Three young professionals in running for 2026 ProCon Leicestershire property and construction awards
From left, George Pain, Cory Staton and Nathan Bill, finalists in the Rising Star of the Year category in the 2026 ProCon Leicestershire property and construction awards(Image: ProCon Leicestershire Awards)
Three young professionals have made the final of the Rising Star of the Year category in the 2026 ProCon Leicestershire property and construction awards.
All three are under 30 years old and work for member companies of ProCon Leicestershire. The Rising Star category is sponsored by Galliford Try and is one of seven in this year’s 23rd ProCon Leicestershire Awards.
The Rising Star of the Year finalists are:
Cory Staton, HSSP Architects
Cory’s positive attitude, the consistently high standard of his work and the contribution he makes to the team are exceptional. He has fully embraced HSSP’s multi sector dynamic to the benefit of himself and the practice.
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His leadership and project management skills have flourished. He has developed his technical knowledge and sought increasing responsibility from senior colleagues which has been entrusted to him.
With an ability to manage multiple live projects simultaneously, he prioritises workloads, communicates effectively with clients and consultants, and actively solves problems.
The 2026 ProCon Awards logo and the award sponsors Salus and Unique Window Systems(Image: ProCon Awards)
George Pain, Gateley RJA
Throughout his apprenticeship, George has consistently achieved strong academic results while simultaneously delivering value to clients and colleagues.
Despite being early in his career, George has already established himself as a trusted and highly capable Quantity Surveyor, taking a leading role on several significant client accounts and projects.
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His ability to understand client objectives and provide practical, commercially focused advice has enabled him to build strong relationships and gain the trust of clients and colleagues.
Nathan Bill, MEC Consulting Group
For an individual still in the early stages of his career, Nathan has demonstrated exceptional progression. His promotion to Associate Director reflects both his technical capabilities and the trust placed in him to lead and grow regional teams.
What sets Nathan apart is his ability to think beyond his job title. He is always willing to help others and has built a nurturing, collaborative culture for his team. For clients, he exercises good judgement, is insightful, engaging and committed to achieving the best results.
His technical insight has proven invaluable on many projects, with multiple clients confirming they view Nathan as an extension of their team, rather than a consultant.
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Jon Marston, Managing Director at award sponsor Galliford Try Building East Midlands & Anglia, said: “Galliford Try are incredibly proud to sponsor this year’s Rising Star Award.
“The final shortlist showcases some exceptional candidates and is testament to the depth and strength of the young professionals contributing to our industry in Leicester and Leicestershire. With people at the heart of our business, it is an honour to support this Award and celebrate the talent in the region.”
The 2026 ProCon Awards are backed by two corporate sponsors: Salus and Unique Window Systems. The Leicester Mercury’s Business Live is the media partner.
The other six awards are:
Small Residential Scheme of the Year, sponsored by Fusion 360 Group
Medium Residential Scheme of the Year, sponsored by Fusion 360 Group
Small Non-residential Scheme of the Year, sponsored by Merali Beedle
Medium Non-residential Scheme of the Year, sponsored by Knights
Large Non-residential Scheme of the Year, sponsored by Procure Partnerships Framework
Regeneration Project of the Year, sponsored by NJC Surveys and AR Demolition
All the contenders will be in the spotlight at a Finalist Showcase at the 2025 winner Jewry Wall in Leicester from 6pm on Wednesday October 7.
Finalists and winners will be celebrated at a ceremony on November 12 at Leicester City’s King Power Stadium. Details of all the awards finalists are at: procon-leicestershire.co.uk/procon-awards/2026
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Companies keen to attend the Finalist Showcase, the ceremony or to enquire about sponsorship opportunities can contact Allyson Jeffrey on 0116 278 1443 or via email: info@procon-leicestershire.co.uk
David Ellison, CEO of Paramount Skydance, speaks during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, in Las Vegas, Nevada, April 16, 2026.
Caroline Brehman | Reuters
A new movie every 11 days? That’s what Paramount’s David Ellison is promising after clearing a path this week for his company’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, combining two storied Hollywood studios.
The CEO’s settlement with a group of state attorneys general over antitrust concerns stipulates that the newly minted company will release at least 30 films into theaters in 2027 and 2028 and at least 32 films in 2029, 2030 and 2031.
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Currently, the combined entity has 35 films scheduled to be released next year, according to data from Rentrak.
But questions remain about what caliber of releases the industry can expect — and what happens after the five-year agreement expires.
