HCM Group

Anna Hejka is the leading professional in the area of Private Equity/Venture Capital and Mergers & Acquisitions. She leads negotiations with extraordinary commitment focusing on important details and leading to the closing of a transaction. Her forte is also her international experience, of which I was personally a witness during the World Economic Forum in 1997, when she received the prestigious title of the Global Leader for Tomorrow. I have also enjoyed her brilliant ability to present business ventures.

Wiesław Rozłucki
CEO of the Warsaw Stock Exchange (1991-2006)
Chairman of the Program Council of the Polish Institute of Directors

I have worked with Heyka Capital Markets Group (HCM) for 2 years. I was instantly impressed with the sophisticated financial knowledge of HCM directors from setting up a managerial accounting system to accurate forecasting of global financial flows and their influence on the behavior and valuation of local firms and institutions. HCM has helped us to significantly increase the value of Atena by suggesting and implementing a whole series of changes in our company.

Anna Hejka is an eminent specialist in her field. She has an incredible sense of moment and her advice always builds value of the companies she works with. She is a very demanding partner, merciless to ignorance and incompetence and certainly not inclined to cooperate with everybody. Anna possesses a rare ability to talk about complex issues (not only in the financial field) in a very clear and easily understandable manner (a testimony to her huge practical experience), and simultaneously with a great passion. Work with Anna is enormously inspiring, because she looks at every issue from many angles. She doesn’t limit herself to the implementation of agreed tasks, but helps companies to precisely determine strategic objectives and initiates specific steps leading to a substantial increase in value.

Piotr Podleśny
CEO Atena Usługi Informatyczne

From the first meeting, Anna made a huge impression on me. Each passing month of our cooperation confirms my initial observations. Anna's long-term international track record and her deep conviction that "Poles can do it" create immense opportunities for Polish firms looking for expansion and growth capital.

She is deeply emotionally geared to achieve her Clients' goals yet she chooses the required resources with cool deliberation. She understands the holistic functioning of business, and pushes simultaneously for continuous improvements and growth as well as for individuality and personality. In business she values the human being the most. Her strength is also a team of very competent professionals. Anna is an incredibly intelligent erudite, doing business with whom not only guarantees success, but gives a simple joy of being with a wise person.

Daniela Grabowska
Deputy CEO Unikkon Integral Spółka z o.o.

Anna is a great business partner. I have been truly impressed by her fund raising and deal making skills and I only wish I could work with partners like her more often.

Voytek Siewierski
Investment Partner
of Mitsui & Co. Venture Partners, Inc.

Thanks to her professionalism Anna Hejka is a co-author of a success recorded by all significant global, financial media including the Financial Times and the New York Times. In 1992, when we thought we exhausted all possibilities, Roma engaged Heyka Capital Markets, which raised financing from a British fund allowing Roma to finalize construction of a state-of-the-art ice-cream production facilities. In 1993, Roma appointed HCM again. Anna was the leading negotiator in the sale of Roma International to Unilever. Thanks to her superb financial engineering and extraordinary negotiating skills, the sale brought an exceptional profit.

At that time, raising capital for private CEE firms in the international markets was considered impossible. Thanks to Anna's courage and intuition as well as her in-depth knowledge of the Polish ice-cream market and the functioning of the global capital markets such a large investment in such a small enterprise in Poland was a sensation ending with an absolute success.

Małgorzata Fechner Puternicka
CEO of Roma International Sp. z o.o.
Executive Board member of Unilever Poland (1993-1994)

Anna has excellent communication and team integration skills, is extremely well organized and has a charismatic management style which ensures that the job gets done. It is a pleasure working with her and I am inspired by her distinct strive for success.

Ingo Schneemann
Managing Director Central Europe
Senior Vice President
American Appraisal

Bank Komunalny was created and developed thanks to the strength and vision of extraordinary people such as Franciszka Cegielska and Anna Hejka. I don't know what the fate of the bank would have been if not for the incredible abilities of Anna. In 1993, within half an hour from our request, Anna raised several million dollars enabling us to close the equity issue expiring the same day. With time, HCM Group has become an important shareholder controlling an over 25% stake and with two representatives on the Supervisory Board. Furthermore, prior to the IPO in 1996, HCM sold additional 13% of the bank's equity.

