Royal Greenland, a global market leader in supplying and processing of cold-water prawns and Greenland Halibut, has officially announced the opening of its European Shared Service Center Office in Gdansk, Poland. This new facility, employing approximately 30 dedicated staff, will serve customers globally.

As a truly vertically integrated company, Royal Greenland delivers wild-caught, high-quality seafood from the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean to consumers worldwide. Greenland, the world’s largest island, is bigger than France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Great Britain combined, yet it is home to only 56,000 inhabitants. All along the coasts where the ice is not permanent, as the centre of the island is covered by the ice cap year-round.

− After careful consideration, we chose Gdansk in Poland due to the availability of skilled and motivated employees, its proximity to Scandinavia, and the fact that, as a seafood company, we feel comfortable in a harbour city. Poland hosts more than 1,500 Centres of Shared Services, and we are proud to be the first from Greenland − said Royal Greenland’s CEO, Susanne Arfelt Rajamand.

The new Royal Greenland European Shared Service Center (ESSC) aims to enhance customer service and operational efficiency, employing over 30 skilled professionals. This initiative is a key component of Royal Greenland’s broader strategy to foster growth and innovation while maintaining the high standards the customers expect worldwide.
− Since we started in July, I am impressed by the spirit of our employees and the speed at which they have transferred tasks from various countries to our European Shared Service Center (ESSC) here in Gdansk. I am confident that our Tricity office will further improve the service we offer to our valued customers around the globe. (…) We would also like to thank our friends from Invest in Pomerania for the help they have given us when establishing in Gdansk − stated Gabriela Gawel, Director at Royal Greenland Poland.

− We are pleased to welcome the first Greenlandic company, a global leader in the seafood processing market. The decision of Royal Greenland to open an European Shared Service Center here in the Tricity area is a confirmation that we offer attractive conditions for business development based on highly qualified personnel and quality of service. Openness to the needs of specific companies are additional factors that allow us to compete with the most demanding investors − concluded Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of Pomorskie Voivodeship.

See Full Agenda here.

This day is about delving into the evolving job landscapes, technological advancements, and workplace dynamics. As technology continues to evolve, organizations and individuals must stay agile and prepare for these shifts. Digital transformation is critical, with companies designing adaptive and digitally fluent organizations. 

Slovakia’s economy relies on business centers as a significant industry, preserving employment levels and adhering to commitments. The industry needs more substantial support from the government and local municipalities to climb the value-added ladder. Continuous adaptation to digital transformation, global economic challenges, ESG standards, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion demonstrate the sector's resilience and innovation. These developments position the business services sector in Slovakia for another decade of sustainable success and growth in the global competitive environment. 
AmCham´s Business Service Center Forum (BSCF) represents the business service industry in Slovakia with almost 40,000 employees from various services across the country. Join over 200 BSCF community members at this flagship event, get inspired by world-class speakers, learn about the latest developments, and reconnect with fellow business leaders. On the occasion of this double anniversary, celebrating the jubilee 10th annual AmCham BSCF conference and AmCham's 30th anniversary, in light of megatrends, let’s shape the future together! 


Where:
The Future of Work Conference
Thursday, Sep 12, 2024. 9:00 to 13:30
ALTO Main Stage (Jurkovičova Tepláreň)
Bottova 1
Bratislava

Warsaw:
The 7th annual Warsaw Business Services Charity Beach Volleyball Tournament took place 29 August 2024 at Monta Beach Volleyball courts in Warsaw.

1st place went to Alcon, 2nd place TMF Group, and 3rd place to Process Solutions. Magdalena Cieplak from Point72 won the “Top Female Player” Trophy; Baxter Business Services won “Best Attitude Team” Trophy; TCS won the “Best of the Rest” Trophy and Moderna won Trophy for “Top Cheerleading Support”. Alcon's chosen charity - Fundacja Dobrych Inicjatyw wins the cash-prize donation as the Winning-Team's charity.

The Warsaw tournament was the last (5th of 5 Tournaments) during this summer (Budapest, Vilnius, Gdansk, Krakow and Warsaw).

Thanks to our various partners, including: Monta, Emergency24 (medical services), PZU Insurance, Polish National Volleyball Association – and participating Teams: Baxter Business Services, CIMA, Process Solutions, Zoetis, Point72, Linklaters, Alcon, TMF Group, Elanco, TCS, and Moderna.

200 Photos from Warsaw here at our Facebook page.

Krakow:

And in Krakow, the 4th annual Krakow Business Services Charity Beach Volleyball Tournament took place 28 August at KS Wanda in Krakow.

1st place went to Aptiv, 2nd place PWC Service Delivery Centre (Katowice), and 3rd place to PWC Advisory. Justyna Warot from PWC Advisory won the “Top Female Player” Trophy; TMF Group won “Best Attitude Team” Trophy; Autodesk won the “Best of the Rest” Trophy and Universal Investment won Trophy for “Top Cheerleading Support”. Aptiv's chose 2 charities - „Uniwersytecki Szpital Dzieciecy w Krakowie” and KTOZ (“Krakowskie Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zwierzetami”) who will split the cash-prize donation (2500euro) as the Winning-Team's charities.

Thanks to our various partners, including: ASPIRE and its Education Hub initiative, Emergency24 (medical services), PZU Insurance, Polish National Volleyball Association – and participating Teams: Aptiv, TMF Group, Pepsico, Electrolux, Universal Investment, PWC Advisory, Autodesk, PWC Service Delivery Center (Katowice).

300 Photos from Krakow here at our Facebook page.

The Business Services Volleyball Tournaments are organized each summer by European Business Services Association.

