Sławomir Lachowski

Lachowski graduated with distinction from the Foreign Trade faculty of the Central School of Planning and Statistics in Warsaw (now the Warsaw School of Economics). He also studied economics at the University of Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz (1980/1981 and 1988/1989) and the University of Zurich (1983 to 1984). He completed the Advanced Management Programme at INSEAD (1997) and the Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at Stanford University (2002).

In the years 1983–1990 Lachowski worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Economic Development at the School of Planning and Statistics, Warsaw. His research group, led by Leszek Balcerowicz, worked on plans for Poland’s transition to a free market economy.

In 1987–1992, Lachowski directed INTEXIM – Centre for Economic Analysis, a consulting firm specializing in strategic and financial advice. In 1993, he started working at Powszechny Bank Gospodarczy (PBG) in Lodz. In 1996–1998, he served as the Executive Vice President and then the First Deputy President of the Management Board of PBG.

From 1998 to 2000, Lachowski served as the Executive Vice President of the Management Board of Powszechna Kasa Oszczędności Bank Polski (PKO BP), the largest Polish bank. He oversaw the restructuring of PKO BP and formulated a new development strategy for the bank.

In 2000, Lachowski began working at BRE Bank as a board member in charge of two greenfield, retail banking projects: mBank, the first internet bank in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, and MultiBank, a modern brick-and-mortar bank for the emerging middle class and small and medium enterprises (SME). Both banks were successfully launched – mBank within 100 days in November 2000 and MultiBank in 2001.

mBank subsequently successfully entered banking markets in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.^[1] Lachowski initiated the project of a European retail bank based on EU passport with international expansion of mBank to the Czech Republic and Slovakia in November 2007.

In 2004, Lachowski became the CEO of BRE Bank. During his tenure, the bank was transformed from a medium-sized corporate bank to a large universal player, becoming the third largest bank in Poland in terms of assets. At the same time, BRE Bank developed a reputation as one of the top financial institutions in the country and was awarded the title of the 'Best Financial Institution' in 2008.^[2] Sławomir Lachowski left BRE Bank in March 2008.

In 2013–2015, Lachowski was the CEO of FM Bank PBP, where he completed the merger of FM Bank and PBP Bank, restructuring FM Bank PBP and transforming the bank into a dual brand financial institution, focusing on the prospective target customer groups of the new generation customers and citizens of digital world (Bank SMART) as well as microenterprises and self-employed professionals (BIZ Bank).

In 2016-2021 Lachowski was founder of G-Rock Limited. The firm obtained restricted licences in February 2019. It then proceeded to test its systems on a family and friends’ basis with the company’s own funds, with no members of the public involved. The company failed to raise the required capital to roll out its product. This led to its directors relinquishing its limited licences, and as a result placed it into liquidation. [1]

In 2008, Lachowski and his wife, Marzena Lachowska, founded Ex-Litteris Libertas, a charity devoted to creating equal opportunities for children from rural areas by supporting various educational and leisure activities.[4]

• Sławomir Lachowski's Official Website (Polish)
• Ex Litteris Libertas's Website (Polish)