The characteristic feature of HCM is its concern for the interest of all shareholders and long-term planning of a portfolio company development, which facilitates work of an Executive Board. In 1999, we sold Bank Komunalny to Merita Nordbanken carrying out a strategy shared by the shareholders and the board. Today the bank successfully operates under the name of Nordea. HCM is the synonym of effectively implemented vision, the highest level of professionalism, trust of potential investors and profits.

Gabriela Gryboś
CEO of Bank Komunalny (1992 - 2000)
CEO of Nordea Bank Polska (1999 - 2002)

Anna is a demanding business partner. However, in return one can always count on her extraordinary mind and experience. From the beginning of a transaction she imposes a very dynamic tempo. Overcoming obstacles related to reaching the most ambitious goals brings her clear pleasure.

Stanisław Adamczyk
Director at Equity Capital Markets
brokerage house of Global Bank

Two special events deeply embedded in my mind depict personality and professionalism and therefore capabilities of Anna Hejka. The first, especially close to me, is the leading role of Anna in creating and executing a strategy to privatize and later sell Dromex, the largest Polish road builder present in many countries of the world, to Budimex – the largest construction company in Poland.

The second in 1998 at the World Economic Forum – Anna’s, a Global Leader for Tomorrow, professional presentations on capital markets and investment climate in Poland and other countries of the region. Government members and CEOs of the most important global corporations listened to her with a lot of interest and sincere admiration. In both cases, I was interacting with a top class professional in global and domestic planning and financing. The bestowing of the title of the Global Leader for Tomorrow is not only an honor, but it also doesn’t leave any doubt as to the scale of Anna’s knowledge, competence and abilities.

Grzegorz Tuderek
CEO of Budimex
the largest construction company in Poland (1985 - 1998)

Working with Anna on a PE deal I am really impressed by her professional approach in the execution of a complex project including a wide array of tasks and workstreams – starting from fund raising, through strategy assessment and development, to implementation of performance improvement initiatives at the target company.

Henryk Ciesielski
Managing Director Poland
American Appraisal

Our company got a great deal of support from Anna in our M&A process in the Czech Republic. I appreciate Anna for her professionalism and extremely goal-oriented approach to business. Working with her was a great experience, giving my company a lot of comfort in our transaction.

Tomasz Długiewicz
Owner & CEO of One-2-One
working with Anna on the acquisition
of ATS Praha in the Czech Republic

I have known Anna Hejka for 12 years, and have been consistently impressed by her sound analysis of economic and commercial matters, and her enthusiasm for developing successful investment propositions in Poland and the CEE region generally. She is very honest, frank, forthright, thorough and a total professional in all she does.

On behalf of the J&J Group in South Africa, I am thrilled to be cooperating with Anna and her related companies. I am sure she is of great value to any potential investor looking to enter the CEE region.

Jayendra Naidoo
Executive Chairman
J&J Group

Anna Hejka is the highest quality professional in planning corporate financing and product solutions tailored to changing global and Polish macroeconomic environment. She possesses a rare analytical talent and competently executes analyses of financial models, explaining them in a very clear, credible and logical fashion.

Anna demonstrated remarkable communication skills as well as ability to source, synthesize and use information, confirming her inspired intelligence and flexibility. She has a very positive attitude towards work, goals and people. Her motto is "it can be done" - she is a master in selecting resources and people to achieve her goals in maximally optimal way in given circumstances.

Małgorzata Grymuła
Citibank

As a Supervisory Board member of MCI and a member of its Buyout Committee I observed Anna for many months and have nothing but the highest opinion on her professionalism, dedication to work and personal integrity. Her handling of ABC Data acquisition and restructuring was exemplary.

Dariusz Adamiuk
Financial Advisor, Development Consultancy
& Supervisory Board member of MCI Management SA

Anna Hejka always gets deeply involved in her work. She uses her time and knowledge as well as potential of her co-workers in the most effective manner. She is a superb negotiator logically and consistently reaching her goals. Her unusual intelligence, extensive and in-depth knowledge, flexibility & determination allow her to find optimal solutions in changing circumstances.

