After the initial Jury vote, 75 top GBS centres in CEE and Baltics move forward to the Short-List as finalists for the CEE Business Services Awards, set for 5-6 March in Warsaw (Hotel Intercontinental). In addition to this 13th annual Awards Gala, nearly 45 speakers will address key topics for GBS/Shared Service centre directors in the region - via keynote presentations, Panels featuring global Transformation Directors, Showcase Presentations offering deeper insights into Nominations, and Break-out Sessions for more in-depth look at specific topics.

See key Links here for more Information:

• Agenda Day 1 and Agenda Day 2 (draft, final speakers will be posted by 31 January)
• VIP Jury Members
• Ticket-Reservations

Announcing the Short-List for 2025:

Top GBS Transformation Initiative of the Year
Alcon Polska
Aptiv
Arla Global Shared Services
Cognizant Technology Solutions (GB) Limited
Dexcom Lithuania
IBM Hungary ISSC Kft
International Flavors&Fragances (IFF)
Marsh – European Business Support Centre
Tesco Business Solutions
Trivium Packaging BSC Europe

Most-promising New-entrant “Business Services” Investor
GoCardless
Kanadevia Inova Slovensko
LITIT part of NTT Data
Societe Generale Global Solution Center Poland
Tech Mahindra Limited

Best University-Business Cooperation of the Year
Alcon
Aros Marine
Cencora / World Courier Lithuania
Citco Vilnius
IBM Slovensko
MSC Shared Service Center Riga
Technology VOIS (Vodafone) Romania

Top AI or Process-Automation Project of the Year
Aptiv
Cognizant Technology Solutions Lithuania
Danone
Danske Bank Lithuania
Dexcom Lithuania
Festo, UAB
Holcim European Business Services
IBM International Services Centre
Mercer Services Poland
Metso GBS
MMC Group Services
Porsche Group SRL
Process Solutions Kft.
Sii Poland
Tesco Business Solutions
VOIS (Vodafone) Romania

Top Diversity & Inclusion Initiative – CEE
Booking Holdings Romania
Deutsche Telekom Services Europe Slovakia
IFF
Moody's Lithuania
Roche Services & Solutions EMEA
Siemens Healthcare
Steelcase
Telia Global Services Lithuania
Western Union Processing Lithuania

Top Diversity & Inclusion Initiative – Poland
AXA XL
HEINEKEN Global Shared Services
ISS

Top Employer Branding Initiative – CEE
Booking Holdings Romania
Danske Bank Lithuania
ELEKS
Gurtam
Trivium Packaging BSC, Europe

Top Employer Branding Initiative – Poland
ADAPTIVE GROUP SAG
Arla Global Shared Services
AXA XL
Danone
HEINEKEN Global Shared Services
Pegasystems Software Limited
PwC Service Delivery Center
Sii Poland
thyssenkrupp Group Services Gdańsk

Top Customer Experience Provider (BPO)
Miele Global Services
Sterling
Tata Consultancy Services

Top IT Outsourcing Services Partner in CEE
Gurtam
ITELENCE
LITIT part of NTT Data
Sii Poland
Vention

Top CSR Initiative – CEE
Cencora / World Courier Lithuania
Cognizant Technology Solutions
ELEKS
EPAM Systems
IBM International Services Center
Telia Global Services Lithuania
VOIS (Vodafone) Romania

Top CSR Initiative – Poland
Aptiv
Arla Global Shared Services
AXA XL
PwC Service Delivery Center

Business Centre Director – GBS – CEE
Alter Domus
Holcim
Johnson Matthey Global Business Services Lithuania

Business Centre Director – GBS – Poland
Danone
Hapag-Lloyd Knowledge Center
ISS
Metso Poland
Noble Drilling Poland
Sterling

Top GBS HR Director – CEE
Alter Domus
Booking Holdings Romania
IG Group
Metso Poland

Most Vibrant Employer – Poland
ARLA Global Shared Services
AXA XL
HEINEKEN Global Shared Services
Herbalife GBS Krakow Center
ISS World
Metso Poland
Noble Drilling Poland
thyssenkrupp Group Services Gdańsk
Zoetis

Most Vibrant Employer – Lithuania
Alter Domus
Cencora / World Courier Lithuania
Citco Vilnius
Dexcom Lithuania
Telia Global Services Lithuania

Most Vibrant Employer – Latvia
DNB Bank ASA Latvijas filiale
GoCardless SIA

Most Vibrant Employer – Slovakia
AT&T Global Network Services Slovakia
ING Hubs Slovakia
Holcim European Business Services
ON Semiconductor Slovakia
Zurich Insurance Ltd.

