About me

Wawrzyniec Smoczyński serves as Head of Strategy of SWPS, Poland’s largest private university, and President of the New Community Foundation, an innovative non-profit. He is also the Founder of Polityka Insight, Poland’s premier source for political and business intelligence and a Council Member at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Wawrzyniec is multilingual: he is proficient in English, German & French.

Short bio

Professional experience

Wawrzyniec is leading the strategy effort at SWPS, Poland’s largest private university. He has designed & delivered an inclusive strategy process, involving 123 employees across 6 campuses and facilitated an agreement on strategic goals between the university board and employees.

Prior to that, he led two cross-cutting projects commissioned by the university: the design & delivery of a modern social sciences curriculum (BA) and the design & delivery of an internal leadership development program for academic leaders and managers.

Wawrzyniec teaches critical thinking and analytic writing at the university.

In 2019 Wawrzyniec has initiated the New Community Foundation, an innovative non-profit tasked with reducing social polarization and increasing democratic consensus in Poland.

As President of the Foundation, he has led the development and launch of the nationwide dialogue platform Polski Dialog, while also raising funds from major donors and grant-makers.

The Foundation brings together citizens holding opposing views for guided dialogues. It also offers skills training on how to handle politically charged conversations and workshops on communication in socially diverse teams.

In 2013 Wawrzyniec has founded Polityka Insight, Poland’s premier source for political and economic analysis. He led the company’s development from the initial concept to a profitable business model, with a client base spanning global banks and corporates, government ministries, embassies and international institutions. He left the company in 2019.

Honors

  • German Marshall Memorial Fellow

  • International Monetary Fund Fellow

  • Open Society Fellow

  • Munich Young Leader

  • Leadership Academy for Poland Alumnus

  • Grand Press Award for Journalism

  • Woyciechowski Award for Outstanding Journalism

  • Kwiatkowski Award for Economic Journalism