Written by “Our role is to help our current and future clients navigate the ever-changing world, transform their business to reflect evolving conditions and have the management focus on taking advantage of resulting new opportunities and creating value for their clients and shareholders” – interview with Pawel Kowalewski, our new Group Practice Leader Energy, Power and Mining.
Could you tell us a bit more about your new position at GrECo? What will be the main area of your focus?
Kowalewski: It is not so much a new position as it is a new responsibility. Although I was primarily involved in GrECo’s power accounts, I was also contributing to the group effort in the field of energy and mining. These three areas are in many ways interconnected and complementary and in many instances it is difficult to tell one from the other. Therefore, I will be focusing on developing the combined portfolio of GrECo’s business to make sure we can offer our clients risk management solutions that will help them deliver world-class products and services that literally get the world moving.
What are some of the biggest challenges in the area of energy and renewables?
Kowalewski: From the risk management perspective, these are increasing complexity and volatility across many dimensions. Ever bigger and more complicated machinery, rapidly changing commodities pricing, global inflation and fragile supply chains. Exciting new technologies bring about limitless promises but also new known and unknown challenges and risks. If you add an increase in the frequency and severity of natural catastrophe events and climate change you get the picture of the new reality where the optimization of risk management processes rapidly becomes key to success for our clients – and for ourselves.
What can clients in the energy sector expect when they do business with GrECo?
Kowalewski: We have been building our success story on a thorough understanding of our clients’ unique risk landscapes which allows us to create and market bespoke solutions. This almost means becoming a part of our client’s risk management teams. Ideally, we would be involved in discussions about new projects or initiatives early to provide clients with feedback, guidance and training that address potential issues early in the process and help avoid pitfalls. We have demonstrated to our clients that they always can expect from us the highest standards of delivery and no risk is too difficult or too complex for us to place. Speaking of delivery, we tend to take a realistic approach leveraging our understanding of current market conditions and to overachieve rather than overpromise.
How do new ESG requirements affect the field of energy and renewables?
Kowalewski: Not only does it affect Energy, Power and Mining, but first and foremost it affects our clients. In the Environmental dimension, it means the electrification of the economy, which means the gradual transition from primary energy sources such as fossil fuels into electric energy propelling ever larger swatches of the economy. To generate and deliver requisite electricity we will need many more power stations as well as transmission and distribution lines than we have today and to build those we need to extract, process and deliver large quantities of raw materials and products around the globe. The world as we know it will change at a rapid pace and central to ensuring successful transition is good risk management.
We cannot also forget about the Social dimension – ensuring that the entire world population, not only the rich and the mighty – have access to affordable energy which in today’s world is one of human rights. Finally, the Governance aspect of ESG makes us focus on compliance and integrity as core values of the GrECo team.
Our role is to help our current and future clients navigate the ever-changing world, transform their business to reflect evolving conditions and have the management focus on taking advantage of resulting new opportunities and creating value for their clients and shareholders.
What made you choose to become a part of the GrECo in the first place?
Kowalewski: As a former client, I liked the no-nonsense approach and found a common language with the EPM team and GrECo management. I found GrECo to be a very strong regional player, having a large footprint and resources requisite to provide risk management services to even the largest companies in our part of the world, yet being able to focus on individual client needs and go the extra mile to deliver the promised result.
Could you tell us a bit more about yourself outside of work? How do you like to spend your free time?
Kowalewski: AI try to leave in the office all the exciting things that the EPM team deals with every day and not take them home. Outside of working hours, I try to enjoy all the simple yet thoroughly wonderful things in life such as spending quality time with my family and friends or reading a good book.
Pawel Kowalewski
Group Practice Leader Energy, Power and Mining
T +48 507 085 066
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