Anna Wodyńska is a trainer, a coach and the Managing and Content Director of NESSE Center of Excellence. She is responsible for the quality of every development program NESSE delivers. She works mainly with Plant Managers and senior managers in manufacturing, engineering and operations. She helps them lead their teams, conduct strategic conversations and build a culture of accountability. She founded NESSE on her own in 2009. She has more than 20 years of management experience, has delivered over 2,500 training days and has completed more than 1,500 hours of coaching and consulting. She wrote an MBA program for local-government leaders. At an automotive company, her program for production managers reduced absenteeism by 23% and improved operator retention by 18% within six months. She also runs train-the-trainer programs and supervises trainers. She works in Polish and English. Outside work, she has been rock climbing for more than 30 years and is a qualified yacht skipper.

How we measured it: We compared the share of absence hours in scheduled working hours before the program and 6 months later, in the same group, using time-and-attendance records. We calculated retention as the percentage of operators who remained employed for a defined period, in comparable groups.

Adam Kołodziej is a Senior Leadership Trainer, coach and mentor. He specialises in working with production and operations managers. He has worked on the shop floor, in the training room and on consulting projects, so he understands the leader's point of view and turns it into practical tools for communication, team management and change. He is a certified practitioner of PRINCE2, AgilePM and MoP. He writes academic papers, is a PhD candidate at the Jagiellonian University and lectures on an MBA program for local-government leaders. At an industrial company, his development program for shift leaders reduced employee turnover by 28% within five months. He also delivers on-the-job management training and train-the-trainer programs. Outside work, he is a yacht captain and sailing instructor.

How we measured it: We compared the employee turnover rate relative to average headcount in comparable periods before and after the program, using HR data. We applied the same definition of leavers in both measurements.

Paweł Strycharczyk is a trainer, an ICF ACC coach and a consultant in leadership and team development. He has spent more than 11 years helping organizations work more effectively. He specialises in leadership, change management and team building. He combines business psychology with a manager's pragmatism. He has delivered over 2,000 training and consulting days and holds PRINCE2 and IPMA D certifications. He co-authored the Emotion Regulation Training program and supervises in-house trainers. At a manufacturing company, his program to make teams more autonomous cut the time needed to respond to irregularities by 45%. Outside work, he practises yoga and leads trips to India.

How we measured it: We compared the time from logging a non-conformity to taking the first action before and after the program. We used time stamps in the incident logs and compared events of a similar category and urgency.

Przemysław Paszcza is a business trainer, a coach and an experienced sales manager. He has managed sales organizations for more than 21 years, so he knows the challenges of sales leaders from the inside. He works with senior managers and sales departments in manufacturing and service companies. His topics are situational leadership, negotiation, motivation and conflict resolution. He also runs train-the-trainer programs. He completed the Trainer School and Coaching School of Pracownia Psychologiczna in Kraków and holds the Practitioner Coach Diploma from Noble Manhattan. At an automotive company, his program increased sales profitability by 17% within six months. Outside work, he cycles, snowboards and takes portrait photographs.

How we measured it: We compared the sales profitability ratio before the program and 6 months later. The calculation was based on financial data and took into account changes in prices, costs and sales mix.

Michał Kurdziej is a business trainer and a consultant in interpersonal and leadership skills. For more than 21 years he has helped leaders and teams improve working climate, effectiveness and collaboration. He combines psychology with business practice. His topics are assertiveness, building a leader's authority, managing emotions and stress, conflict resolution and Job Crafting. He is a certified Job Crafting facilitator and has delivered over 2,500 training days. At an international manufacturing company, the Job Crafting rollout he supported increased the engagement of front-line employees by 31%. He teaches on MBA programs. Outside work, he climbs, hikes in the mountains and rides a motorcycle.

How we measured it: We compared the results of the same engagement questionnaire before and after the Job Crafting rollout. The analysis took into account the size of the surveyed groups and the response rate.

Paweł Machalica is a business trainer, a coach and a People & Culture Manager. He specialises in sales and communication. For more than 14 years he has helped salespeople and managers work more effectively. He explains the psychology of how customers make decisions and turns it into practical sales and management tools. He has completed more than 4,500 hours of training and coaching. He works with sales teams as well as production managers. His topics are sales and negotiation, difficult conversations, feedback, delegation and public speaking. At an FMCG company, his training series for the sales department increased the sales closing rate by 24%. Outside work, he travels and enjoys strategy board games.

How we measured it: We compared the share of won opportunities among all closed sales opportunities before and after the program. The data came from the CRM, using the same definition of an opportunity.

Olga Ziółko is a business trainer and an HR Business Partner. She specialises in developing sales leaders and sales teams. For more than 14 years she has worked with employees at every level, from salespeople to senior managers. She gained her experience as an in-house trainer at companies including Eurobank and CCC, so she knows what HR and L&D teams need. Her topics are sales and negotiation techniques, sales coaching, communication between generations and development conversations. At a retail company, her program for sales leaders improved team results by 16% and reduced turnover by 21%. She also delivers training in English. Outside work, she travels and finds inspiration for development on her trips.

How we measured it: Team results: we compared the agreed sales performance indicator before and after the program in comparable periods, taking into account seasonality and changes in team size. Turnover: we compared the leaver rate relative to average headcount in equal periods before and after the program, using the same definition of turnover.

