Barbara Topolska

Barbara Topolska

COUNTRY MANAGER

CPI PROPERTY GROUP POLSKA

In the autumn of 2019, CPIPG announced an investment strategy for Poland focused on the acquisition of high-quality office buildings located in Warsaw that meet environmental and location standards, with the possibility of their further development and value enhancement. Over a period of nine months from the date of the announcement, Barbara Topolska and her team completed nine deals, acquiring office buildings with a total area of 245,000 sqm. The two largest transactions ¬– i.e. the acquisitions of the Warsaw Financial Center and Eurocentrum Office Complex – were executed within three months (total GLA of 135,000 sqm). With these transactions, CPIPG Polska became a leader on the Warsaw office property market in terms of space. Since early 2020, the team managed by Barbara Topolska has been implementing a proprietary Property Management model in the acquired office buildings. This is aimed at continuous enhancement of both the value of investments and tenants’ work comfort. The model is based on the highest sustainability standards with regards to the modernization of buildings and to human capital management. These efforts will help implement a complementary vision of the investment portfolio and the constant enhancement of its value. With the portfolio expanding, the CPIPG Polska team led by Barbara Topolska has grown from 20 to 110 people.

Barbara is personally responsible for CPIPG’s growth in Poland. She leads a company that owns 48 properties and which also operates as an active asset and property manager within its own portfolio. CPIPG Polska’s operations are now focused on the Warsaw office property market where Topolska and her team have built a portfolio of 314,000 sqm GLA. After the purchase of IMMOFINANZ shares, the office portfolio managed by Topolska increased to 549,496 sqm. CPIPG's retail portfolio consists of two shopping centers (in Elbląg and Lublin) and the City Market chain - 6 convenience facilities (totaling 68,000 sqm GLA). IMMOFINANZ's portfolio includes 14 facilities - 4 VIVO! shopping centers (in Lublin, Stalowa Wola, Krosno and Piła) and 10 STOP SHOP retail parks with a total area of 186,000 sqm. Barbara Topolska manages a team of over 150 employees and is responsible for investor relations. She reports directly to CPI's headquarters in Prague.

CPIPG Polska’s team headcount is currently 150. The team’s operating activities are focused on the Warsaw office property market and on retail facilities under the company’s management in various other Polish cities.

We do not disclose such information

Barbara Topolska joined CPI Property Group in 2018 as the Country Manager. In 2016, she joined Multi Corporation as the Managing Director for CEE, with responsibility for 6 key markets: Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Latvia, with a total portfolio of 380,000 sqm of retail and office space. During over 13 years at Neinver, she developed and managed an EUR 2 billion real estate portfolio of 580,000 sqm and properties located in Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Italy. In 2003, she was appointed as General Director at Neinver responsible for the company’s operations in Poland. In 2012, she was promoted to the position of Chief Operations Officer. In 1994, Barbara joined Prime Property Inc., as Residential Director, and Commercial Union (Aviva Group) as Property Management and Investment Director in 1999. After graduation from the Jagiellonian University (Faculty of Biology, Geography, Minerology and Geochemistry) and University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, she also obtained an MBA from the University of Minnesota. A member of the International Council of Shopping Centres and Jury Member at ICSC Global Awards. Since March 2019, a member of the supervisory board of YIT.

Within a year from the announcement of the strategy for Poland by CPIPG, the team headed by Barbara Topolska completed nine transactions on the Warsaw office property market, increasing the size of its investment portfolio by 245,000 sqm to a total of 314,000 sqm. In total, CPIPG owns 393,000 sqm of office, retail and hotel space in Poland. All of the company’s acquisitions are high-quality, green office buildings in prime locations in Warsaw, with good growth outlooks. To achieve this goal, Barbara Topolska introduced a proprietary Property Management model. Implemented by the CPIPG Polska team, it is based on the highest sustainability standards with regards to both the modernization of buildings and human capital management. At the core of the PM proprietary model is building and strengthening relations with tenants. This is done through constant work comfort improvements, enhancing the quality of investment projects and implementing programs developed in house that are aimed at improving the safety and work comfort of tenants. The company utilizes innovative technology and communication solutions to develop and implement its programs. Constantly in search of new opportunities to increase the value of the portfolio in Poland, Barbara also established a Development Department.

Thanks to the professional implementation of the strategy, the total value of CPI’s property portfolio focused on operations in the CEE Region (Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland) and in Berlin has grown to the level of EUR 9.8 billion – before the buyout of IMMOFINANZ shares. Poland has become a leader in the Central European office property market in terms of GLA and value. Barbara Topolska’s operational activity sets the highest work standards for the whole of CPIPG.

During her career, Barbara Topolska as well as her teams and projects in which she has been involved, have won all the prestigious honours awarded in the real estate sector in Poland. The Industry Professional of the Year CEEQA – which was awarded to her in 2012 – is particularly important to Barbara. She was named Personality of the Year for 2020 by Eurobuild magazine, and the chapter of Top Woman in Real Estate honored her with the main award, the 2020 Top Woman of Real Estate.