Sector experience – Metropolitan and our Partners

Financial services

  • Metropolitan was engaged in strategy, M&A (due diligence, buy side mandate), and IPO (equity story) projects. The projects covered investment and corporate banking, consumer finance and debt collection. The Clients included banks, private equity, and their portfolio companies.

  • Waldemar Maj is member of the supervisory boards of: PZU, the largest insurance company in the CEE, where he chaired IPO Committee and chairs Strategy Committee; Bank BGZ, a commercial bank, where he chaired IPO Committee; and TMS Brokers, an FX internet broker. He was President/CEO of DZ Bank Polska, Vice-President of Bank BGZ/Rabobank Group in charge of Corporate Banking and Treasury, Member of the Supervisory Board of BGZ Leasing Ltd., and worked in investment banking at UBS in Zurich and IFC/World Bank in Washington D.C.

  • Wojtek Stankiewicz has spent substantial time in financial services as one of his core areas of activity. He has in particular been involved in projects focused on retail banking, being involved in the handlobank, Bank Millennium and Russia's Alfabank greenfield retail projects. He has initially extensively served BRE Bank on corporate sales and subsequently Bank Handlowy on corporate strategy. Wojtek has spent several years with Bank Millennium which he has accompanied on a multilayer transformation journey. He has also served PKO BP and BGZ on distribution and was in charge of conceiving the market entry strategy for Liberty Direct. He has also been involved for several years on the privatization of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

  • Artur Kluz has advised on securities compliance and capital market requirements for American Stock Exchange - New York Stock Exchange AMEX foreign listed companies. He has advised New York based private equity and investment advisory firms on long/short equity fund formation and compliance policy requirements. Fund focused on trading securities listed on major U.S. exchanges with market capitalizations above $500million. He has advised Silicon Valley firm on capital raising (over $30 million) dedicated for investments in new media, sustainability and education. Prepared investors distribution documents and managed communications with investors such as SWFs in Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait, HNW individuals and family offices. He has advised NASDAQ listed SPAC (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) on acquisition of operating business through a merger. Negotiated deal documentation and advised on securities compliance requirements (over $50 million).

  • Krzysztof Dresler is a Secretary of Supervisory Board of PZU SA. He was a deputy CEO of PKO BP SA and chaired Credit Committee of the bank and ALCO. Within these activities he was taking decisions of biggest credit transactions in Poland.

Consumer goods and retail

  • Metropolitan was engaged in M&A projects (business due diligence) by financial investors. The projects covered snack manufacturing and health & beauty distribution.

  • Wojtek Stankiewicz has been the leader of McKinsey's Consumer Goods and Retail Practice in Poland for the last decade and has continued a strong sector track record at Metropolitan. In this capacity, he has served both international and local consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. Clients he has served have included in FMCG among others Nestle, Gillette/ Procter & Gamble, Lorenz, Pernod Ricard, Groupe Poult/ Lider SKG and Reckitt Benckiser, and in retail among others Carrefour/ Albert, RUCH and Drogerie Natura on issues related to strategy, growth and operations, with a particular focus on routes to market. Reckitt Benckiser in particular he has served on a global basis. He has also supported several PE funds in assessing FMCG targets across the CEE. Wojtek has worked for an American FMCG market research company prior to joining McKinsey. He is also currently involved in several projects in the restaurant/ food service business.

  • Artur Kluz provided strategic and legal advice for Polish, Swiss and German companies on their expansions into new markets such as United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. He negotiated all transactions and was responsible for joint venture structuring, regulatory assessment, market entry and exit strategies

  • Waldemar Maj is Member of the Supervisory Board of Stock Spirits Group, a portfolio company of Oaktree, an American PE fund.

  • Krzysztof Dresler was a deputy CEO of PKO BP SA and supervised risk and collection area. He was responsible for credit policy for the bank.

Telecom and technology

  • Metropolitan was engaged in strategy and M&A projects. The projects covered restructuring of an IT company and due diligence and valuations of telecom targets for a strategic investor.

  • Wojtek Stankiewicz has been one of the leaders of McKinsey's Telecommunications Practice in Poland since its inception and has in particular served TP Group across its wireline and wireless businesses for more than a decade, accompanying it on its extensive transformation program covering all lines of business and areas of operations. An important component thereof has been the support to Orange in Poland on its journey to become the sector leader which has included launching new products, price strategies and channels. He has also established cooperation with Saudi Telecom which he has served for two years and advised SCM, the leading Ukrainian industrial group on its telecom strategy. Telecom has also consumed a substantial portion of his time while at Metropolitan - primarily as buy side advisor to a leading Polish telecom on several mandates. On top of Clients mentioned above, he has also supported Belgacom, France Telecom and Vivendi.