Most Vibrant Employer – Hungary
International Flavors & Fragrances I.F.F. (Hungary)
Roche Services & Solutions EMEA
Trivium Packaging BSC, Europe

Most Vibrant Employer – Romania
Booking Holdings Romania
OMV Petrom Global Solutions

Most “Dynamically Developing” City – CEE
City of Riga
City of Vilnius

Most “Dynamically Developing” City – Poland
City of Gdańsk/Gdynia (Tricity)
City of Poznań

Emerging City of the Year – CEE
City of Debrecen
City of Kaunas

GlobalLogic Inc., is pleased to announce - on 7 January 2025 - the opening of a new Security Operations Center (SOC) in Kraków, Poland, that utilizes the capabilities of Hitachi Cyber. This announcement comes as organizations face a critical moment in cybersecurity, with the start of 2025 bringing heightened risks from AI-driven attacks, ransomware-as-a-service, and supply chain vulnerabilities.

According to recent reports by ENISA, cyber incidents across Europe have doubled in the past year, and the impact on critical sectors such as healthcare, energy, and manufacturing has been profound. Additionally, according to Fortinet's 2024 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, 70% of companies struggle to safeguard their assets due to a growing shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals.

The Kraków SOC is positioned to address these pressing challenges by providing 24/7 monitoring and tailored solutions that help organizations mitigate risks, ensure compliance with regulations like GDPR and NIS2, and build resilience against an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape.

Individual approach and advanced technology
The new SOC offers a unique combination of services, covering the protection of networks, servers, applications, devices, and processes. These solutions leverage advanced tools for detection, analysis, and response, utilizing — among other technologies — AI capabilities to precisely monitor threats. The center's offerings are tailored to the specific needs of various sectors, including finance, energy, rail, manufacturing, and healthcare. The SOC is distinguished by its customized approach and ability to address the challenges related to operational technology (OT) such as industrial equipment and information technology (IT) such as infrastructure, which requires specialized security measures.

The center focuses on identifying and responding to threats in OT and IT environments, taking into account differences in their architecture, protocols, and communication. Through the use of advanced tools and AI, the SOC enables the detection of unusual behaviors and rapid responses to potential attacks. In addition, it supports organizations in meeting regulatory requirements, helping them effectively mitigate risks and build resilience.

Growing security needs
The center in Kraków enables the outsourcing of SOC functions, which is particularly attractive to small and medium-sized enterprises. These organizations can benefit from a fully operational SOC without incurring the costs of building and maintaining their infrastructure. For large organizations, SOC-as-a-Service offers an opportunity to quickly scale operations in response to growing security needs.

The combination of GlobalLogic’s experience in digital engineering and Hitachi’s cybersecurity expertise and Hitachi Europe's complex market overview enables the delivery of a unique solution: GlobalLogic Secure Application Engineering. As part of this service, security engineers propose enhancements and ensure compliance at every stage of an application's lifecycle, leveraging artificial intelligence to strengthen protective capabilities and introduce innovative security mechanisms. This solution bridges the gap between security and efficiency-focused engineering, ensuring seamless integration throughout the process. As a result, the Kraków-based SOC offers an innovative approach to data protection.

"The opening of our state-of-the-art Security Operations Center in Kraków reflects Hitachi Cyber's unwavering commitment to safeguarding businesses across Europe against an ever-evolving threat landscape. By combining cutting-edge technology with decades of expertise, we are empowering organizations to navigate complexity, ensure compliance, and build resilience in the face of growing cybersecurity challenges. This initiative reinforces our vision of creating a secure digital future, where innovation and security go hand in hand," states Matt Castonguay, Chief Revenue Officer at Hitachi Systems Trusted Cyber Management.

Kraków's investment in the future
"The opening of the SOC in Kraków marks another step in our mission to support European companies in protecting their data and safeguarding their reputations. Utilizing Hitachi Cyber, we provide clients with comprehensive protection that not only addresses current needs but also prepares them for future challenges," emphasizes Igor Byeda, Group Vice President, of Europe at GlobalLogic.

According to data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI) published on Friday, the price of services provided by Bulgarian companies rose by 4.4% year-on-year in the second quarter.
The Producer Price Index (PPI) for services, compiled since the beginning of this year, measures the average change in prices of services produced and sold by domestic producers. The survey does not cover imported services, that is services provided by enterprises registered in other countries. 
Official statistics also show that on a quarterly basis the index has risen by 0.9%.

