Warsaw Negotiation Conference 2026
Bringing together students, professionals, and experts from across the globe, the Warsaw Negotiation Conference is the perfect next stop on your negotiation journey.
This student-organised conference is held under the honorary patronage of His Magnificence Piotr Wachowiak, Rector of the Warsaw School of Economics.
Keynote Speaker
prof. Philippe Gruca
IESEG School of Management, France
Speakers
prof. Horacio Falcão
INSEAD, Singapore
Horacio Falcão is a Professor of Management Practice in the Decision Sciences Department at INSEAD, where he teaches and researches Negotiation Sciences. He is also Co-Founder and Academic Director of the INSEAD Negotiation and Conflict Management Collaborative (NCMC), directs the executive education Negotiation Dynamics programme, and co-created INSEAD’s Online and Advanced Certificates in Negotiation. He is the creator of the Value Negotiation system and founding partner of Value Negotiation (VN) and VN Tech. Horacio holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School, an MBA and an Executive Master in Organisational Psychology from INSEAD, and a Ph.D. from Singapore Management University.
Before INSEAD, he taught at Harvard Law School and Tufts University and worked within the Harvard Negotiation Project ecosystem. A multiple award-winning professor and case author, he has received numerous teaching, case writing, and best paper awards at INSEAD and internationally, and has advised organizations across more than 30 countries in sectors including finance, healthcare, energy, government, and international organizations.
Szymon Brach
AstraZeneca Pharma, Poland
Szymon Brach is Associate Director, R&D Procurement at AstraZeneca Pharma Poland, where he leads global commercial strategy and negotiations for fully outsourced clinical trials.
He started in science — graduating in Molecular Biotechnology from Jagiellonian University — before moving to the commercial side of R&D, where he now connects scientific teams with external partners worldwide. Over the past decade, Szymon has negotiated across three very different industries: pharma, IT, and oil & gas. That cross-sector path shaped his belief that the hardest part of any complex deal is rarely the price — it’s aligning the people, interests, and standards behind it.
Today his work centres on multi-stakeholder negotiations, supplier relationships, and commercial governance frameworks that deliver value beyond cost, stand up to compliance scrutiny, and support long-term sustainability priorities.
Krzysztof Szelerski
Becton Dickinson, Poland
Krzysztof Szelerski is a negotiation practitioner and KPI-driven B2B sales leader with experience across healthcare, construction, interior, furnishings, consulting, and international trade. He currently works as National Sales Manager at Becton Dickinson (Medication Delivery Solutions) in Poland, responsible for sales, pricing strategy, forecasting, and complex multi-stakeholder negotiations in the hospital direct-sales channel.
He has negotiated across cultures and business norms in international environments, including high-stakes B2B deals. Previously, he managed international sales and negotiations across Western Europe, working with major retail and corporate partners. For over a decade, he has also trained and coached sales and negotiation teams, translating field experience into repeatable tools. Krzysztof is a two-time participant of The Negotiation Challenge (Professional)—a global competition often referred to as the “world championships” of negotiation—placing 4th in both TNC23 and TNC24.
Agnieszka Góra
Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania
Agnieszka Gora is certified mediator, academic lecturer in negotiation and mediation (including LLM), a PhD candidate at Mykolas Romeris Univeristy (research topic: mediator liability) and a practicing lawyer in Poland. An International Academy of Dispute Resolution Board Member, serving as INADR Vice President (Chicago, USA). Co-author of publications on negotiations and mediation and an expert in international university cooperation projects (on soft skills and ADR). A speaker at negotiation and mediation conferences around the world, including in: Greece, Italy, USA, UK, Latvia.
Laureate of multiple prizes at international and national mediation and negotiation competitions, including in: India, UK, Austria, Lithuania, Ukraine. She coached winning student competition teams in the field of mediation and negotiations (Europe, USA, Asia) and is a judge of ADR tournaments. Agnieszka’s main areas of professional expertise: contract law, dealmaking, mediation, real estate law. In her spare time, she enjoys competitive international latin
Tina Sobocińska
HR4Future, Poland
HR Director with over 20 years of experience at international companies (PwC, DHL, Schneider Electric, Sanofi Aventis) in roles such as HR Director, Board Member, Senior Management Team member, and Director of HR Shared Services for Europe.
HR enthusiast and advisor on projects such as: Workplace of the Future, Competencies of the Future, HR of the Future, Culture Book, Reskilling, 4-Day Week, and Neurodiverse Workplaces.
Leader of the Digital HR Champions network. Board member of the LiderShe Association.
Mentor to HR directors. Mentor in the FutureUp program at BNP Paribas Bank and Vital Voices. Co-author of the podcast series: “Case Study: Hybrid Work,” “Leaders. What’s Next?” recorded with Jarosław Kuźniar, Voice House. Lecturer at SWPS University, Warsaw School of Economics (SGH), and Kozminski University. Speaker at conferences and events in Poland and abroad (Paris, Brussels, Vienna, Amsterdam, Sofia).
Szymon Skurniak
SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
Szymon Skurniak is a negotiation student-researcher, strategist, and Business Development Specialist who recently supported Temu’s successful entry into the Polish market. He has organized and judged premier negotiation competitions in Warsaw, Madrid, and Stockholm, and formerly served as the Head Coordinator of the Warsaw Negotiation Round.