Renata Wasylów is an ICF PCC coach, a trainer and a facilitator. She helps leaders build authority and effective teams. For 14 years she held management roles in international companies, where she managed brands such as Nurofen, Vanish and Air Wick across 17 markets. She has delivered over 5,000 training hours and more than 1,300 hours of coaching. She created Eyes Art Open, a program that combines leadership development with a creative approach. At an international technology company, her leadership program increased team effectiveness by 25%. She works in Polish, English and Russian. Outside work, she paints, dances and exhibits her art.

How we measured it: We compared the agreed team effectiveness indicator before and after the program. Both measurements used the same quality criteria and took into account tasks of comparable complexity.

Emilia Szypryt is a trainer, an HR consultant and a university lecturer. For around 20 years she has designed development programs for leaders and HR departments. She helps managers turn strategy into concrete actions for their teams. She also designs competency models, career paths, appraisal systems and motivation systems. She has delivered over 2,000 training days and dozens of consulting projects. She led the Flexalary 2019 salary survey. At a service company, the competency appraisal and career-path system she introduced increased retention of key employees by 29% within a year. She works in Polish and English. Outside work, she restores old furniture.

How we measured it: Before measurement began, we defined the group of key employees. We then calculated what percentage remained in the organisation after 12 months and compared it with the result for an earlier, comparable group observed for one year.

Albert Binda is an HR expert, a trainer and a coach. For more than 21 years he has built HR processes in organizations, at both operational and strategic level. He specialises in assessing potential, Assessment and Development Centres, appraisal and bonus systems, managing different generations and outplacement. He supports companies through difficult periods such as mergers, restructuring and cultural change. He is a certified MBTI Step I and II practitioner. He co-created the CCQ questionnaire and wrote an outplacement handbook for the Polish Ministry of Regional Development. At an industrial company, the bonus system based on quarterly appraisals that he introduced increased team effectiveness by 22%. He works in Polish and English. Outside work, he goes on mountain expeditions, runs ultramarathons and skis.

How we measured it: We compared the agreed effectiveness indicator before and after the program. Both measurements used the same calculation method, taking into account workload, quality of results and the comparability of the tasks performed.

Adam Muszak is a business trainer, an ICF-accredited coach and a consultant. He has delivered more than 16,000 hours of training, workshops, consulting and coaching. He has worked as a key account manager and a project manager. As a program director, he introduced working standards in training, sales and customer service departments. He specialises in consultative selling, business negotiation, handling difficult customers, managing teams of different generations, conflict resolution and time management. He lectures on postgraduate programs. He graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Silesia in Katowice, studied Human Resource Management and completed the School of Social Leaders.

Bartosz Kostecki is a legal counsel (radca prawny), a consultant and a business trainer. For more than 21 years he has supported companies in civil, commercial and administrative law. He delivers legal training for people who are not lawyers, especially HR and administrative staff. He explains complex regulations in plain language, without legal jargon. He helps companies create and implement internal procedures, manage legal risk and ensure compliance. At a manufacturing company, the compliance procedures he developed reduced legal incidents by 40% within a year. He lectures on MBA programs. Outside work, he travels to wild and little-known places.

How we measured it: We compared the number of recorded legal incidents in equal periods before and after the program. We applied the same definition of an incident and the same recording rules, taking into account the scale of operations in both periods.

Łukasz Konopka is an HR and payroll expert. For more than 21 years he has handled the full range of HR administration and payroll, both in day-to-day operations and as an adviser. He has worked in company HR departments, accounting firms and outsourcing companies. His training covers labour law, working-time records, settlements with Polish authorities (ZUS, tax office, PFRON, PPK) and employing foreign nationals. He also audits HR processes. In an organization with many locations, the unified working-time recording system he introduced reduced HR errors by 75%. He is experienced with HR and payroll systems including enova365, Optima and WAPRO. Outside work, he goes on cycling trips with his family.

How we measured it: We compared the percentage of HR cases containing errors before and after the program. Both measurements used the same accuracy criteria and compared cases of a similar type and complexity.

Bożena Suchodolska is a NESSE trainer who combines two specialisms: health and recovery from stress, and law and business management. She is a qualified massage therapist, physiotherapist, health coach and face yoga instructor. She completed a Mindfulness course at SWPS University and earned her massage certifications under world champions. She specialises in how long-term stress affects the body. She runs her own workshop, "The Art of Recovery and Effectiveness", where she teaches participants to work with the body, breathing and eating habits. She wrote the NESSE handbook "The Biological Brake on Stress at Work". She is also a lawyer by training. She graduated from the University of Wrocław and from the Academy of European and Polish Company Law at SGH Warsaw School of Economics. For many years she served on the management boards of companies. She managed installation contracts for projects such as the home of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) and the Silesian Museum in Katowice, and for motorway toll plazas. She delivers training in company law, contract management, commercial negotiation and legal risk. Outside work, she loves Scotland and is passionate about history and art.

Anna Kołodziej is a business trainer at NESSE. She supports leaders in building teams and organisational culture. She has more than 12 years of managerial experience in international organisations in London. She works in Polish and English.