International Workplace Group, the world’s largest provider of hybrid working solutions with brands such as Spaces and Regus, is opening a state-of-the-art flexible workspace in Bucharest, Romania. Located in the Vastint Business Garden building, this new location is part of International Workplace Group’s drive to meet the sharply rising demand for high-quality workspace in the area.
The new Spaces centre is situated in a renowned office complex that offers a variety of amenities, including restaurants, fitness centres, and shops. The office complex is within walking distance of Gara de Nord and the Grozăvești (M1 line) and Basarab (M3 line) metro stations, providing quick access to central areas such as Piața Unirii and Piața Victoriei. The A-class building offers space for established companies and start-ups across a range of sectors, including technology, finance, and business services. The new Spaces location, covering a total of 1,900 sqm, will feature private offices, meeting rooms, co-working spaces, and creative spaces. Additionally, International Workplace Group’s Design Your Own Office service allows companies to fully customise their space to meet their specific needs.
As the adoption of hybrid working rapidly accelerates across Romania, the number of inquiries for space in International Workplace Group locations has risen sharply, and this new opening helps to meet the growing demand.
The addition of International Workplace Group’s latest location in Bucharest follows the company’s strongest-ever revenue, cashflow, and compounded annual growth rate in its history, driven by its rapid network expansion. In the first half of 2024 alone, the company added 465 new locations worldwide.
The building owners decided to invest in the International Workplace Group platform to maximise the return on their real estate by capitalising on the rapidly growing demand for hybrid working. With an annual investment of approximately €60 million in its technology platform, International Workplace Group provides partners with access to its full suite of expertise, including design, fit-out, sales, and marketing support.
As the market continues to grow explosively, with businesses of all sizes adopting hybrid working for the long term, it is projected that 30% of all commercial real estate will be flexible workspace by 2030. Through International Workplace Group, partners can capitalise on this fast-growing sector, benefiting from the company’s unmatched expertise. Hybrid working offers companies significant cost savings, with an average saving of €10,750 per employee .

omputer Generated Solutions, Inc. (CGS), a global provider of software applications, enterprise learning, customer experience and business process outsourcing services, today announced the promotion of Vladimir Sterescu to President of its global outsourcing division.Additionally, Cristian Berdilă has been named Vice President of Operations for CGS Romania, and Michael Mills has taken on the role of Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Customer Success. The strategic appointments highlight CGS’s commitment to delivering exceptional outsourcing services— spanning customer support, technical assistance, tele sales, and back-office support — to clients in industries such as retail, hospitality, financial services, and technology.

“Vlad’s extensive expertise and innovative approaches to driving client success make him the ideal leader for our outsourcing division,” said Phil Friedman, President and CEO of CGS.
“The next few years will be transformational in customer experience as clients embrace AI and other advanced technologies. CGS’s partnership advantage is that we were born as a tech firm, and we are therefore uniquely positioned to help clients improve efficiencies while also elevating their customer experiences.”

Since joining CGS more than 20 years ago, Sterescu has held key leadership roles including Country Manager for CGS Romania and Senior Vice President of Call Center Solutions for the EMEA region. Sterescu has been instrumental in driving the growth and success of the company’s European business operations. Under his leadership, CGS Romania has become a hub for delivering exceptional business process outsourcing (BPO) services to clients across a range of industries, from telecommunications and technology to finance and retail.
As Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Customer Success, Michael Mills will lead the development and execution of sales strategies, cultivate strategic client relationships, and oversee the implementation of global contact center solutions.

The fresh start in the United States related to the President Donald Trump's new term in office may provide an opportunity for global digital industry leaders to invest in research and development centres in Poland, the head of electronic and electrical equipment importers lobby ZCP Polska Michal Kanownik told PAP Biznes.

"Donald Trump's re-election as President of the United States also means a fresh start in talks about partnerships and investments in digitisation. I think that the priority of the government in talks with the new American administration should be to potentially increase investment of American companies in new technologies in Poland," Kanownik assessed.

"I think it is worth taking up the thread of American investments in research and development centres in our country - this should be a priority for the government, which by bringing such partnerships would significantly strengthen the Polish digital economy. Such investments would also definitely influence the creation of further competences in the domestic digital industry ecosystem," he added.

Michal Kanownik stressed that discussions on a new approach to digital market regulations should also be a priority of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council.

US healthcare products manufacturer Hollister Incorporated is expanding its Lithuanian operations. This month, the company has officially opened its financial services center, Hollister SSC Lithuania, complementing its manufacturing facility, Hollister Lietuva, located in the Kaunas Free Economic Zone. Building on this growth, the company has announced plans to establish a new product development (NPD) center at its Lithuanian facility later in the year. 

The NPD center, which follows a recent €25 million investment in production operations, will create new roles in research and development, design assurance, and sustaining engineering at the company’s Kaunas site. This strategic move aims to enhance Hollister’s new product commercialization process by locating it directly at the manufacturing site.  

"Lithuania is gaining increasing significance within the global Hollister family. By establishing the NPD center alongside our manufacturing facility in Kaunas Free Economic Zone, we're creating a hub that combines production excellence with innovation capabilities. The proximity to the larger new product commercialization team is expected to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness", said Saulius Bitinas, CEO at Hollister Lietuva.

Hollister expansion in Lithuania encompasses multiple facets of the company’s operations. The newly established financial services center currently employs 27 associates and provides accounting services to the company’s divisions across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, the manufacturing facility is undergoing a €25 million upgrade that will see new state-of-the-art machinery added over a three-year period. 

These developments are expected to significantly increase Hollister presence in Lithuania. By the end of 2025, Hollister Lietuva plans to recruit more than 100 specialists and reach 900 associates at its manufacturing operations, while Hollister SSC Lithuania aims to double its shared services center team to 50 associates. 

ElevAfter 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
Elevate
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 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
Elevate
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 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.