Business significantly impacts the structure of societies and the way people live. Our alumni recognized in this category have been very successful in developing new products, tools and services that improve lives, for example mobile applications that help people to overcome addictions, biodegradable materials that replace plastic, and digital products and services, which improve user experience. We are proud that these individuals graduated from our university.
Best in the Business Category
The Chancellery of the 25th Jubilee Alumni prize has selected the following graduates of SWPS University in the Business Category:
Follow the link to read about the selection criteria »
Professor Mateusz Gola
is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) and a Professor at the Institute for Neural Computation, at the University of California in San Diego. He appeared in a Polish television program “The Brain. Genialny umysł” (The Brain. A Genus Mind), which was aired by the Polsat private tv station from 2016 to 2017. Professor Gola runs a therapeutic practice and is a co-founder of PredictWatch, a company that develops A.I. solutions for mobile devices allowing to effectively predict relapses in predictions in substance and behavioral addictions. One of the PredictWatch applications – Nałogometr – was used in a National Addiction Study and its Polish version is now available for free. Professor Gola holds three patents and has authored over 100 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, such as Lancet Psychiatry, Nature Neuropsychopharmacology, Journal of Behavioral Addiction, and Journal of Sexual Medicine. He also runs training sessions on the application of the latest scientific discoveries in brain research in clinical practice and on instilling healthy habits in daily life.
Michał Lutostański, Ph.D.
is a sociologist. He completed his doctoral studies at SWPS University's Interdisciplinary Doctoral School. His professional experience includes working with numerous public opinion and market research centers, such as the Public Opinion Research Center (CBOS), TNS OBOP, TNS Polska, 4P Research Mix, Kantar Millward Brown, and Kantar Polska. His is highly regarded by his fellow researchers. Dr. Lutostański is the initiator and editor of a monograph “Badanie rynku. Jak zrozumieć konsumenta?” (Market Research. How to understand consumers?) (PWN, 2021), a comprehensive source of information on market research, conducted by 50 experts from the Polish Society for Opinion and Market Research (PTBRiO), who are major contributors to the market research industry in Poland. Additionally, his research interests revolve around music. He shares his knowledge and popularizes science on music comprehension through collaborations with numerous institutions, such as the National Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw, Wrocław Contemporary Museum, the Silesian Museum in Katowice, the Służew Cultural Center, the Transatlantic Festival in Łódź, the Filmoterapia z Sensem series, and the Music Gardens Festival. He actively participates in the initiatives of the Polish Society for Opinion and Market Research (PTBRiO), where over the years, he has taken on various roles, most recently the Vice-Chair of PTBRiO (since 2020).
Marta Pospieszna and Szymon Mrózek
Marta and Szymon met at School of Form as students of the Fashion Design program. Marta joined Szymon’s company that owns the Diligent brand. Together, they prepared a joint graduation project at School of Form. The project, a garment collection, surprised and delighted the jurors of the 1st edition of the Fresh Fashion Awards (2017), thanks to its boldness, individuality, and originality. Marta and Szymon were awarded PLN 500K for a promotional campaign and a photo session with a renowned photographer Jan Kriwol. Then, their collection “Langusta Lips” was presented in the semi-finals of some prestigious competitions, such as the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers and the International Talents Support. They debuted at the London Fashion Week with a spring/summer 2020 collection, which also won the main prize in the Premium category, in the Mittel Modal Lab competition, organized as part of the Milan Fashion Week.
Róża Rutkowska (Janusz)
Róża’s graduation project Scoby (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast) comprised a series of experiments aimed at finding an organic, biodegradable material, created as a result of sugar fermentation in some foods. Since her graduation, Róża has focused entirely on natural processes that lead to the production of biodegradable materials, and her graduation project has won numerous awards and accolades in design competitions. She founded the Make Grow Lab, which has been awarded a EUR 30,000 implementation grant by the Climate KIC Polska. In 2020, the start-up co-led by Róża won the first place among 170 companies in the Polish edition of the international Chivas Venture competition, which ensured the company a place in the international final of the competition. Thanks to the several grants, Róża, and her business partner Josh Brito, developed Scoby packaging, durable, yet easily compostable material, which is 100 percent plastic-free. Róża has been working on other natural materials that could provide a more sustainable future for the packaging industry.
Hubert Anyżewski
is one of the pioneers of User Experience (UX) discipline in Poland. He has been very successful internationally, yet he still finds the time to share his experience with others as an author of educational programs, lecturer, mentor and investor. Since 2010, he has been the Head of the first UX Design/Product Design study program in Poland at SWPS University, which he also created (so far, over 1,200 graduates in 4 cities). He founded and managed numerous companies, including uselab.pl. For the past 15 years, he has been leading user experience (UX) and service design (SD) teams. He is an official Google expert on product strategy. For close to 20 years, Hubert has been overseeing implementation of digital products and services for large corporations. For example, he managed various projects for over 500 largest companies in the FSI, TMT and retail sectors, for over 40 markets, including EMEA, US, Asia, and Africa. He has held many top positions in international corporations, such as Head of Experience Design in Deloitte Digital Central Europe. Hubert is a recipient of numerous awards for innovative products and services, developed for the leading global companies, such as a prize for the best system of Digital Banking in the world and Central Europe awarded by the Global Finance Magazine. He also received awards from Finovate UK for the best innovations in the region, and Mobile Trends Awards for mobile products. For the past 15 years he has been supporting new start-ups. In 2010, he was an official start-up mentor at Google, as part of the Google for Startups program. He is an investor in and founder of many technological start-ups, and a co-founder of Accelpoint, a smart tech accelerator helping to obtain financing for companies. Since 2015, he has been privately investing in companies in Europe and Asia, and is a co-founder and managing partner of the Freya Capital fund that invests in innovative technological companies.
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Distinguished Alumni Selection Criteria
Standing of a university is measured by people who create it. SWPS University’s alumni are a key pillar of our institution. Our 25th Jubilee is a fitting occasion to distinguish a group of 25 acclaimed graduates of our university, as they are the reason why we grow, share our achievements with the world, dream and strive to reach new goals.
SWPS University’s 25th Jubilee Alumni – Society
Activism, volunteering and initiatives undertaken to improve wellbeing of communities are some of predictors of happiness. Solving particular social problems or meeting social needs translate into social influence.
SWPS University’s 25th Jubilee Alumni – Sport
Sport is a crucial part of a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity improves fitness and overall wellbeing. The role of coaches and athletes, who promote active living and various sport disciplines, cannot be overstated.
SWPS University’s 25th Jubilee Alumni – Research and Teaching
Teaching and research lie at the core of any university. Academic teachers impact the standing of a university, but most importantly, they are crucial not only in conveying certain knowledge, but in igniting curiosity, motivation, and thirst for knowledge in subsequent generations of students.
SWPS University’s 25th Jubilee Alumni – Culture – Art – Media
Art, culture and media are significant elements of a full and happy life. They ensure cultural continuity of nations, are carriers of history, values and identity.