This sporting business life

Tomasz Cudowski, ‘Eurobuild CEE’: Is it easy to move from one high position in a consultancy to another?

Daniel Puchalski, Knight Frank: It depends how you look at it. On the one hand, it’s easy because you stay in the same sector, with the same contacts in a familiar business. On the other, it’s difficult because you face challenges of a much broader scope than before. And JLL is a nice company with fantastic people, where I devoted a part of my life.

Not many people know that you devoted another part of your life to telecoms.

That’s right. Back in 1995 I was responsible for building and managing teams in the telecoms sector in northern Poland, including for Era GSM, which is now T-Mobile. From there I moved to Netia in Warsaw. The company had maybe only a few clients at that time but when I left its revenue was already in the hundreds of millions of złoty, and I added a little to this by building and managing sales in the business client department. In addition to the many contacts I made who I can still call on today, I gained a great deal of experience from building and running teams in the B2B sector. I also had a stint in a company that developed platforms for providing value-add services to telecoms across the world.

But you took your first steps in real estate at Colliers...

At first I was afraid that this would be a rigid corporation, but it turned out that it wasn’t – it’s a very friendly company where you can realise your ambitions. After a year I already had my own real estate department that specialised in difficult sites such as small factories, former shipyards and sites owned by residential cooperatives. It was a real learning curve. At Colliers I gained considerable knowledge on the basics of how to operate on an interesting market and hold your own among the best players. And the effects of my work are visible to this day in the form of many revitalised and built-up areas in almost all the major cities in Poland – it gives me great satisfaction to be able to boast to my three children: “Look, Dad helped to create this bit of the city.”

Apart from all that knowledge you also gained a wife at Colliers.

Yes, I did, although we met on my last day at work in this company. These were successful years in many respects.

What was your largest land deal?

The sale of a 3,200 ha plot with trees.

How much was the commission for this?

Well, it wasn’t anything to complain about. But money wasn’t the most important thing in this case.

What was?

The satisfaction. There’s no greater reward than the certainty that you have prepared and completed an unusual, mutually beneficial and transparent deal. The more difficult the issues are, the greater the satisfaction. And the greater the adrenaline. Routine, on the other hand, is the worst thing for an agent.

What about other interesting transactions?

The sale of what remained of Hala Koszyki, several hectares of former shipyard in Gdańsk for residential and office development. And the Soho Factory in Warsaw.

You probably won’t want to talk about your biggest slip-up...

I can say something about this, because it happened just one time. Interestingly, it was not down to any neglect or ignorance, but due to trusting someone too much – He had already failed us once before but was given a second chance only to fail again, this time with more serious results. We not only lost a large contract but also the trust of many people. Rebuilding it took years, but it was a lesson in life.

Are you still an active agent?

Sure, I wouldn’t deny myself that pleasure. Not only do I consult with the heads of departments about all the company’s transactions, but I’m also in charge of several cases for our clients. And this is not just to avoid falling out of practice, but also because, in my opinion, managers should be able to demonstrate their practical skills and efficiency as well as being able to effectively manage and knowing sales theory. And, of course, I do it for the adrenaline rush.

What makes you so restless? Shouldn’t a managing partner be calm and laid back?

You can maintain a sense of seriousness in your actions while still having an abundance of energy, especially in a consultancy. This is one of my tasks at Knight Frank – to speed things up. It’s a great agency with a fantastic team, but every company needs a boost of in the form of new people with energy and a different view of the business.

What areas will you be supervising in your new company?

All the existing transaction and support teams, that is, the tenant representation, owner representation, capital markets, transactions, retail and services teams as well as PR and marketing. In addition to developing and strengthening existing service lines, I also intend to strengthen the capital markets department, which is already beginning to happen. We’ve created two new units: the investment land department, which is managed by Piotr Litwin, while Bogdan Patelka is now responsible for business development and investor relations. The plan is to launch an industrial department, acquire effective brokers for the investment/capital department, as well as strengthen the tenant representation teams in Wrocław, Katowice and Łódź. I think that in two years we will have a strong team and will be a major force in the sector, providing the highest quality services, as well offering a team of professionals who are enthusiastic about their work and brimming with ideas. We will be able to pool our experience and inspire each other.

Have you learnt anything about teamwork on the sports field? You used to play rugby semi-professionally.

Indeed. A dozen or so years ago, our team, Sopot, won the second division, the premier league and the Polish Cup. And quite recently – three or four years ago – in the veterans’ league our team has finished first and second. Yes, ‘veterans’ because there are no old boys in rugby. But my wife eventually forbade me to play – she’s worried about my bad back and knees. Team work yields good results in sport as well as in real estate. And also the opportunity to compete. The experience that comes from competitive sport is invaluable and worth transferring to business.

Will you have enough time for your private plans with all these new responsibilities?

For sure! My next goal is a trip to the Rugby World Cup Final in Japan. It’s even worth being there as a supporter because it’s a fascinating sport and an interesting country that is constantly changing. As I mentioned, I like changes, but those that open up new possibilities and are positive. I’m not planning to make any changes in my private life – they just come to me by themselves. I also faithfully follow the teachings of my grandfather, who often said: “You shouldn’t force yourself to do anything that’s just not you – life’s too short for that.” I always follow this advice whenever I have to face any kind of a dilemma.

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