Beata Drzazga, entrepreneur, business mentor, and philanthropist, founder of numerous companies in Poland and abroad, including BetaMed—the largest medical company in Poland—talks about her efforts to promote the development of Polish business. Her activities as vice president of the Center for Science, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Poland in Silicon Valley in the US, participation in the deregulation work of Rafał Brzoska’s team, and a conference on the issue of gender inequality in the management of Polish companies.
You can increasingly be found in California, specifically in Silicon Valley. How are you involved in the development of Polish business in this famous place?
Silicon Valley is the cradle of entrepreneurship in the United States, known and admired around the world. It is a center of innovation and new technologies, attracting innovators and startups from around the globe. Many Polish entrepreneurs dream of making a name for themselves there, finding an investor or business partner. Few people realize that we have exceptional ambassadors there. Prof. Piotr Moncarz and Prof. Janusz Bryzek are well known in the US, and we should be proud of such compatriots who have achieved great success there.
Exactly, could you tell our readers about their achievements?
Piotr Moncarz lectures at Stanford University and specializes in new technologies and construction disaster research. He is the chairman of the US-Polish Trade Council, an organization that supports cooperation between the US and Poland. He is also the co-organizer of a conference on new technologies in Palo Alto, where we met. In California, I also met Janusz Bryzka, known in Silicon Valley as the “father of sensors.” He is a pioneer in the field of micro-mechanics who helped create many companies that are now huge. He was a visionary—I say “was” because, unfortunately, he is no longer with us. Last year, the Poland in Silicon Valley Center for Science, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship was inaugurated in California. The organization, headed by Prof. Moncarz, with the participation of representatives of Polish-American companies and people who have been successful in business in Poland, is intended to serve as a bridge between Polish and American institutions.
You have been appointed vice-president of the Center. What activities are you focusing on?
Poland as such is not present on the world stage in the field of science or new technologies, and we need to be noticed. The point is to get people talking about Poland. But in order to make our mark, we need to create a place for cooperation between three areas: science, business, and government institutions. The Center has signed an agreement with twelve leading Polish universities and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. We are talking to business representatives. All this so that universities can spread our scientific and technical ideas. It would be good if these talents could achieve something in Poland and then show it further afield; science must be global, we must be visible in the world.
In the current political situation, is there a good climate for doing business in the US, given the pressure and even economic blackmail from President Donald Trump towards Europe?
It doesn’t matter at all. We always run our companies without looking at the political options, because our companies have to function and we have to adapt. Sometimes things are worse, sometimes better, but we operate without looking at politicians. The Poland in Silicon Valley Center is intended to function as an entrepreneurship hub. We want to sign contracts, attract Polish companies ready to enter Silicon Valley, and connect them with potential investors. Some will find a business partner, others will find a market… The center is intended to serve as a formal representative of Polish science and business.
Let’s stick to politics, this time Polish politics. You were involved in the deregulation process and participated in the first meeting between Rafał Brzoska’s team and Prime Minister Donald Tusk. How do you assess this idea from the perspective of an entrepreneur, visionary, and business mentor with many years of diverse experience in doing business in Poland and abroad?
I am very proud to have been able to participate in this important event in the 35-year history of Polish entrepreneurship, when politicians want to have real conversations with us and treat us seriously. I am active in many business organizations, including the Polish Council of Entrepreneurs, Employers of Poland, Business Center Club, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Katowice. We all support deregulation ideas. Special groups have been set up that work closely with lawyers and convey their opinions to politicians. There is a lot of interest from entrepreneurs and politicians. I hope that at least some of the deregulation proposals, simplifying, for example, tax law and the tax system, will come into force.
It can be said that you keep your finger on the pulse of the most important events for the Polish economy and entrepreneurship. You recently took part in the “Women on Boards” debate at the Polish Business Council, devoted to the presence of women in top management positions in companies. Is it worth talking about gender inequalities in company management?
In fact, I believe that the presence of women on boards should not be regulated by quotas, but given the stereotypical thinking in Poland, it is necessary. I am very surprised by the ambitious approach, straight out of the communist era, that men have to prove themselves and show that boards, supervisory boards, or discussion panels look better and more serious when they are filled with men. This is offensive to women. Management and leadership skills do not depend on physique or muscles, but on charisma and inner strength. We should look more broadly at a set of characteristics such as diligence and vision, and this is something we lack. That is why I am in favor of introducing gender quotas, because there is a need for them in Poland.
It is worth noting that from 2026, in accordance with EU regulations, large state-owned companies will have to apply a 33% gender parity rule on their management and supervisory boards, followed by others…
I always say that business has no gender, but in Poland, a woman who excels in business is often pushed aside because she is competition for underappreciated men. Quotas will give women a real chance to prove themselves. I believe that it is worth looking at people not through the prism of gender, but let’s give women a chance to be leaders. We tend to be more committed, responsible for our team of subordinates, empathetic, and we have a broader view of the surrounding reality. Let us remember that we are the majority of society, more than half of us have higher education, we are a talent pool. We cannot afford in Poland not to utilize the potential of entrepreneurial women.
Interview by Jaga Kolawa
The interview appeared in the March issue of Business HUB.
The online version of the issue can be downloaded : HERE.
Photo. Lidia Skuza