The leader in business services inflation is the hotel and restaurant sector, where wholesale prices have "jumped" by 7.3 percent compared to the second quarter. In the second place, although with a significantly lower result, is the real estate sector, where service inflation accelerated by 2.4 percent.
The administrative and support activities sector is in third place, with a service price increase of 1.64 percent. This includes the activities of travel agencies and tour operators, security and investigation companies, landscaping studios, and others.

The IT and business services sector in the Czech Republic will employ 175,000 people in 2024, a 9% increase from last year. New investments from companies such as Asahi Group, Kenvue, Sandoz, Rapid 7 and HX Expeditions have boosted this dynamic growth.

The sector is expected to reach the 200,000 employee mark by the end of 2025. IT services and data analytics in particular have seen rapid growth, increasing by a tenth year-on-year. Modern technologies, such as software robots, now perform work equivalent to the capacity of 28,000 people in Czech centres. 

Digital transformation as a growth engineThe industry is characterised in particular by the intensive adoption of modern technologies, which now makes it possible to provide services digitally and to the whole world. In addition, it relies on automation, which simplifies many processes and services. Software robots now do as much work in Czech centres as approximately 28,000 people – with an average of 74 robots per centre, a significant jump from last year’s 53.

“Technologies such as robotic process automation, artificial intelligence, OCR and data visualisation tools are key to expanding the reach and productivity of centres and are making a significant contribution to the Czech economy,” says Jonathan Appleton, adding that the sector contributes over USD 20 billion a year. Automation and robotics projects are being developed in the centres themselves. Today, they employ an average of 14 robotics experts, and this number is expected to grow even further with robotics projects – to 19 within 3 years. These projects then have a significant impact on the growth of the centres themselves. ABSL Czech Republic data even shows that centres that have already integrated AI and automation are growing in terms of headcount at twice the industry average.

WIth Nominations now officially closed, the Jury for the 13th annual CEE Business Services Awards is now reviewing the Jury Package entries.

The Short-List will be announced 13 January. Short-listed companies move forward to the final vote on 5-6 March.

The annual CEE Business Services Summit & Awards is set for 5-6 March in Warsaw at the Hotel Intercontinental. During the 2-days Summit, we expect c. 45 speakers on topics relevant to the GBS sector in CEE and Baltics.

The Agenda will be finalized by 31st January.

Ticket Reservations can be made here. Once again, we expect a sold-out event, with capacity limited to 320 GBS executives.

In late 2024, the Riga City Council hosted the fourth annual Riga Business Award 2024 ceremony, celebrating outstanding achievements across various categories, including “Business of the Year in International Business Centers.”

We are thrilled to announce that this year’s winner in this prestigious category is Circle K Business Centre! Circle K Business Centre Riga plays a pivotal role in supporting Circle K operations across 15 countries. Starting in 2012 as a pilot project offering dispatch services for Scandinavia, the Centre has seen remarkable growth. Today, it delivers value-added, multilingual services across diverse areas. 

The Global Business Services (GBS) market in Romania will continue its rapid expansion, with an estimated annual growth rate of 10% to 15% over the next 2-3 years, according to industry studies and projections by Horváth, a global management consulting company active in the Romanian market since 2005. Romania remains a key destination for these services at the European level, as the global GBS market undergoes significant transformations and consolidation, maintaining its fast growth trajectory.

The global GBS market has grown substantially in recent years, valued at USD 276 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18%. By 2028, this market is expected to reach USD 521 billion, reflecting significant growth potential. This trend is driven by structural changes within companies, which are shifting from low-cost models to strategic business partnerships.
A notable aspect is the intensified migration of GBSs toward strategic roles within organizations, moving away from traditional evaluations based on Service Level Agreements (SLAs) or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Over 50% of GBSs now consider customer experience as the key performance indicator, while only 10% still prioritize cost reduction. These centers are increasingly involved in the digital transformation and automation of corporate processes, with 83% playing a crucial role in this effort, while 27% are actively leading this transformation globally.

Romania is evolving from a cost-focused market into a global hub for future skills, such as artificial intelligence, data analysis, and leveraging employees’ language skills. The industry must focus on integrating and strengthening these competencies to attract investors and meet global economic challenges.
Another important trend shaping the future of the GBS market, and one that companies in Romania’s sector should consider, is the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), which is already at the forefront of the global corporate agenda. Currently, AI plays a central role in optimizing operations within GBS centers, particularly in areas such as Procure-to-Pay and Customer Service. In the coming years, companies that invest in AI will have a distinct competitive advantage, both in operational efficiency and in the quality of services delivered.