“This is much more complicated than simply asking whether 30 movies is enough,” Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends at Rentrak, told CNBC. “Thirty wide releases would represent a meaningful commitment to theatrical, and I think everyone in exhibition would welcome a robust pipeline of films.
“But ultimately the proof will be in how those movies perform, how varied the slate is, how consistently they reach theaters and how the combined company executes on those commitments,” he said.
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Hollywood has been clamoring for more theatrical titles since the Covid pandemic shuttered theaters and clogged the production pipeline. Ellison’s theatrical commitment, which he touted as early as April at the industry’s annual CinemaCon event, had garnered approval from the CEOs of the “Big Three” cinema operators — AMC’s Adam Aron, Cinemark’s Sean Gamble and Regal’s Eduardo Acuna — even before Paramount’s settlement.
Samuel Boivin | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Cinema United, the lobbying group that represents theater owners, had been staunchly against the merger, but gave its seal of approval this week, saying the agreement with the states “accomplishes many of exhibition’s objectives.”
However, not all exhibitors are on board. A number of theater executives, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, told CNBC they remain skeptical.
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Consolidation concerns
Paramount’s settlement includes stipulations about the number of theatrical releases the company must distribute over the next five years, how many of those releases need to be distributed widely and how many need to have a budget of more than $50 million. Paramount agreed to face steep penalties if it fails to meet the thresholds.
Consolidation among movie studios has traditionally led to fewer film releases, which, in turn, results in lower revenue, particularly for smaller theater chains and independent operators.
Overall industry dynamics have shifted drastically since Covid disrupted the theatrical space, leading to fewer screens and fewer moviegoers. Some of these woes have been masked by higher movie ticket prices — which are expected to help boost the domestic box office above $10 billion for the first time since the pandemic — but the moviegoing industry is still adapting to new economics.
Several theater operators told CNBC they were concerned the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. would not only decrease the number of studios contributing films to the ecosystem, but also decrease competition and give the combined company a more powerful bargaining position when it comes to windowing terms and rental fees.
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While larger exhibitors, which operate hundreds of locations, can weather consolidation, the smaller players have far less leverage.
Some theater owners also said they fear that Paramount will not be able to sustain its 30-plus theatrical output after the five-year deal, especially as production and marketing costs continue to rise and as Paramount contends with around $79 billion in debt once the merger closes.
“Of course, I worry about what happens in year six,” Rob Lehman, president and chief operating officer at Santikos Theaters, told CNBC. “You know, after the five years is up, does it then drop down to 18 movies a year?”
Still, Lehman called Paramount’s guaranteed number of films “a win for the industry.”
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Under the terms of its settlement agreement, if Paramount falls short of its annual quotas, it’ll be fined $30 million per film, 90% of which will be paid out to film workers and 10% to the National Association of Attorneys General.
The Paramount logo the water tower at the Paramount Studios lot on July 13, 2026, in Los Angeles, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
Though $30 million per film could prove to be a material penalty if Paramount significantly misses the mark, it pales in comparison to the cost of actually making and marketing a film.
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And, “quantity by itself is not enough,” Dergarabedian said. “You could say you are going to release 30 movies, or even 100 movies, but those movies still have to connect with audiences. If you had half as many films and every one of them became a major hit, which scenario would you rather have? So ultimately, it is not simply about how many movies are released. It is about having enough movies, released at the right cadence, that audiences actually want to see.”
Next year, the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. slate includes new entries in popular franchises like Sonic, Godzilla, Minecraft, A Quiet Place, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Lord of the Rings, The Conjuring and the DC superhero universe.
A packed calendar
There are also simple logistical questions around 30 films released from one company in a year.
With 52 weeks on the calendar, that’s less than 2 weeks between new releases — not accounting for marquee weekends when the industry typically stacks big premieres.
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A merged Paramount-Warner Bros. could easily cannibalize its own ticket sales if major releases are placed too close to one another.
Combine that with growing competition for coveted premium large format screens like Imax and Dolby and the schedule looks even trickier.
At present, the combined slate of Paramount and Warner Bros. for 2027 contains six dates where both studios have a theatrical release planned. There are also pockets on the calendar that have three to five releases stacked up on a weekly basis.
“From a pure strategy standpoint, it’s reasonable to expect release date shifts among the two studios’ planned slates,” Dergarabedian said. “In some cases, it’ll be to avoid overlapping audiences while, in others, it may be to diversify their cadence of box office.”
