no other, is characterised by constant change towards the future. And so it is with our company, which has been present in the Polish market for more than a decade! Ten years of development and growth, ten years of learning, ten years of great adventures. These are moments worth talking about and remembering. We celebrated them with a special gala in May – a meeting filled with emotions, smiles, memories, and great fun.
The history of Schibsted Tech Poland began in 2011 in Krakow. The company was founded in response to the growing demand for the transformation of the press into the increasingly popular digital form. Only two years later, in 2013, in accordance with its new strategy, Schibsted Tech Polska became a technological hub for all Schibsted companies. The existing partners, i.e., SND, VG, Aftonbladed, were joined by Aftenposten, FVN, BT, SA, and Finn. No one imagined that from just a few members, the Polish team would grow to several dozen employees, who on a daily basis – working from Krakow and Gdansk – remotely cooperate with other Schibsted members from Scandinavia. Today this is nothing unusual, but a few years ago it was a big innovation, for which after all the IT industry is famous.
– The history of Schibsted Tech Polska began a decade ago. At that time no one anticipated such a phenomenal growth not only of the organisation, but also of the initially small team. Today, from just a handful of people, STP has grown to 280 employees – specialists in their fields, extremely well-coordinated and perfectly complementing each other. However, this is not so obvious, considering that when we started there was no access to Slack, Google Meet, remote working or, in general, working from anywhere in the world. Today, with hindsight, we are proud to say that we have blazed the trail in terms of remote collaboration, perfectly integrating teams working in Krakow, Gdansk, and Scandinavia. These ten years are for us a source of great joy and success, but also a perfect example that the sum of the parts is worth more than its components – Katarzyna Kowalczyk, Country Manager at Schibsted Tech Poland, said.
In some industries, ten years does not change much – in ours, it changes everything. That is why we decided to celebrate the first decade of Schibsted Tech Polska in a way allowing us to still remember this special event for years to come.
On a certain May evening, precisely on 19 May, we met the whole Schibsted family in the Goetz Palace in Brzesko. The whole family in the literal sense, because among the guests there were both the employees of the Kraków and Gdańsk offices and guests from Scandinavia, representing 60 brands from the Schibsted portfolio from five countries, who came to Poland to celebrate this special occasion with us. The hosts of the meeting were Agnieszka Steczkiewicz and Paweł Szonecki, who throughout the evening took care of the agenda of the gala and looked after the well-being of all guests. The stage was also given to people representing the company who introduced the participants to its history, best achievements and those moments from its past which are worth remembering. These people were Katarzyna Kowalczyk – Country Manager of Schibsted Tech Polska, Sven Størmer Thaulow – Chief Data and Technology Officer of Schibsted, Kristin Skogenlund – CEO of Schibsted, John Einar Sandvand – Board Member and CCO of Schibsted Tech Polska between 2011 and 2018 and Erik Bonesvoll – Product Director Shared Products & Platforms of Schibsted. Their speeches moved, inspired, motivated, and made us smile.
– The decade-long presence of our company in the market deserved an unusual setting. Our employees have always been, are and will be the most important for us. Without them we would not have been able to develop, learn and share our knowledge with others, perform tasks and implement projects that we would not have even dreamt of ten years ago. The meeting is not only an opportunity to celebrate this special occasion together, but also a form of thanks for the work of each member of the Schibsted Tech Polska team. It is wonderful that we could celebrate this occasion with such an outstanding gala, which will remain in our hearts and memory forever – Katarzyna Kowalczyk concluded.
The official part of the meeting was exceptional, but its remaining aspects were also noteworthy. The amazing surroundings of the Goetz Palace, sophisticated dishes and excellent music made the participants hope that the evening would never end. The highlight of the gala was an excellent concert by Brodka. Well-known songs, live singing, and excellent arrangements by the band led to the room being filled to the brim and remaining so until dawn.
The 10th anniversary of Schibsted Tech Poland deserved to be marked with a special ceremony. We are already waiting impatiently for further occasions worthy of such celebration.