The Real Estate Personality of the Year, Poland

Agata Stańkowska, Director and Head of Leasing at Balmain Group, brings over 20 years of experience in strategic leasing and portfolio commercialisation across retail, office, and logistics sectors. She develops and implements long-term leasing strategies, tenant mix optimisation, and value-driven asset enhancement. Under her leadership, between August 2023 and August 2025, the portfolio under leasing management reached 520,000 sqm GLA, with over 80,000 sqm leased and 300+ new and renewed lettings and total footfall exceeded 50 million customers. Agata secured new mandates, including Rondo 1 and Noli Mokotów in Warsaw as well as CH Osowa in Gdańsk, while maintaining 100% occupancy in key centres such as Galeria nad Jeziorem and Galardia Starachowice. Her results-driven approach delivers measurable value through effective leasing and innovative portfolio growth.

In 2024, under Agnieszka’s leadership, GTC’s Polish branch achieved record results, leasing 93,000 sqm – the best outcome in a decade. Of more than 62,000 sqm of office space leased, over half came from new agreements and expansions, with the strongest activity in Kraków and Łódź. In Łódź alone, GTC’s leases represented nearly 30% of all transactions on the office market, underlining the company’s strong competitive position. Retail delivered equally impressive results: GTC’s shopping centers attracted over 13m visitors. Tenant sales grew 13% year-on-year, supported by nearly 30,700 sqm of new leases. The momentum carried into 2025, confirming GTC’s strong leasing capabilities and portfolio appeal. At the same time, the company is pursuing ambitious initiatives in the ESG area – from introducing new environmentally friendly solutions in its buildings to running impactful social campaigns for tenants and customers, focused on topics such as mental health and preventive healthcare.

Partner Agnieszka Stankiewicz and Partner Radomił Charzyński are the new Co-Heads of Real Estate in Poland as of 1 July 2025. Jolanta Nowakowska-Zimoch, former Head of Real Estate, remains the Managing Partner of the firm in Poland. Agnieszka Stankiewicz, advised Vantage Development and TAG Immobilien on the largest PRS transaction executed to date on the Polish market - the PLN 2.4 billion acquisition of all shares in 18 PRS assets located in Warsaw, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Kraków, Łódź, Poznań. Agnieszka’s standing in the profession is widely recognized. She is ranked Band 1 in Real Estate by Chambers Europe (2017–2025) and listed in The Legal 500 Hall of Fame, as well as Highly Regarded by IFLR1000 for Real Estate Finance and Banking. In 2025, she was honored as Industry Professional of the Year at the CEEQA Awards, acknowledging her sustained contribution to the region’s investment landscape.

Under the leadership of Andrzej Oślizło, who has served as the president of the management board of Develia for about five years, the company has undergone a period of dynamic growth and strategic transformation. During his tenure, Develia completed the EUR 65.9 million acquisition of Bouygues Immobilier Polska in summer 2025, further strengthening its position in the residential market. This was another acquisition by Develia in the residential real estate market over the past two years, following the takeover of Nexity’s Polish subsidiaries. This milestone - the acquisition of Bouygues Immobilier Polska - followed a series of strategic divestments, including the sale of Arkady Wrocławskie and prime plots in central Wrocław, which allowed the company to focus on expanding its core residential activities. Under his guidance, the group achieved record sales of nearly 3,200 residential units in 2024, increasing its market share to approximately 8%, up from 2.6% in 2020. Mr. Oślizło has also been the driving force behind Develia’s entry into the student accommodation sector — following a partnership agreement signed with Innova Capital and Solida Capital last year, the company has acquired a site in central Wrocław to develop a 600-room dormitory.

