Key Challenges for CEOs in Poland in 2025

The key challenges for CEOs in Poland in 2025 are clear: geopolitical risk, labour shortages, energy costs, legal uncertainty, and the pressure to grow despite weaker demand. At the same time, Polish CEOs are not focused only on threats. They are also looking for practical ways to protect margins, expand into new markets, and adapt their business models faster.

This article is based on NAJ International’s own conversations with 29 business leaders in Poland. Most respondents represented manufacturing, although we also spoke with leaders from financial services, logistics, wind energy, electromobility, gastronomy, and retail. As a result, the picture is broad enough to show recurring patterns and concrete enough to help leaders compare their own priorities with what other CEOs are already seeing.

“In 2025, the biggest challenge for CEOs in Poland will not be change itself, but the speed at which they must respond to overlapping pressures. Geopolitical risk, energy costs, talent shortages and regulatory uncertainty no longer act separately. They now shape one business reality that demands faster decisions, sharper priorities and greater organisational resilience.”

Ewa Adamczyk, Managing Partner, NAJ International

What this CEO research in Poland shows

The main conclusion is simple: CEOs in Poland expect pressure, not stability. However, that pressure comes from several directions at once, which makes planning harder than in a normal slowdown.

NAJ International asked 29 executives from Polish, German, French, American, Belgian, Dutch, British, Chinese, Norwegian, and Slovak companies about the year ahead. The average company employed 467 people, while average revenue reached PLN 440 million. Two firms reported revenue in the billions, so the sample included both medium-sized and larger businesses.

Most respondents came from manufacturing. Even so, similar concerns appeared in other sectors as well. Therefore, the findings are useful not only for industrial firms, but also for service businesses that operate in Poland and depend on investment, hiring, and demand visibility.

For broader context, readers can compare these findings with the global CEO study 2025.

Geopolitical risk and market unpredictability shape the CEO agenda in Poland in 2025

Uncertainty is no longer a side issue. It is a core management challenge. CEOs repeatedly linked business risk to the war in Ukraine, shifting international relations, and unstable demand across European markets.

This matters because unpredictability does not affect only strategy presentations or board discussions. It changes production planning, inventory decisions, investment timing, and customer confidence. In practice, leaders are asking more basic questions: what will be ordered, in which markets, and at what margin?

Several respondents also pointed to weaker demand from Western Europe, especially Germany and France. Consequently, firms that depend on exports from Poland face a double burden. They need to protect current revenue, yet they also need to open new channels before demand weakens further.

In that sense, the key challenges for CEOs in Poland in 2025 are not limited to external shocks. They also test how quickly a company can react when the market stops behaving as expected.

Labour shortages remain severe, but not always at executive level

The biggest hiring problem in 2025 is not always finding senior managers. More often, it is the shortage of engineers, technical specialists, and skilled frontline workers who keep operations moving.

This was especially visible in manufacturing, project-based businesses, and wind energy. In these sectors, the shortage of technical talent affects delivery capacity, expansion plans, and labour costs. Moreover, the problem does not end with recruitment. Companies also face growing pressure to train, retain, and motivate people in an increasingly competitive market.

Interestingly, only a few respondents named managerial recruitment as the top issue for 2025. That does not mean leadership hiring is easy. It means other staffing gaps are even more urgent for many employers right now.

Some firms are responding by redesigning their operating model. Instead of building every capability in-house, they cooperate with external partners that manage selected business segments and employ their own teams. As a result, companies can focus more on core operations while sharing workforce risk across several entities.

For companies entering the market or expanding locally, this connects directly with how foreign companies can recruit effectively in Poland.

Costs, regulation, and the Green Deal are changing profitability

High energy costs and regulatory pressure are now strategic issues, not only operational ones. This came through particularly strongly in manufacturing, where executives linked profitability to energy prices, inflation, interest rates, and environmental compliance.

High interest rates continue to limit investment appetite. At the same time, inflation reduces margins in businesses with heavy operating costs, such as manufacturing, logistics, and construction-related industries. Because of that, CEOs are rethinking pricing, delaying some investments, and reviewing where capital can still generate a realistic return.