  • Artur Kluz represented one of the TP Group's shareholders on its portfolio monitoring in the TP Group and oversaw the legal aspects of the investment structure and exit process.

  • Waldemar Maj was engaged in IT and telecom projects in Metropolitan and McKinsey.

  • Krzysztof Dresler as deputy CEO of PKO BP SA fulfilled a role of Deputy Chairman of the Steering Committee of the IT Integrated System Implementation

Energy and manufacturing

  • Our Partners conducted several advisory projects across the broadly defined manufacturing sector and bring to bear a good understanding of the challenges manufacturing companies face in Central Eastern Europe. Our experience covers both strategy and operational aspects, working both for the companies and institutional investors. We have served regional leaders and local midsize manufacturers alike.

  • Waldemar Maj is Member of the Supervisory Board of Ciech S.A., a listed Polish leading chemical company. He also served as Vice-President/CFO of PKN Orlen S.A., a Polish refining and marketing company with operations across Eastern Europe and Germany, and was a member of the Supervisory Board of Unipetrol a.s. (a Czech subsidiary of PKN Orlen) and of the Management Board of AB Mazeikiu Nafta (a Lithuanian subsidiary of PKN Orlen).

  • Wojtek Stankiewicz has helped a multinational oil company to enter Poland and has been over the years involved in several efforts across a wide spectrum of manufacturing - from dyes to steel. He has also recently spent substantial time in renewable energy including biofuel and wind power.

  • Artur Kluz has advised on renewable energy funds capital raising, funds formation and has executed shares acquisition transactions in energy sector in Europe and North America.

  • Krzysztof Dresler was a deputy CEO of PKO BP SA and chaired Credit Committee of the bank and ALCO. Within these activities he was taking decisions of biggest credit transactions in Poland.

Infrastructure, real estate, and transportation

  • Metropolitan was engaged in strategy and M&A projects. The projects covered defining divestment strategy of real estate companies and merging real estate assets.

  • Wojtek Stankiewicz has been one of the leaders of McKinsey's practice in this area, advising railway clients as well as Polish national airlines LOT on strategy as well as on operational improvements. He has also raised a small real estate focused investment fund.

  • Artur Kluz on behalf of a major shareholder monitored investment structure of A2 Motorway in Poland and was responsible for legal issues and corporate governance, including investors relations with financial institutions and authorities in Netherlands, London, France and Austria.

  • Waldemar Maj advised PO Civic Platform, a liberal party, on its economic program in the area of managing the construction program of the national highway network (in 2005).

  • Krzysztof Dresler was a member of the Supervisory Board of real estate company „Wilanów Investments".

Natural resources

  • Waldemar Maj as Senior Investment Officer at IFC Oil, Gas, and Mining Department arranged loans and equity financing for private sector international mining projects - gold, silver, coal, copper in Russia, Central Asia, India, China, Mongolia, and Mexico.

Agribusiness

  • Waldemar Maj as Vice-President of Bank BGZ, the main agri-focused banking institution in Poland. He was appointed to the Board by Rabobank, the strategic investor of Bank BGZ and the world leader in Food & Agri banking. He was in charge of a comprehensive development of Food & Agri business line at Bank BGZ, based on Rabobank best practice.

E-commerce and media

  • At the crosscut of financial services, consumer goods/ retail and telecom/ technology, the team has good experience in e-commerce and the broader internet-based business arena - both seen as standalone ventures and as extensions of traditional businesses. In particular, Metropolitan is working with several outside partners who have first-hand experience and/or stakes in e-commerce ventures.

  • Artur Kluz is a Member of the Advisory Board of LeadPlace and DeedCast Inc. real estate technology companies based in New York. He advises the companies' owner and management on seed capital investment structuring, capital raising and business development strategies. He is actively involved in start-up companies seed and growth capital sourcing and has wide access to venture and private equity funds and  business angels investors in Silicon Valley, Connecticut, New York, Doha, Abu Dhabi and India.

  • Wojtek Stankiewicz is currently involved in an multiplatform micropayment startup. He has also spent substantial time in the area of e-government helping the Saudi government to modernize its consumer and business focused services.