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For example, the combined company currently has nine horror films slated for 2027 and could look to shift dates to allow these features to have longer playability without competing.
“Hopefully, they put together some great movies and counterprogramming,” Lehman said. “Show us the kids’ movies, show us the horror movies, show us the high-end action movies.”
The fine print
Paramount’s settlement with the state AGs mandates that at least 20 of the films released by the combined company in each of the first two years after closing have a wide release in more than 2,000 theaters. For the following three years, that increases to at least 21 films.
“The agreement very specifically stipulates that it only has to be 20 wide releases, which is nothing,” said industry analyst David Poland.
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Currently, Paramount is on track to have 14 wide releases in 2026 and Warner Bros. is set for 13, for a total of 27 wide releases between them, according to Rentrak data.
“The importance of wide releases cannot be overstated,” Dergarabedian said. “These are the films that generate the biggest theatrical impact, fill auditoriums, drive concession sales and create the kind of cultural conversation that benefits the entire moviegoing ecosystem.”
Then there is the definition of “tentpole.”
Still from Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.”
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Paramount
In Hollywood, a tentpole film is one with a high budget that makes enough money between ticket sales and merchandise tie-ins that a studio can fund smaller-budget projects that may not be as profitable.
For many in the industry, a tentpole feature is one that costs more than $100 million to produce, often exceeding $200 million or $250 million, and that drives significant traffic to movie theaters. Think, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Universal’s recent hit “The Odyssey” or Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
The Paramount settlement, which mandates that at least 20% of the company’s annual releases be tentpole films, defines that category as a film with a budget of at least $50 million.
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“A $50 million production budget feels like a relatively low threshold for what we traditionally think of as a tentpole movie,” Dergarabedian said. “But at the same time, a $50 million movie can absolutely become a tentpole if it breaks out and becomes a cultural and box office phenomenon.”
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Fans across Nashville and around the world came together Friday to celebrate the life and legacy of Dolly Parton, marking the city’s inaugural “Dolly Day” with more than 145 events, fundraisers and celebrations honoring the country music icon who died in the city on August 25 at age 80.
The date itself carries a deliberate double meaning tied to Parton’s own career. September 25, written numerically as 9/25, pays homage to “9 to 5,” one of Parton’s signature songs, giving the newly established celebration a date directly connected to her music catalog.
Even as court disputes over Parton’s estate have continued to surface in recent weeks, organizers and participants said Friday’s celebration was intended to center on the enduring, unshakable elements of her legacy: her music, her generosity and the sense of joy she brought to audiences throughout her decades-long career. Rather than a day defined primarily by grief, the celebration has increasingly taken the shape of expanded literacy programming and an international day of giving, reflecting causes Parton championed extensively during her lifetime.
Nashville, which served as Parton’s home base throughout much of her career, has emerged as the epicenter of the celebration, with more than 145 special events, parties and fundraisers taking place across the city, and organizers said more continued to be added in the lead-up to Friday. Local coffee shops and bars introduced special Dolly-themed menu items for the occasion, many featuring her signature shades of pink. More than 30 local music venues planned performances of “9 to 5” timed to 5 p.m., while a downtown fireworks display scheduled for 9:25 p.m. was set to cap the day’s festivities.
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A number of Nashville-area businesses tied their own contributions directly to causes closely associated with Parton’s philanthropic work. The Grand Ole Opry announced it would donate $5 from each ticket sold for Friday’s shows and tours to Parton’s Imagination Library, the childhood literacy nonprofit she founded that has distributed free books to children around the world. Hattie B’s, the popular Nashville hot chicken chain, said it would donate one book for every qualifying entrée purchased at its Tennessee locations outside the airport. Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood said they would direct all of Friday’s proceeds from their honky-tonk venue, Friends in Low Places, to the Nashville Public Library and the Imagination Library.
Beyond individual business contributions, a broader philanthropic effort known as the Give Like Dolly campaign, organized by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, drew applications from 555 nonprofit organizations seeking support. Twenty of those organizations were ultimately selected to share donations across four causes connected to Parton’s philanthropic focus: helping children succeed, helping people heal, assisting neighbors in need, and opening doors through music and the arts. Participating organizations include Nashville CARES, Dismas House, Girls Write Nashville, Nashville Children’s Theatre and the Country Music Hall of Fame’s Words & Music education program.
