25.05.2021
Urszula Nowakowska is the laureate of the Andrzej Czernecki PBR Award
We got to know the laureates of the 10th edition of the Polish Business Roundtable Award in each of the three competition categories: SUCCESS, VISION AND INNOVATION, as well as the most important for us: SOCIAL ACTIVITY. In this category the Andrzej Czernecki PBR Award is granted. Andrzej Czernecki was an entrepreneur and philanthropist who established our foundation and donated most of his property to it. The statuette in this category was awarded to Urszula Nowakowska from the Women's Rights Centre. The largest organization in Poland providing legal and psychological assistance to people experiencing violence and discrimination.
This is how the jury member, Igor Czernecki, the chairman of the EFC Foundation Council and Andrzej Czernecki's son, justified the choice:
– The jury of the Polish Business Roundtable, by granting the award in the Social Activity category, wants to honour those who respond to current problems in their actions, and at the same time are long-distance runners - they pursue their mission consistently and persistently. These are the qualities of Ms Urszula Nowakowska, a lawyer, a feminist, a passionate social activist, the founder of the Women's Rights Centre foundation.
For 27 years she has been upholding women's rights, which are challenged in various ways in Poland. The most recent times have shown how much we still need this mindfulness. Due to the months of forced isolation that we have experienced, the problem of domestic violence has echoed in the public debate. Discussions about the women's strike did not stop for a long time - a hard-to-subdue nationwide outburst of rage over how the state has treated half of its citizens for years. In this case: female citizens! Urszula Nowakowska constantly draws the attention of journalists, entrepreneurs and the administration to the problems of gender inequality or domestic violence. That is why this year's the Andrzej Czernecki PBR award went into her hands - the award remembering my father, the entrepreneur and philanthropist who appreciated the role of non-governmental organizations in democracy.
– I am touched and proud of such a wonderful statuette. I would like to say thank you to the whole jury, thank you to all my friends who have been with me all these years. This is our joint success - said Urszula Nowakowska during the gala.
The founder and the head of the Women's Rights Centre has been actively working for legislative changes in the field of women's rights. She prepared, among others, the proposals of equality provisions to the Constitution, a draft act on counteracting violence in close relationships, she was in a team appointed by Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka that worked on the Act on Counteracting Domestic Violence. She is the author of the amendments to the above-mentioned act and the changes to the regulations related to rape. Urszula Nowakowska is also the author or co-author of research reports, articles to "Law and Gender" quarterly journal and guides for women and services. Decorated with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for activities aimed at building civil society, the Silver Medal of the Minister of Justice for achievements in penitentiary work, and the Bronze Medal at the request of the KSP for long-term cooperation and outstanding services in the field of the implementation of statutory tasks of the Police and the Honorary Badge of the Ombudsman.
The PBR award in the VISION AND INNOVATION category for applying a new, bold, non-standard and unconventional concept or a new business idea went to Dr Michał Mikulski - the founder and CEO of EGZOTech, a company dealing with research and development of innovative rehabilitation robots and electro-diagnostic devices for physiotherapy, neurorehabilitation and occupational therapy.
The Jan Kulczyk PBR Award in the SUCCESS category for the implementation of a spectacular business project that had a lasting impact on the Polish market, went to Dr Irena Eris and Henryk Orfinger - the founders and the heads of Dr Irena Eris company.
In addition to the three main categories, the jury also gave the Special Award. It was given to all medical and non-medical personnel of the Polish healthcare system, fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The statuette was handed to Prof. Krzysztof Simon, a specialist in infectious diseases, the head physician of the First Infectious Ward of the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Wrocław, an academic teacher at the Medical University in Wrocław and a member of the Medical Council appointed by Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
Thanking for the award, Prof. Simon said: “This is not a fight and heroism - this is the normal work of a properly educated team, the part of which is standing to my left and right. Thank you very much for this award. It will obligate us to continue the fight, to continue our work, until, I hope, a glorious victory ”.
The virtual gala with the presentation of the awards on TVN24 television station was hosted by Dorota Wellman and Piotr Kraśko on Monday evening, May 24th.
The Polish Business Roundtable Award is a distinction for entrepreneurs and social activists awarded since 2012 by the Polish Business Roundtable, an organization associating owners and chairpersons of the largest companies operating in Poland.