Flo Health, the world’s leading women’s health app, has announced plans to significantly expand its operations in Lithuania. The company, which reached unicorn status earlier this year, will add 130 new positions as part of its next growth phase. 
Since establishing its Lithuanian presence in 2020, Flo has grown to become a major force in women’s health technology, with 70M monthly active users and 380M downloads worldwide. The company’s Vilnius office has emerged as a crucial hub, hosting senior team members from principal engineers to VPs and Directors, and serving as the primary location for company-wide planning sessions. 

According to Roman Bugaev, Chief Technology Officer at Flo Health, Lithuania’s exceptional talent pool makes it an ideal location for expansion: "While Lithuania leads the EU with 64% of women in science and technology, we’re proud to tap into this rich and diverse talent pool, welcoming all qualified candidates, including male engineers. This wealth of experience, particularly in product development and software engineering, not only enhances our capabilities but also fosters innovation within our teams."

The expansion of the Vilnius office will leverage the expertise found in the country’s vibrant tech landscape to strengthen capabilities across engineering, product development, and marketing functions. 

The expansion plans align with Flo’s recent funding round, which will drive the company’s next growth phase. Key focus areas include expanding the user base, advancing tech-driven personalization, and reinforcing privacy and security efforts. Notably, Flo is the first and only female health app to achieve dual certification in both Privacy and Security ISO standards. 

November 13th was the date of the 12th edition of the ABSL (Association of Business Service Leaders Romania) annual conference, the biggest event of the business services industry.”We innovate the future. We open new roads in the business services sector” is the theme of this edition attended by over 600 specialists.  The topics covered include the implementation of the latest technologies, the launch of salary and market reports, the presentation of case studies and trends, as well as HR industry news.According to ABSL data, all companies reported wage increases this year.  The estimated growth percentage for next year is approximately 6.7%. The median gross monthly salary of a software developer is approximately 18,700 lei. A payroll specialist earns an average of 9,900 lei gross, while a procurement specialist receives 9,300 lei gross per month. Over the past 5 years, industry wages have increased between 48%-71%. The highest median gross salaries, of approximately 13,000 lei per month, are recorded in the Capital, followed by Transylvania/Banat with almost 11,000 gross lei/month, approximately 10,000 lei gross/month in Muntenia and 8,300 lei gross in Moldova.

Company benefits continue to be important to industry employees, but the 2024 tax measures have changed employee preferences. Thus, the best benefits are additional vacation days, flexible hours, medical insurance and flexible benefits platforms.

From the point of view of the total labor cost, Romania is more attractive compared to Poland, the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Bulgaria and Hungary remain more competitive in terms of low cost.
“Rising labor costs are eroding the competitive cost advantage that used to be one of the reasons why industrial investors chose Romania. Soon even foreign languages ​​will no longer represent a competitive advantage. Professional development of employees to implement and use Artificial Intelligence and automated processes could now make a difference. In general, increasing professional skills to create services with greater added value will contribute to keeping Romania at the top of investors’ preferences,” says Ciprian Dan, President of ABSL.

The economic, as well as the geo-political context reduced individual mobility in the industry.  As consequence, the labor market relationships, extremely difficult for employers over the past few years, returned to normal. According to ABSL reports, last year’s average employee turnover rate was 16%, with employees having an average age of 33 and spending around three years at the job.
“Recruitment, however, remains a challenge for the outsourcing industry. According to our statistics, this year HR departments analyzed 30% more CVs compared to the previous year to hire the same number of graduates.”



According to ABSL studies, 77% of surveyed companies confirmed an increase in turnover in 2023 compared to 2022, but only 58% of them anticipate an increase in the future.
“Poland, Hungary and Slovakia offer investors numerous advantages for creating new jobs. Romania had a relatively competitive program of grants and tax incentives that contributed to the steady growth of the business services industry in the past, but this was discontinued due to budgetary constraints. The lack of fiscal measures to support the development of the industry can have a negative impact on the growth of the sector, the creation of new jobs and the retention of specialists in the country,” says Cătălin Iorgulescu, ABSL Vice President.


The Romanian business services industry ranks 5th in terms of contribution to GDP, counting over 200,000 employees. The top cities in terms of this sector’s development are Bucharest, Cluj and Iasi, followed by Timișoara, Sibiu and Brașov. The main services provided, ranked by the number of employees, are customer operations, IT and finance accounting.