While Nashville has served as the center of Friday’s celebrations, Parton’s influence has continued extending into an international movement in the weeks following her death. In Florida, Virginia and Ohio, local affiliates of the Imagination Library have reported a notable surge in both donations and new registrations since Parton died on August 25. In West Virginia, the literacy nonprofit Read Aloud West Virginia announced it would match donations made to local Imagination Library affiliates throughout the month for any contribution designated “in memory of Dolly.” In London, where a tribute to Parton was projected across the city’s Piccadilly Lights advertising displays in the days following her death, the Imagination Library announced plans to double the number of boroughs the program covers.
Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995 in Sevier County, Tennessee, as a tribute to her own father, who was unable to read, and the program has since grown into one of the most widely recognized childhood literacy initiatives in the world, mailing free books to registered children from birth until they begin kindergarten across numerous countries.
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Friday’s celebration arrives roughly a month after Parton’s death, a period during which tributes to the singer, songwriter and philanthropist have continued to emerge from across the entertainment industry, the philanthropic world and her devoted fan base. The scale of Friday’s Nashville events, spanning music venue performances, charitable fundraising, specialty food and drink offerings and a citywide fireworks finale, reflects the deep and continuing connection between Parton and the city that served as the backdrop for much of her decades-long career.
With Dolly Day now established as an annual date tied directly to Parton’s own music and philanthropic legacy, organizers and participating businesses have signaled the celebration is likely to continue in future years, extending both the charitable fundraising model established through the Give Like Dolly campaign and the broader spirit of joy and generosity that defined Parton’s public persona throughout her lifetime.
Wordle players faced puzzle number 1,924 on Friday, a five-letter word tied to a small patch of woodland that multiple puzzle trackers flagged as noticeably tougher than the rest of the week’s answers, with several outlets warning solvers to expect a harder-than-usual challenge.
For those still working through the puzzle, several hints circulated Friday to help point solvers toward the answer without giving it away outright. The word refers to a small group of trees growing closely together, the kind of small, distinct patch of woodland someone might come across in a rural or wooded area, often used specifically when describing a compact stand of trees rather than a full forest. Structurally, the word contains two vowels and no repeated letters, and begins with the letter C.
SPOILER WARNING: Today’s Wordle answer follows below. Stop reading now if you’d rather solve the puzzle without assistance.
The answer to Wordle #1,924 for September 25 is COPSE, a somewhat less common English word describing a small cluster or thicket of trees, distinct from the more familiar words “forest” or “woods” in referring specifically to a compact, contained group of trees rather than a larger wooded expanse.
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Multiple puzzle guides covering Friday’s word explicitly described it as more difficult than the rest of this week’s Wordle answers, a departure from the more common, everyday vocabulary that had defined several of the puzzle’s recent solutions. Because “copse” is a less frequently used word in everyday conversation compared with more common five-letter options, several outlets suggested solvers who were unfamiliar with the term likely needed to lean more heavily on the process of elimination, working through possible letter combinations systematically rather than recognizing the word immediately from the clues alone.
Strategy guides accompanying Friday’s puzzle recommended starting with strong, letter-diverse opening guesses to maximize the information gathered early, given the word’s relative obscurity compared with typical Wordle solutions. Guides also noted that Friday’s puzzle contained no repeated letters and two vowels, details intended to help narrow down the field of possible answers once solvers had confirmed a few correct letters through their opening guesses.
Wordle, created by software engineer Josh Wardle in 2021 before being acquired by The New York Times, has run as a fixed sequence of daily words since its launch, with puzzle number 1 having been the word “cigar.” The game continues to release a new five-letter target word to players worldwide at midnight local time each day, giving solvers six total guesses to identify the correct word. The game’s familiar color-coded feedback system, green for a letter in the correct position, yellow for a correct letter placed in the wrong spot, and gray for a letter absent from the word entirely, continues to guide players toward the solution with each subsequent attempt.
According to data from The New York Times’ companion analytical tool, Wordlebot, Friday’s puzzle can be evaluated based on both the average number of guesses players needed to solve it and separate luck and skill scores that measure how effectively players narrowed down possible solutions with each guess. Those scores, generated after each day’s puzzle based on aggregated player data, offer solvers a way to compare their own performance against the broader player base for that specific day’s word.
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Puzzle number 1,924 followed Thursday’s answer, MESSY, continuing a run of daily words that trackers use to help players identify broader patterns in how frequently the game’s word selection alternates between common, high-frequency vocabulary and more specific or unusual terms like Friday’s answer. Players tracking their personal statistics through Wordle’s built-in results screen, or through Wordlebot itself, can compare how efficiently they solved Friday’s puzzle relative to the broader player base and their own historical performance on similarly difficult words.