Jacek Wesołowski has been the managing director of Trei Real Estate Poland since 2016. He is responsible for the company's investment and development activities, overseeing the dynamic development of the Vendo Park retail park chain, which currently consists of 42 centres across Poland in Poland. Since 2019, he has also been responsible for residential developments, including the completion of the Kraft estate in Łódź (191 apartments) and the Bacciarellego 54 estate in Wrocław (277 units). The company is currently implementing a green and family-friendly investment in Milanówek and has started construction of its second residential development in Łódź – the Blask Estate (214 flats in two phases). In Poznań, Trei has completed the first stage of its debut PRS project, UP2U, offering 330 units. The entire development is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Full scope support adviser. Expert in corporate income tax and international taxation, specializing in advising real estate companies and corporate restructuring projects across Central Europe. Her expertise is recognized in the polish and international rankings. Justyna's team has advised in dozens important transactions for market leaders: Griffin Real Estate, Capital Park, Ghelamco, Yareal, CBRE, Xior Student Housing, Real Management, Adventum, EPP, White Stone Development, Ares Management, BaseCamp, Life Spot, Student Depot, PIMCO Europe, US, CEE, South Africa and Japanese Investment Funds. Justyna is an active voice in shaping tax law, safeguarding taxpayer rights and fostering a transparent tax environment. She works in groups bringing together entrepreneurs from PZFD, Lewiatan together with Ministry of Finance, aiming to develop tax regulations related to WHT and REITs. She has also mentored upcoming professionals and is a speaker at national and international conferences.

Krzysztof Misiak is an executive partner, head of Poland and board member at Cushman & Wakefield, having led its operations in Poland for over five years. Under his leadership, in 2025 the team advised Ghelamco on the sale of the Vibe office building in Warsaw’s CBD to Manova Partners – marking the first acquisition of a Polish office asset by a German investor since 2019. C&W also advised Nepi Rockcastle on the acquisition of two major retail assets – Silesia City Center and Magnolia Park – with a combined value of almost EUR 780 mln. Other milestones include LX Pantos’ leasing transaction in Prime Logistics Wrocław (100,000 sqm), Reckitt Benckiser in Vibe (8,000 sqm), and Empik in the Cepelia building (1,300 sqm). Krzysztof also played a key role in establishing C&W’s European technology and automation hub in Warsaw.

Over the past two years, Łukasz Wasilewski has made a breakthrough in the development of the Polish commercial real estate market by integrating Nuvalu Polska into the international network of Coldwell Banker Commercial – a global leader with 119 years of history and presence in dozens of countries. This strategic move provided the Polish market with access to global advisory standards, innovative analytical tools, and best practices supporting the sustainable growth of the commercial real estate sector. Under Łukasz Wasilewski’s leadership, Nuvalu Polska became the first partner of this brand in Central and Eastern Europe, strengthening Warsaw’s international position as a key investment hub in the region. Integration with the global network brought tangible business results – an increase in cross-border projects, an expanded advisory offering, and greater visibility of Poland among international investors.

Małgorzata Dankowska has almost 20 years of experience of specialising in transaction, restructurings and advisory for the real estate and technology sector. Her expertise lies in providing tax-efficient solutions for commercial real estate, PRS/PBSA, IT services, foreign investors and investment funds. She co-founded Koda Advisory last year. In the last thirteen months, the company has provided financial advice to Uniqa Real Estate Management for the purchase of the Wronia 31 office building in Warsaw, as well as to Eastnine for the EUR 280 mln acquisition of the Warsaw Unit skyscraper – the biggest office deal in Europe of 2024. In 2021, she was awarded the title ‘Top Woman in Real Estate’ in the field of tax advisory and accounting. Małgorzata is the author and co-author of several publications on taxation, and has been a speaker at numerous tax conferences and workshops. She is a member of the International Fiscal Association and REIT Poland Association.

Under Marek Dobrzycki’s leadership, Panattoni reinforced its position as the dominant force in Poland’s industrial real estate market. The company had delivered almost 16 million sqm in Poland, with 626,000 sqm under construction. Landmark projects include a 33,600 sqm distribution centre for Intermarché in Sosnowiec, a modern production plant for Compal, and a fully robotised 18,000 sqm distribution centre for Auchan. He also oversaw one of the largest leases in Polish history – a 207,000 sqm BTS complex for Media Expert in Łódź – as well as a PLN 600 million factory for BSH near Rzeszów and the Wrocław Campus 2 (160,000 sqm). In 2024, Panattoni signed nearly 1.5 million sqm of lease agreements, demonstrating market resilience and tenant confidence. Dobrzycki was instrumental in maintaining growth during a global slowdown, steering the company towards build-to-suit projects, securing long-term tenants, and consolidating Poland’s role as a logistics and production hub for Europe.

