Mastercard has announced the appointment of Marta Życińska as general manager of the Polish branch of Mastercard Europe. She will take up the role at the beginning of May 2023, responsible for business development and implementing the company's strategy in Poland.

Marta Życińska is, among other things, a winner of the Marketing Director of the Year Competition, organized by Mediarun.com for over 10 years, whose this year's final will be held on November 16, 2023 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Warsaw.

Career at Mastercard

Marta Życińska joined Mastercard 7 years ago. She initially headed the marketing department in Poland, and then was promoted to the position of vice president for marketing and communications for Central and Eastern Europe, successfully combining business development with marketing activities across 20 markets. Last year, she took the position of vice president for global product marketing and B2B, responsible in particular for Mastercard's collaboration with fintechs, as well as prepaid services.

Experience before Mastercard

Marta Życińska is a business leader with numerous achievements in managing projects delivering commercial goals in the B2B and B2C areas, working closely with sales, development and product departments. Before joining Mastercard, she worked as director of the marketing office at Grupa PZU, where she carried out a rebranding and was responsible for sales support, communications and digital marketing. Earlier, she was associated for many years with the telecommunications company Orange, where she headed the B2C communications department.

The role of mentor and awards

Marta Życińska shares her experience and knowledge as a business advisor working with startups on developing and scaling their businesses. As a mentor, she actively supports diversity and equal rights in the workplace, and also takes part in initiatives and projects in the area of DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion). She has repeatedly sat on the jury of the Effie competition, including Effie Europe and Effie Global. She is also a winner of the Personality of the Year award in the Marketing Director of the Year competition, and her campaigns have won numerous awards including Effie, Golden Drum, and Cannes Lions.

Compliments from the president

"It is with great pleasure that I announce Marta as general manager of the Polish branch of Mastercard Europe. I am convinced that her experience, achievements to date, as well as her energy and enthusiasm will be crucial for further strengthening Mastercard's strong position in the payment technology industry in Poland," said Peter Bakenecker, president of Mastercard for the Central Europe region.

Marta Życińska General Manager of Mastercard in Poland

Marta Życińska is a graduate of Brock University in Canada in marketing, and also holds an MBA from the Warsaw School of Management and Oxford Brookes University. Outside of her professional work, Marta, as a graduate of philology, is passionate about the English language, as well as medicine and skiing. She successfully combines her professional career with raising three sons.

Bartosz Ciołkowski, the previous general manager of the Polish branch of Mastercard Europe, has since January 2023 held a new role in the organization, as general manager for Central and Southern Europe.

Concepts from the article

B2B — Business-to-Business / company to company. A business model in which a company sells products or services to other organizations. The decision-making process usually involves more people, a longer sales cycle, tendering and expert content.

Why it matters: It forces different communication: the decision is made by a committee, the cycle lasts for months, and the content must convince an expert, not a consumer. Effective B2B marketing is knowledge and trust, not impulse.

When it is used: When selling to companies: expert content, long cycles, tendering, business relationships.

What happens if it is omitted: Treating a business client like a consumer results in a campaign that shines but never makes it past the purchasing department.

Summary

Marta Życińska will take up the position of general manager of the Polish branch of Mastercard Europe at the beginning of May 2023. She has been associated with the company for 7 years — she worked her way up from marketing director in Poland through vice presidency for Central and Eastern Europe to global B2B projects and collaboration with fintechs. Previously, she worked at Grupa PZU and Orange. She is a winner of the Marketing Director of the Year competition, including the Personality of the Year award. Her campaigns won awards including Effie, Golden Drum and Cannes Lions. The previous general manager, Bartosz Ciołkowski, has taken on a new role for Central and Southern Europe.