Riskonet Poland welcomes a new partner
30 october 2020
Having acquired extensive experience in the industry, Riskonet’s latest partner brings the skills to reconcile clients’ wishes and requirements with varying perspectives from all sides of the market. The end result will be cost-effective solutions that underscore the continuity of Riskonet’s clients in Poland.
Maciej Drzewicki (39) became a Riskonet partner in Poland in October 2020, but he’s no stranger to the organisation’s sphere of operations. Freshly graduated from the Warsaw University of Technology back then, he kicked off his career in 2005 as a sprinkler system designer with a local company called GM Sprinkler. After working there for about 18 months he switched employers to join TPI Fire Protection. This was a similar kind of company, but in his new position he assumed much more responsibility, as a project manager.
Extensive experience
In 2012 Maciej began specialising in the insurance risk-engineering environment. He worked for leading companies in the industry that included AXA Corporate Solutions, AXA Matrix Risk Consultants and later for Gothaer Insurance Poland. During that time he accumulated extensive experience in the area of fire protection and risk engineering. His responsibilities with theses employers included making recommendations to help clients limit potential loss, optimising risk levels for greenfield projects as well as existing plants and facilities, and providing technical construction and fire-protection guidelines for new plants. He was also regularly responsible for training new employees and the development of new risk engineering tools.
Challenging business
Thanks to his experience Maciej has become familiar with every facet of a market he has long served. “There are good sides and less good sides to this business,” he concedes. “Working with fire-sprinkler system contractors can be quite a challenging business, in Poland, and probably in most other countries too. There are many issues relating to quality, and, of course, you have to find the right balance because clients want everything done as quickly and as economically as possible.” His familiarity with the market and ability to find the right balance are just some of the strengths he now brings to Riskonet. “I joined Riskonet as a partner because I want to offer clients and investors the benefits of my experience,” he insists. “And I’m 100 per cent confident that I’ll be able to do exactly that.”
Effective and acceptable solutions
That confidence is well founded. It is based, he assures, on what he sees as his ability to complement his skills in design and execution with his familiarity with the whole investment and construction processes, as well as the relationships between investors and general contractors and sub-contractors. “If you can do all that, you are well on the way towards reaching an effective solution that’s acceptable to all parties. Furthermore, thanks to my in-depth knowledge of the market, I can advise clients which suppliers, designers and contractors they should use and which ones they should avoid, as well as why they should avoid them.”
“Working with fire-sprinkler system contractors can be quite a challenging business, in Poland, and probably in most other countries too"
Maciej Drzewicki
Partner Riskonet Poland
Risk engineering, in a nutshell
Maciej’s main responsibility with Riskonet will be risk engineering and helping clients make the right risk-related decisions. Risk engineering, he explains, is the process of inventorying and assessing the potential risks that a company is exposed to, making an overall analysis and advising the company of the measures that need to be taken to guarantee its continuity. These risks can relate to business interruptions, company facilities, fire-protection requirements, as well as other potential hazards that the company faces. “For example, I might need to advise a client that a substantial investment in the fire-protection of a building or facility is necessary, and outline the possible consequences of not making such an investment. These consequences can include the destruction of the building, the loss of clients and, in a worst-case scenario, the temporary or even permanent failure of the business.”
Working from home
As with so many countries in Europe, as well as further afield, Covid-19 seems to be forming a permanent part of any work-related equation. But in the context of his new position, Maciej doesn't think it will pose too many problems. “Fortunately, this type of work lends itself very well to a home-office environment, but if it’s necessary to visit the client then I’ll do so. At the moment the virus is having little effect on our activities, but of course this can change with little warning.”
No better place to be
Just a few weeks into his new challenge with Riskonet, Maciej is clearly in his element. He’s done some internal training to make him familiar with the local Riskonet organisation, he’s made a few site visits to get to know some of the clients and he’s carried out some project reviews. “I’ve been kept quite busy so far. Given my ambition to further develop my skills and experience in risk engineering, I cannot think of a better place in Poland to be at the moment than with Riskonet. For me it’s an excellent fit and a great pleasure to be here.”
Perfect fit
Leszek Golachowski, who is also a Riskonet partner in Poland, as well as the person who gave Maciej that internal training, also feels that Riskonet’s latest recruit will be a perfect fit in the team. “I personally value his experience and the expertise he has accumulated over many years in several different industries. I’m convinced that his open-minded approach to a variety of problems and challenges, complemented by his style of work, will further support the level of partnership we enjoy with all our clients.”