For solvers looking for an added challenge, Wordle continues to offer a “Hard Mode” setting, which requires players to reuse any previously revealed correct or partially correct letters in all subsequent guesses, removing the option to test entirely new, unrelated letter combinations once useful information has already been uncovered. That setting can be toggled from the game’s settings menu before starting a new puzzle each day.
With Friday’s word now revealed, players who came up short on the day’s puzzle, particularly given its higher-than-usual difficulty, or those simply looking to extend an active streak, will have a fresh five-letter word and a new set of six guesses to work with when Saturday’s edition of Wordle resets at midnight local time.
The yield on the 10-year note finished September 25, 2026 at 5.17%, while the 2-year note ended at 4.81%. The chart below overlays the daily performance of several Treasury bonds, starting from the pre-recession equity
UKSE has take an equity stake in Cardiff Canning t osupports its expansion
14:47, 25 Sep 2026Updated 14:53, 25 Sep 2026
From left Paul and Julie Miller Cardiff Canning, Michelle Noble UKSE area manager and Matt Stewart UKSE investment director.
A Cardiff firm is poised to double output after securing an equity investment from UKSE.
Cardiff Canning has installed a second production line allowing it to make 35 million cans a year for the UK ready to drink (RTD) market, helping drinks brands develop and grow their products.
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UKSE, a subsidiary of Tata Steel, is working closely with company to fulfil the business plan which forecasts turnover rising by 50% in 2026. In three years , the prediction is that the workforce will increase by seven to 30 with an emphasis on training and upskilling in a more automated workspace.
To accommodate the £400,000 new canning line, the firm has moved into the adjacent unit at Freemans Park doubling its footprint, gaining valuable storage space and improving efficiency.
Cardiff Canning helps drinks brands, large and small, develop and manufacture through canning, blending, product development and storage.
The family business is optimistic about the future. Its managing director, Paul Miller, said“We are very pleased to be working with UKSE in what we are sure will be a long and fruitful relationship.
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“Choosing the right manufacturer is the most important decision a drinks company can make. We have all the facilities and knowledge to help them bring their ideas to market, and we pride ourselves on our hands on approach putting customer relations first,” he said.
UKSE area manager in Wales Michelle Noble said; “The firm has a clear focus and strong ethos with quality and customer relationships at its heart.
“More space and increased automation will enable the firm to move to the next level and draw in new customers. The potential for growth is considerable and our new partnership comes at a crucial stage and I am confident UKSE, with our experience in equity investment, can play a vital role.”
UKSE can make invest equity investments in firms of up to £1m. Ms Noble said “Many businesses in Wales would benefit from a capital injection in the form of equity from a flexible and patient partner, who is there to support rather than control the business. We back management teams to deliver their own business plans and are very happy to discuss how we can support them at any time.
IRS CEO Frank Bisignano says the agency’s new mobile app will let taxpayers securely check refund status and make payments from their phones while AI helps fight fraud and improve customer service.
The IRS launched a new mobile app that will let taxpayers check refund statuses and make payments directly from their phones, expanding the agency’s digital services as it works to combat fraud and protect taxpayer information.
IRS CEO Frank Bisignano joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” to discuss the app’s security, growing demand for online services and the agency’s efforts to combat identity theft.
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The IRS is rolling out a new mobile app designed to let taxpayers securely check their refund status and make payments directly from their smartphones. (Getty Images)
“100%, 100% secure,” Bisignano said of the new app, which will allow taxpayers to complete tasks on their phones rather than redirecting them from an older app to the IRS website.
The rollout comes as more taxpayers turn to the agency’s online tools. Bisignano said the IRS handled 600 million online inquiries last year, roughly double the previous year’s volume. The new app is intended to make the process more convenient, combining refund tracking and payments into one mobile experience.
Panelists Marc Summerlin and Douglas Holtz-Eakin analyze the impact of President Donald Trump’s economic policies and how Federal Reserve interest rate hikes influence global markets on ‘Kudlow.’
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As taxpayers increasingly manage sensitive financial information on their devices, security will be central to the agency’s digital push. Bisignano said the IRS will rely on ongoing cybersecurity monitoring to guard its systems.
“It’s important for us to always patrol the perimeter and surveil the interior, and we’ll use agents to do that to ensure we’re in good shape,” he said.
