Katarzyna Zawodna Bijoch
CEO & President
Skanska Commercial Development Europe
Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch, President and CEO at Skanska Commercial Development Europe
Responsible for:
- Business stream: Commercial Property Development
- Business Unit: Commercial Development Europe
Katarzyna Zawodna-Bijoch has been with Skanska since 2006 and has served as President and CEO of Skanska Commercial Development Europe since 2016. She is responsible for the company’s strategy and operations across Central and Eastern Europe, leading the development of sustainable and innovative real estate solutions, including office, rental residential and flexible workspace concepts. Under her leadership, the company operates in ten major cities across Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania.
Since 2016, Skanska Commercial Development Europe has strengthened its position as a market leader in sustainable real estate development. During this period, the company has leased nearly 1 million square meters of modern office space and completed transactions involving more than 40 buildings with a total value approaching EUR 3 billion. The company is recognized for its commitment to innovation, responsible business practices and creating long-term value for cities, communities and customers.
Katarzyna is actively engaged in shaping the sustainability agenda beyond the real estate sector. She serves on the Programme Council of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Poland, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, working to advance responsible business practices and support the development of a more sustainable society. She is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Helios S.A.
In addition, she is a Member of the Advisory Board of Chapter Zero Poland, the Polish chapter of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative, and a member of the Founders Board of the PropTech Foundation, supporting human-centric digital transformation in the real estate industry. In 2022, she initiated Skanska’s strategic cooperation with the Association of Business Service Leaders (ABSL) in the ESG area.
Throughout her career, Katarzyna has championed diversity, inclusion and equal opportunities, promoting accessible, barrier-free environments and supporting the advancement of women in business.
Participates in the sessions:
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Opening session. Challenges for the commercial property market: investment security, financing, and profitability of the property business
The world has changed. People have changed. The property business must change as well. How to prepare the prop-erty business for a new future and new geopolitical, economic, social, environmental, and technological challenges? A risk map: What is a matter of the utmost concern to the sector? Strategies for tough times. New opportunities. And this is what we will ask key investors, developers and experts about:
Investment security:
- The ongoing war in Ukraine across our eastern border affects investment decisions being made by property players – global corporations, manufacturing companies, or investment funds. Uncertainty among investors, who have adopted a wait-and-see strategy, is one of the most noticeable effects of Russian aggression in the property market. How has the investment attractiveness of Poland changed in the eyes of investors? Is the invested capital safe? The end of the war, stable law, predictable taxes, and investment incentives: What does it take for Poland to remain a magnet for new investments?
Debt is getting increasingly expensive:
- Banks are cautious about financing commercial property. Nowadays, it is more difficult to get a loan for an office building. Are hotels and shopping centres doomed? Warehouses are still the jewel in the crown, but there are requirements too. How is the policy pursued by institutions providing funding for property chang-ing? Will the high cost of money result in fewer new investments?
Property is (not) profitable. The profitability of the property business:
- Double-digit inflation, interest rate hikes, the rising costs of building materials and labour, and rising energy prices… How have recent events changed the profitability of property investments? Strong warehouses; battered hotels and shopping centres; office buildings waiting for the end of remote working, and flats chas-ing record after record: Which sectors are at their best today? What attracts investors’ attention?