The Green Deal adds another layer. Companies in Poland often face higher energy costs than competitors elsewhere in Europe, while the shift to greener production requires more spending on equipment, processes, and compliance. For some firms, this creates a serious dilemma: how to stay compliant without losing competitiveness.

A few businesses even see relocation as a real option. Southern Europe and Turkey were mentioned as possible alternatives because of lower energy costs. Therefore, the debate is no longer abstract. It is already influencing how leaders assess Poland as a long-term production base.

Related cost pressure also affects cooperation models, budgets, and service expectations. In some cases, readers may also find useful context in price of recruitment agency.

Growth still matters, but it depends on new markets and new models

CEOs are still looking for growth, but the route to growth is less obvious than before. When local demand weakens and export orders become less predictable, companies need new markets, new channels, or a broader service model.

Several respondents said growth in 2025 will depend on selling beyond existing customer groups. Yet expansion brings fresh exposure to logistics risk, supply chain issues, and political instability. In other words, growth is possible, but it is harder to execute safely.

Service companies added an important angle. Their business clients increasingly expect a broader, more integrated offer. A one-stop-shop model can improve competitiveness because it shifts the discussion away from price alone and toward added value, convenience, and business continuity.

This is one reason why the key challenges for CEOs in Poland in 2025 are closely linked to commercial model design. Leaders are not just asking where to sell more. They are asking how to make the offer more resilient and more attractive in uncertain conditions.

Digitisation, automation, and cybersecurity are now board-level concerns

Digital transformation is no longer optional, but it is expensive and risky. CEOs know they need automation, better systems, and stronger data security. Still, the cost of licenses, infrastructure, implementation, and training remains high.

This challenge appeared across sectors, not only in IT. The more companies digitise processes and move data to cloud-based systems, the more exposed they become to cyber threats and operational disruption. As a result, investment in technology now has two sides: productivity on one hand, security on the other.

In parallel, legal ambiguity makes planning harder. Respondents mentioned changing rules around environmental policy, digital transformation, and product preferences. Wind energy was one of the sectors where regulatory uncertainty was especially visible.

So while digitisation promises efficiency, it also forces leaders to make bigger bets with incomplete information. That is why many teams are trying to balance speed with caution rather than pursuing transformation at any cost.

Sector examples show the same pattern in different forms

The sectors differ, but the logic is similar. Each industry faces its own mix of cost pressure, regulatory uncertainty, talent shortages, and growth opportunity.

Manufacturers of heating devices are dealing with cheaper imports, green regulation, and uncertainty about future product demand. Wind energy firms see strong long-term potential, yet they struggle with financing, labour shortages, and changing rules. Construction product manufacturers face volatile raw material prices, energy costs, and fluctuating orders.

Food producers point to supply chain instability and quality issues in raw materials. Logistics firms are adapting to fuel costs, transport regulation, and e-commerce growth. IT services firms are balancing cybersecurity, talent retention, and fast-moving technology. Meanwhile, financial businesses are weighing regulatory compliance against growth opportunities in a market that still shows strong demand.

These examples reinforce one message: the key challenges for CEOs in Poland in 2025 may look different on the surface, but they all test the same leadership capabilities — prioritisation, flexibility, and speed of response.

What CEOs in Poland will need most in 2025

The winning response is not perfect forecasting. It is faster adaptation. The leaders we spoke with know they cannot control geopolitics, energy prices, or regulation. They can, however, adjust structures, reset priorities, and make decisions earlier.

That means reviewing where margins are under the most pressure, where hiring gaps may block execution, and where business models need simplification or expansion. It also means building more decision-ready management teams that can move when market signals change.

In practical terms, 2025 will reward organisations that stay close to demand, monitor cost drivers carefully, and keep enough strategic flexibility to shift direction. Because of that, the key challenges for CEOs in Poland in 2025 are also a test of leadership discipline.

The broader lesson is simple. CEOs in Poland are entering 2025 with less certainty, but also with sharper awareness of what needs to change. Companies that respond early are more likely to protect profitability and create room for growth in a volatile market.

CTA: Would you like to compare these findings with your company’s priorities in Poland? Contact NAJ International to discuss the local market context, leadership risks, and growth challenges for 2025.

Author: Ewa Adamczyk, Managing Partner, NAJ International

Published: 2025-03-03 | Updated: 2025-03-04