After receiving the Account Information Service (AIS) Provider license, the financial data intelligence platform Bud Financial (Bud) is expanding its team in Lithuania. Established in Vilnius last year, Bud’s Lithuanian office will become one of the company’s hubs for technical and risk roles, powering its growth in the region and across Europe. 
Last week, the Bank of Lithuania granted Bud Financial an AIS Provider licence, which will allow the company to work with financial institutions in Lithuania and other countries of the European Economic Area (EEA), opening up new markets for the company.

We’re excited to bring our AI-powered personalised banking platform to Europe and work alongside some of the most dynamic players in the financial industry [...] This licence is more than a regulatory milestone. It’s a chance for forward-thinking European banks and fintechs to work with Bud and make a real difference to their customer experience, and their bottom line, by making the most of otherwise underutilised customer data.
Edward Maslaveckas, Co-Funder and CEO of Bud.

London-headquartered Bud was founded in 2015 as a financial education platform for consumers. Quickly pivoting to B2B data intelligence services, today Bud is an AI-powered platform used by global banks and fintechs to turn transactional data into rich customer insight.


Today, Bud has around one hundred employees across the UK, US, and Lithuania. The company anticipates growing in Vilnius, in line with regulatory requirements and commercial traction in the region. Bud has already hired technical and compliance team members in Vilnius and will boost its footprint in the region further with additional compliance talent, as well as hires in data analysis and commercial functions.   

TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), with its Poland base in Warsaw, plans to double its current workforce (c. 250) by year-end 2025.
This rapid expansion in Poland is attributed to support needed for it large Budapest operations, which now employ 2500+ staff.

US-based asset finance technology firm Odessa said it has opened an office in Serbia's capital Belgrade and appointed Milos Adzic to lead its global client services.Odessa has long had an engineering and support centre of excellence in Asia. It is now adding a second such center, located in Serbia, to serve clients across all time zones, Odessa said.

Prior to joining Odessa, Adzic spent ten years as head of client engagement at asset manager BlackRock. At Odessa, he will serve as senior vice president of enterprise customer support, the statement read.

The company's new office in Belgrade currently has a dozen employees, as Adzic is looking to triple their number by the end of 2024.

Odessa is a software company focused on the leasing industry and the developers of a platform dedicated to asset finance. Odessa has a workforce of more than 1,000 people who service asset finance companies globally. It offers an end-to-end solution for lease and loan origination and portfolio management, with the Odessa Platform providing feature sets such as low-code development, test automation, reporting, and business intelligence to ensure organisations can more effectively align business and IT objectives.

Source: SeeNews

DP World is boosting its bet on Romania’s future as one of Europe’s nearshoring winners, particularly in automotive supply chains.
The Dubai-based port operator and logistics company in June announced €130 million ($141 million) in investments aimed at boosting cargo volumes by 2 million metric tons a year and linking Romania with the rest of Europe via seaborne and overground trade.

The company, which has operated in Romania for 20 years, said its latest investments include:

• A 12-acre terminal in Constanta for heavy and large freight and a new vehicles terminal there with peak capacity of 80,000 vehicles a year
• A €21 million logistics hub connecting rail and trucks on 20 acres in the industrial interior near Aiud in Transylvania
• Another €50 million expected for a new multi-transport platform in Constanta set to open next year.

“Automotive firms are also increasingly investing in neighboring Hungary and Poland and nearby Turkey, making robust supply chains and logistics infrastructure such as the ro-ro terminal increasingly essential not just for Romania, but for the surrounding region,” DP World said in a statement.
Romania has had one of the fastest economic growth rates in the European Union in the past two years, but sluggish demand from western European partners is taking a toll. GDP advanced by only 0.1% on annual terms in the first quarter.
The nation is also the biggest facilitator for Ukraine's grain exports, securing the transit of more than 60% of exports from the war-torn nation.
The government has boosted investments in the Constanta port as it seeks to increase its capacity and become a regional trade hub after being partly admitted into the visa-free Schengen air with its maritime and air borders.

Amazon Games has opened a new game development studio in Bucharest, Romania, expanding Amazon’s commitment to developing and publishing games.Amazon Games today announced it has opened a new game development studio in Europe, based in Bucharest, Romania. The studio expands our commitment to developing and publishing games as it joins the ranks of existing development teams in Orange County, Montreal, San Diego, and Seattle. The new studio will focus on supporting Amazon Games’ diverse portfolio of games now and in the future.
“Amazon Games is focused on developing and publishing great games, and we have an ambitious long-term roadmap in front of us,” said Christoph Hartmann, VP of Amazon Games. “Expanding our internal development teams into Europe was a natural next step for us as we tackle our broad portfolio. Bucharest is known as one of the top emerging European cities for game development and we look forward to tapping into the rich talent pool.”
Amazon Games has hired industry veteran Cristian Pana to lead the new studio in Bucharest. Cristian brings more than 20 years of experience building video games, most recently serving as the Managing Director at Ubisoft Bucharest. His experience spans some of the industry’s biggest games and franchises - including Tom Clancy’s The Division, The Crew, Far Cry, and Avatar - and diverse genres including driving games, action adventure open world games, and other role-playing games (RPGs).

“I’m thrilled to join Amazon Games at a time when the team is actively building across an exciting roadmap,” said Cristian. “I’ve built and led outstanding teams in the past and I know this area of Europe is a hot spot for some of the very best talent in gaming.”
The new studio supports Amazon Games’ vision of developing and publishing games that foster community in and around its games. The expanding portfolio from Amazon Games includes two launched live-service games, New World and Lost Ark, announced projects including Tomb Raider, The Lord of the Rings, and Throne and Liberty, as well as unannounced projects from our San Diego and Montreal studios, and the independent studio Glowmade in the UK.
Amazon Games is hiring across a variety of disciplines, and key open positions at the new Bucharest studio include Software Developers, Artists, Designers, and Animators.