Currently finishing his degree in Finance and Accounting at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Szymon’s research focuses on competitive negotiations, Online Dispute Resolution, and the negotiation processes in M&A deals. A strategic thinker by nature, his competitive drive extends to the chessboard; he won the 2025 Polish University Team Championship with the SGH Team and placed 5th in Europe.
prof. Filippo Martini
University of Ferrara, Italy
Filippo Martini, MBA, works at the intersection of academia, business, and applied research in negotiation, mediation, and conflict management. He is an Adjunct Professor of Negotiation and Mediation at the University of Ferrara, where he teaches through an experiential approach combining theory, simulations, and structured feedback, and where he has coached the university team in national mediation competitions with notable results.
Alongside his academic work, he provides training and consulting for professionals and organizations, focusing on negotiation, decision-making, and conflict management in complex settings. A recurring strand of his work is the use of artificial intelligence to strengthen negotiation preparation, strategic analysis, and learning without displacing human judgment. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Global Negotiation and co-founder of the Journal for Global Negotiation, contributing to the dialogue between scholarship and practice in the field.
Jacek Czaja
Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania
Attorney-at-law, negotiator, trainer, #RisingStar2023 (#3), VP INADR, PhD Candidate Specializes in legal services for business clients. Has extensive experience in deal-making negotiations, consensual ADR, contract and commercial law. On a daily basis, he cooperates with WWRP Law Firm (where he manages the areas of negotiation, strategy and innovation) and serves as an in-house lawyer in the international capital group. Jacek has advised in negotiations of contracts with value amounting to hundreds millions (EUR).
Jacek holds a magister degree from JU (top 1% academic graduates), post-graduate degree, and is a candidate in the PhD program (MRU). Academic lecturer in ADR (including LLM), speaker at conferences, trainer of negotiation and mediation teams, finalists of the most prestigious competitions in the world. Top 3# “Rising Stars Lawyers 2023”, winner of many awards in international mediation and negotiation competitions and other legal competitions. Privately, an amateur dancer, a chess player
Rafał Łabędzki, PhD
SGH Warsaw School of Economics, deepsense.ai, Poland
I have been involved in software and video game development since 2009.
My career includes leading four R&D projects in AI, with three of them co-funded by the European Union and numerous software development projects for various platforms.
I’ve managed teams of up to 40 members, leading them to achieve success in software development and publishing.
I am proficient in data analytics and science, AI and user acquisition.
Joanna Bernacka
MTM Industries, Poland
Joanna Bernacka is a researcher, lecturer, and senior executive with over 25 years of international experience in supply chain management, strategic sourcing, and complex contract negotiations across Europe, Asia, and the United States. She currently serves as Director at MTM Industries and is a PhD candidate in management and quality sciences at Poznań University of Economics and Business.
Her professional career combines extensive business practice with academic research, allowing her to consistently confront theory with practice in real organizational contexts. She has led global sourcing and negotiation processes for international organizations, managed complex supplier ecosystems, and built long-term value through strategic contract negotiations in highly demanding industries, including oil & gas and advanced manufacturing.
Her research interests include organizational development, ethical governance, ESG, management by values, and the role of artificial intelligence in shaping future organizational models. She is the author and co-author of multiple scientific publications, including works published in the Academy of Management Proceedings, Routledge volumes, and the journal Economics and Environment. Her research contributions address topics such as the impact of organizational maturity on employee engagement, ESG maturity models, and value-based management in modern organizations.
David C. van der Griend
Reykjavik University, Iceland
David van der Griend is a negotiation management consultant and doctoral researcher affiliated with the University of Twente and Reykjavik University, studying effective negotiation behaviour in commercial organizations. In practice, David has spent the better part of a decade at leading negotiation consultancies, serving as chief negotiator, trainer, and strategic advisor to multinationals, NGOs, and political institutions across aerospace and defence, financial services, and pharmaceuticals.
David is a builder of negotiation institutions. He co-founded the MSc honours programme Great Negotiators at the University of Twente, the Negotiation Academic Society, and the Negotiation Project Twente, now consistently ranked among the world’s top student negotiation teams, with first-place finishes at The Negotiation Challenge (2024) and the Warsaw Negotiation Round (2021, 2023). He sits on the supervisory board of the Dutch Negotiation Network, the national federation uniting university negotiation organizations across the Netherlands, and serves as Programme Director of its Negotiation Fellowship Programme.
Michał Putyra
Rozwojowisko, Poland
What if negotiation wasn’t just about closing deals but about mastering an art – one that gives you influence, strategic power, and an edge in business and life? Michał Putyra is a business lawyer based in Poland (EU) with 20+ years of experience. He created the 7 Seas of Negotiation and MNA (Mixed Negotiation Arts) to simplify and supercharge negotiations. A consultant and trainer, he shares his insights with entrepreneurs and legal professionals. Recognized in the “50 Lawyers to Follow on LinkedIn in PL” ranking (2024), he also serves as a judge at the leading negotiation competitions. His belief? Negotiation isn’t just about winning – it’s about creating new reality. Privately, he sharpens his negotiation skills daily – with his Wife and three Kids.
Mateusz Motyl
SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland
Mateusz Motyl holds a Bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Methods in Economics and Information Systems from SGH Warsaw School of Economics and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in the same field.
With his personal hobbies being statistics and linguistics, he developed his interest in the negotiations by organizing various events, including coordinating Warsaw Negotiation Round 2025. He is engaged in research regarding the field of competitive negotiations, including the use of statistical methods in analysis of the negotiation process and finding optimal solutions
Conference organisers
