Krakow is blazing a trail as a global tech hub. Its talented ecosystem is brimming with innovation and ambition. In the early 2000s, HR professionals in Poland’s second city were laying the groundwork for tech’s rise. They were learnign to collaborate with developers in ways that look quaint today.
Today we look at how Krakow’s tech revolution has sparked a new approach to HR in Poland’s second city. We consider how HR has changed over the years, and what the future might hold.
The Origins of Krakow’s Tech Community
In the early 2000s, HR’s role in tech was largely administrative. It included tasks like recruiting developers, managing payroll, and ensuring compliance. Collaboration with tech teams was minimal, and HR often operated in silos. Fast-forward to 2025, and Krakow’s tech surge has created a new HR frontier. The city, home to top universities like AGH and a growing startup ecosystem, is attracting global tech firms and talent. HR now plays a strategic role, aligning talent acquisition and development with the fast-paced needs of innovation-driven companies.
The first companies to dominate the tech landscape in Krakow were Comarch, Sabre, and IBM. Over time they were joined by others, including Synerise, Making Waves, Qualtrics, Cisco, or Akamai. Today fintechs have joined in the tech revolution happening in Krakow. Backbase, Revolut, or WorldRemit have added their uniqueness to the ecosystem.
Over time HR people in Krakow have had to adapt. New international standards have been set by U.S., British, French, Swiss, and other countries. This has led to a renewed focus on topics like Employee Value Proposition or welcoming pets into the office.
Local Universities Supporting the Next Era of HR Professionals in Krakow
There are several world class universities in Krakow today, one of those is the University of Economics in Krakow or UEK. To highlight the university’s commitment to the HR community in Krakow, it has been awarded by the European Commission with the ‘HR Excellence in Research’ title.
The Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland’s oldest university, also offers HR courses. The educational institution has been awarded by the Polish Accreditation Committee. It has also been recognized by the Ministry of Education as having a high level of quality in the delivery of its courses.
Krakow’s third university, known as AGH University of Krakow, also offers a HR specialization for undergraduates. Recommendations from past students highlight how AGH offers an individual approach for HR people looking to work with technical and entrepreneurial companies in Krakow.
There are more universities in Poland’s second city, but the above-mentioned three have by far the largest student population as well as the best reputations.
Krakow’s Agile Culture
It’s not just universities who have helped develop the HR professionals needed to work with tech employees. There are multiple large recruitment businesses, like AMS, which also produce many of the HR specialists who call Krakow home. This has given rise to the popularity of westernized job titles like ‘Head of People’ or ‘Head of Culture.’ Many of these new roles include elements of Agile within their remits.
Some of the leading Agile and HR practitioners in Krakow work at companies such as IBM, ABB, Tietoevry, Ailleron, Cisco, or Hitachi Digital.
Their job titles vary from Senior HR Development Specialist to Human Resources Program Manager to Recruitment and Development Manager to Talent Acquisition Community and Projects Coordinator. Other titles like HR Specialist or Training & Development Specialist are less exotic but still include Agile in their roles.
One person who stands out is Monika Wisła at Backbase in Krakow. Monika is a Senior Agile Coach, but started her career in HR. She is one of many new champions of Agile who have come from a HR background.
Krakow’s HR Practitioners are Getting Ready for Tomorrow
As the tech market in Krakow continues to develop it remains critical for companies to upskill their teams. Agile is no longer the cutting-edge methodology it was in the past. Tomorrow’s HR leaders will need to look for more innovative strategies to help them better engage with, and retain, tech employees. For now, Krakow is trying to meet the demands that the growing tech ecosystem is creating. This will remain a priority tomorrow as well.
Does your recruitment partner keep up to date with market trends? Do you want to talk to the IT recruitment specialists at Verita HR to find out more?
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Author: Andy Samu
#Krakow #Tech #HumanResources #VeritaHR