The agency is also working through a backlog of identity theft cases. Bisignano pointed to an inspector general’s report covering 2023 to 2025 and said the relevant inventory peaked at about half a million items in 2024. He said that figure has since been cut by more than half and processing times have improved.
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Former investment banker Carol Roth argues that a proposed California tax on billionaires would have negative economic effects on ‘The Bottom Line.’
While the IRS is using artificial intelligence elsewhere in its operations, Bisignano said it is not being used to reduce that particular backlog. He described the agency’s broader mission as improving service while preventing fraud.
“We’re just gonna make it better every day,” he said, adding that the IRS is “completely focused on eliminating fraud.”
Misarenko started his career in the financial sector with institutions such as Raiffeisen Bank, before moving into entrepreneurship and consulting in 2017. Alongside his brother, he co-founded two Poland based consulting firms, advising clients across Europe on e-commerce strategy, brand development, and operational scaling.
His work brings together financial discipline with hands-on execution. Clients came to him and his partners for help building structures that could survive beyond a single product launch or a single market cycle, covering fulfilment logistics, HR outsourcing, and marketing research.
Having lived and worked across several jurisdictions, Misarenko has a practical grasp of how businesses behave differently once they cross a border. Banking gave him an early view of risk and process. Consulting gave him the freedom to apply that view to fast-moving companies that didn’t always have the patience for it.
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He is now a long-time resident of Monaco and is shifting his focus away from running his own companies day to day. Instead, he is looking to collaborate with established firms on larger, more complex consulting projects, where his background in finance and hands-on experience in e-commerce can support bigger decisions.
His approach stays consistent regardless of the project’s size: build something that works without needing constant intervention. That means clear structures, realistic timelines, and decisions grounded in data rather than assumption. It’s a mindset shaped as much by his years in banking as by the entrepreneurial side of his career, and it’s one he continues to apply as he takes on new, larger-scale work.
Interview with Dmitriy Misarenko
You started in banking before moving into consulting. What made that shift happen?
Banking teaches you to think in terms of risk and process. Everything has a procedure, everything gets checked twice. When I moved into e-commerce consulting with my brother, I noticed most young companies didn’t have that discipline yet. They were moving fast, which is good, but a lot of them didn’t have the structure underneath to support the speed. That gap is where I found the most useful work to do.
What kind of problems were you solving for clients in those early years?
A lot of it came down to operations that weren’t built to scale. A brand would get traction, then the fulfilment side couldn’t keep up, or the HR side was too thin to handle growth. We worked on brand development, logistics, HR outsourcing, and marketing research, but the common thread was always the same: put a structure in place before growth outpaces it, not after.
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Did banking and e-commerce ever pull you in different directions?
Less than people assume. Banking gave me a way of thinking about numbers and risk. E-commerce gave me speed and direct contact with how a business actually runs day to day. Put together, they complement each other. A finance background stops you from making decisions that look good short term but create problems later.
You’ve worked across several jurisdictions. What’s the biggest misconception people have about running a business across borders?
That the rules are roughly the same everywhere, just with local variations. In practice, banking relationships, reporting requirements, and even basic logistics can work completely differently from one country to the next. You learn quickly that a setup that works in one place might create friction in another. It’s less about finding one perfect model and more about staying flexible enough to adjust it.
How has living in Monaco shaped the way you approach your work?
Monaco puts you close to a lot of international business activity, but it also gives you a clear view of how much local presence matters, even in a globalised industry. You see firms that combine a strong local footprint with reach across other markets, and that’s the kind of setup I find most effective. It’s part of why I’m looking to bring my experience into a more established firm rather than keep running smaller ventures on my own.
What are you looking for in the next stage of your career?
Bigger, more complex projects. Running two consulting companies with my brother taught me a lot about the practical side of business, from operations to client relationships. But I’ve reached a point where I want to apply that experience within a larger structure, one with more resources and a wider network, where the projects have more moving parts and higher stakes.
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Looking back at those years building the Poland based companies, what would you say mattered most?
Consistency. It’s easy to have a strong quarter or land a good client. What’s harder is keeping the same standard over years, across different markets and different teams. That’s the piece I’d tell any consultant starting out to focus on first: not the big win, but whether what you build still works a year later, without you having to fix it every week.
What’s the one thing your banking background still shapes today?
Patience with numbers. Even in fast-moving consulting work, I still go back to the data before making a call. It’s a habit from banking that never left, and honestly, it’s saved me from a few decisions I would have regretted otherwise.
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