Marek Noetzel joined Rockcastle Global Real Estate in 2016 and played an important role in establishing the structure of the office in Poland and expanding it abroad. He was appointed as an executive director of NEPI Rockcastle in 2017 and, as chief operations officer, is currently responsible for the asset management of the Western portfolio and the acquisition of properties in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Last year, the company acquired Silesia City Center in Katowice for EUR 405 mln and Magnolia Park in Wrocław for EUR 373 mln – the two biggest retail real estate deals of the year. Nepi Rockcastle now owns and operates 57 shopping centres across the CEE region with a combined value of EUR 8.1 bln (as of June 2025).

Peter Noack has built up the first residential rental portfolio owned by an institutional investor in the CEE region, incl. 1,000 apartments and still growing. Over the last two years, his company has completed projects in the Office, PRS, and PBSA segments in the Czech Republic and in Poland, most of which are of exceptional heritage value. Palac Dunaj, a state-of-the-art historic office building from the 1920s in Prague, today serves as the seat of, for example, the European Commission Representation. Peter has created the own HOME by Zeitgeist brand to operate long-term rentals, with two recently added revitalized buildings in Warsaw: Wrzesińska 2 and Św. Barbary 6/8. Within the PBSA segment - together with Zdena Noack, CEO of ZEITRAUM - he developed a subsidiary company which operates student houses, including the latest projects: a flagship dormitory in a revitalized building in Warsaw at Solec 22, and the most recent ground-up mixed-use project, ZEITRAUM Racławicka in Krakow.

Piotr Fijołek is a recognised M&A expert with over 18 years of operational experience in commercial real estate and private equity. He has been with Griffin Capital Partners throughout his entire professional career and is now co-managing partner, having executed over 100 transactions with a total volume exceeding EUR 4 bln. Between August 2023 and August 2025, he has overseen the development and growth of Griffin’s investment platforms, currently manages several portfolio companies, including Murapol, Horse and Stokado, with a combined gross asset value exceeding EUR 1 bln. Among his recent achievements, he played a key role in Murapol’s IPO in December 2023 (the second-largest in the CEE region that year) and the PLN 390 mln acquisition of a 70 pct stake in ABB in May 2025. He also led the acquisition and subsequent expansion of self-storage operator Stokado, increasing its portfolio by more than 70 pct since the takeover.

Since 2000 Rafał Mazurczak has been part of the Echo Group, one of Poland’s largest and most experienced real estate developers, and joined the management board eight years ago. In 2025, he was also appointed CEO of CitySpace, a leading provider of flexible offices. Rafał plays a strategic role in the planning and execution of Echo’s projects across the office, retail, and residential segments, with a strong focus on large-scale, mixed-use investments. In Warsaw, the company recently completed Office House – the first building of the Towarowa22 development – with 100% of its 32,000 sqm GLA leased. In Wrocław, the Swobodna SPOT project is progressing. In Kraków, Brain Park has reached full occupancy, and the WITA development is underway. Echo leased 49,000 sqm of office space in 2024 and 15,500 sqm in H1 2025. The EUR 32.5M sale of React in Łódź confirms strong investor demand. Echo follows ESG best practices, aiming for net-zero emissions.

Renata Osiecka is the founder and managing partner of Axi Immo, which has been providing comprehensive advisory services to the warehouse, land, office and investment sectors for 16 years. Since then, the company has brokered the lease of 6 mln sqm and the sale of 1.1 mln sqm of commercial space as well as the sale of 2.6 mln sqm of land. The company now has six offices across Poland and almost 100 employees. She has served as the European chapter president and chaired the diversity and inclusion committee of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors and is also a member of the RICS.

Under Sebastian’s leadership, AFI Poland focuses on three pillars: the AFI Home PRS platform, the office sector, and large mixed-use projects. Between 2023–2025 the company delivered seven AFI Home developments: Dajwór, Bagry, Osiedle Europejskie and Czyżewskiego in Kraków; Metro Park, Złota, Metro Szwedzka and Metro Zachód in Warsaw; and Długa in Wrocław – totalling over 2,200 units. AFI also advanced its flagship Towarowa22 by acquiring the remaining 30% of Office House (32,000 sqm, almost fully leased before completion) and preparing for AFI Tower – a 150-meter office and premium residential project due in 2028. The company secured a €120m loan, one of the largest PRS financings in Poland, covering projects in Warsaw, Kraków and Wrocław. These initiatives strengthened AFI’s position as a PRS and mixed-use leader in the CEE region.