Summary notes: CEE Business Services Summit 2026

Thanks to Harvinder Rattan for the summary Notes:!


Day 1 at CEE Business Services Summit

Day 1 at the European Business Services Association conference in Warsaw delivered exactly what the region’s shared services and GBS leaders need right now: honest perspectives, practical lessons, and a clear view of where the industry is heading.

Here are my key takeaways:

? Transformation is a Leadership Sport (Not a Tech Project)
The opening keynote from Blagovesta Karemova and Artur Techmański (Danone) set the tone with a candid look at large-scale transformation. The message was clear: sustainable change is built on disciplined execution, strong governance, and continuous decision-making — with technology as an enabler, not the driver.

? Resilience Isn’t Theoretical - It’s Operational
Oleh Chaharyn (PwC, Lviv) delivered a powerful reminder that resilience must be designed into delivery models and talent strategies, not treated as a contingency plan.

? The nominations showed how leading organisations are combining automation, operating model change, and and strengthening employer branding.

? CX in the AI Era = Smart Tech + Human Judgment
Great insights from Yosif Faydoli (Concentrix) on designing customer experience that blends AI, data and people, not choosing one over the other.

? Skills Are Now a Strategic Priority
The AI workshop with Rakesh Sangani reinforced that data literacy, automation thinking, and AI fluency are quickly becoming core skills in GBS, not specialist capabilities.

Closing Keynote Panel: The Future of Financial Services GBS

A strong finish to Day 1 with Dobrawa Gawęcka (JPMorgan Chase), Piotr Tatar (BNP Paribas CIB) and Aneta Kocemba (Societe Generale), moderated by Harry Virdee BEM Virdee.

The panel shared some very clear, practical messages:

✅ Poland and CEE have real momentum as GBS locations — strong talent, proximity to Western Europe, and a mature ecosystem continue to make the region strategically relevant.
✅ Transformation must stay continuous and disciplined — not a one-off programme, but a permanent way of running GBS organisations.
✅ People are at the centre of change — the real priority is helping employees build new skill sets, progress with change, and feel empowered by it.
✅ And importantly, GBS centres in this region are no longer just supporting change — they are helping drive global change across their organisations.

The discussion was also refreshingly honest about the challenges: rising costs, pressure on the labour-arbitrage model, and intense competition for skills mean the value proposition has to keep evolving — from cost to impact, from delivery to leadership.


Day 2 CEE Business Services Summit, Warsaw


Here’s what stood out.

Geopolitics = Strategy, Not Background Noise

CEE is moving from a cost location to a resilience, regulatory and capability hub.

Location strategy today must factor in cyber, energy, talent mobility and political alignment — not just salary benchmarks.

Leading in 2026 – The Practical Playbook
Rakesh Sangani’s message was refreshingly direct. If you want to lead:

1️⃣ Build a proper skills matrix — know your capability gaps.
2️⃣ Hire a data analyst — data fluency is foundational.
3️⃣ Embrace AI deliberately — clarity > hype.
4️⃣ Define your end-to-end value outcomes.
5️⃣ Build the right operating model — and train your people continuously.

This is leadership discipline, not tech enthusiasm.

GBS Is Evolving — Fast

PwC: The Evolution of hashtag#GBS

GBS used to focus on cost and efficiency.
Now it’s about competitive advantage and digital acceleration.

Centres are widening scope, embedding process excellence, refining delivery models and building next-gen expertise.

We’re seeing this directly at Belvedere Recruitment — increasing demand across Poland and CEE - supporting GBS organisations hiring for:

• data leaders
• risk specialists
• automation experts
• transformation capability

This is no longer labour arbitrage. It’s capability arbitrage.

The Human Layer of Change: Oscar Reitsma’s session was a timely reminder:

We optimise processes.
We analyse data.
But many GBS decisions are still shaped by unspoken emotional drivers.

Scaling empathy in transformation isn’t “soft”.
It’s essential if you want adoption to stick.

New Entrants: The Enduring Appeal of Talent in CEE & Baltics

The closing panel, expertly moderated by Elias van Herwaarden (LocationPerspectives), reinforced a powerful message: despite AI disruption, wage pressure and global volatility, talent in CEE and the Baltics remains the decisive factor for new investors.

New entrants aren’t coming for “cheap labour” — they’re coming for depth of capability, multilingual strength, technical education, cultural alignment and resilience.

In a tight competition judged by a 29-member VIP Jury and attendee votes, congratulations to all winners and participants — the quality across CEE & Baltics is genuinely world-class.