The Confederation of Polish Employers is the largest and oldest organisation of this kind in this country. Its members represent nearly 6000 companies, ranging from small enterprises to the country’s largest corporations competing successfully on world markets.
The Confederation grants its highly prestigious Wektor awards each year to individuals whose performance in various fields of the economy has mapped out ways of operation that can serve as a pattern for others. The Wektor awards are also conferred in recognition of activities that have brought special benefits to the Polish economy and for generating an atmosphere most conducive for the development of entrepreneurship. The Confederation’s Super Wektor awards are granted to those whose creative ideas and praiseworthy activities contribute to common good, people who are capable of rising above differences and identify themselves with the goals of the whole society.
Addressing the gala participants, Andrzej Malinowski, the President of the Confederation of Polish Employers observed that the “laureates of the Wektor awards pave the way for entrepreneurs showing the way to novel solutions and ideas of particular significance for the Polish economy and highly valuable in the context of its social development. The Wektor statuette, he explained, symbolizes a man marching forward with his head up notwithstanding the obstacles and adversities on the way”.
The Super Wektor awards were granted to Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Deputy Premier and Minister of the Economy Waldemar Pawlak for “creating a vision of a state based on economic growth and business freedom, release of social energy as well as on trust and partnership dialogue”. Accepting the award, deputy Premier Pawlak remarked: “The positive changes which we observed last month in the Polish economy offer proof that working together we are capable of building a better future in a spirit of dialogue and understanding between employers and employees. Together, we are building a better future for the sake of better life for all”. The Minister of the Economy urged Polish employers to step up investment in human capital to enhance the competitiveness of Polish employees and employers on the European market. He said that rather than competing in terms of cheap labour, as used to be the case until now, Polish employees should challenge others in knowledge and expertise and employers should do so in go-getting and innovativeness.

WEKTORS 2007 were awarded to:
– Ludwik Sobolewski (President of the Warsaw Stock Exchange) for creating the NewConnect market for small and medium-sized companies and for consolidating the position of the Warsaw Stock Exchange as a leader on Central European financial markets.
– Telekomunikacja Polska SA for working out a formula of combining business with work for public good and for its cooperation as national operator with local governments in bringing the Internet into every home.
– Dimitris Dimitradis (President of the Budget Group of the European Economic and Social Committee) for his creative contribution to the development of the European employers’ movement and rendering the European Economic and Social Committee into a highly valued EU partner to be reckoned with.
– Antonio Garrigues (President of the Garrigues law firm) for rendering top standard comprehensive legal services contributing to a significant increase in the number of Spanish investors in Poland.
– Henryk Leszczyński (Management Board President of PKS Szczecin Sp. z o.o.) for his concept of privatising public transport assuring top quality service and passengers’ safety standards.
– Roman Młodkowski (the Head of TVN CNBC Biznes) for journalistic reliability and knowledge as well as untiring popularisation of free market principles and common sense.
MP