Eligiusz Kisała
CEO of Novomatic Peru
CEO of ZPR (2004 - 2007)

I have never met (and I thought that I never will) a person combining passion, vision, Great Heart and Positive Energy, which he/she shares with others as well as an incredible determination in achieving goals. I thought so until I met Anna, who has changed my mind.

Adam Konka
CEO, Unikkon Integral Spółka z o.o.

Cooperation with Heyka Capital Markets Group and Anna Hejka proved to be a bull's-eye. I really hope that her assistance in finding movie co-producers will not end with this project. Someone like Anna and her firm, with extensive contacts in business, are the extremely needed link between two communities that have so much to offer to each other.

Wiesław Saniewski
Director

Anna's dynamic personality, great energy, absolute faith in succeeding and, first of all, her supreme professionalism led to the raising of money required to produce "The Winner" directed by Wiesław Saniewski. It wasn't easy. The Polish business is not strong enough yet to be eager and fearless, especially in the time of crisis, to invest in movie production. Therefore, Anna's merit is even greater as she presented all arguments in favor of the positive decision convincingly, successfully and professionally.

Grażyna Molska
Producer, CEO of SACO FILMS Ltd.

Anna possesses highly developed negotiating and interpersonal skills allowing her to achieve superior results in negotiations and building a positive image. She has a very high level of emotional intelligence, which allows her to build good relations with business partners. She knows how to effectively manage her emotions, is able to work successfully in very stressful situations and has a mature approach to solving problems as well as a flair to work in international environment.

Michał Popiołek
Director of Senior and Mezzanine Finance
BRE Bank SA controlled by Commerzbank AG

Working with Anna I was impressed by her professionalism, high integrity and deal orientation. This was great honor and I wish her all the best and hope we will have opportunity to work in the future.

Jacek Czerniak
Director, Middle Market Country Head, Citigroup

Anna Hejka has an ability to look holistically at complicated problems and multidimensional approach to complex issues. She has an extraordinarily high emotional intelligence and interpersonal abilities, a gift to winning people over. She is an ideal mentor openly passing her knowledge and experience to others. She delegates, giving great freedom to subordinates and allowing them the opportunity to develop – an ideal coach. Anna is open to ideas and points of view of others. She is focused on finding the best solution, imposes a fast pace of work and skillfully motivates workers to greater effort.

Patryk Szafrański
Analyst at MCI Management S.A. (2007 – 2011)

I met Cezary Iwański in 2000 during work on merging 3 asset management firms (CDM Pekao SA, Pioneer TFI SA and Pekao Alliance TFI SA) and creating Pioneer Pekao TFI SA and Pioneer Pekao Investment Management SA, the largest asset management firms in Poland. After a successful merger in 2001, we worked together in the management board of the asset management company. All this time Cezary was my deputy responsible for investments, while I was the CEO of the company.

As a licensed investment advisor and CFA Cezary is one a high quality professional in asset management with excellent understanding of capital markets. He has a very analytical approach to companies, while (thanks to his emotional intelligence) being effective in managing people and building long-term relations. Our cooperation was very successful thanks to his creative and strategic thinking, self-reliance and initiative. I would be happy to cooperate with Cezary Iwański in the future.

Zbigniew Jagiełło
CEO of PKO BP

I worked with Cezary Iwański between 1994 and 2003, when I was initially a Director of the brokerage house (CDM) of Bank Pekao SA and later a member and deputy CEO of the bank. In this period, I supervised Cezary’s work, who started as a financial analyst in the Analytical Department and by 1996, created from scratch the Asset Management Department of CDM Pekao SA. In 2001, we merged 3 entities: Asset Management of CDM Pekao SA, Pekao Alliance TFI and Pioneer TFI. We created Pioneer Pekao TFI and Pioneer Pekao Investment Management, in which Mr. Iwański was the deputy CEO.

During our cooperation, Cezary was a very good manager, a true hard working professional able to achieve his targets. He was also communicative and related to people without any problems. He was excellent working alone as well as managing teams.

Igor Chalupec
CEO and Managing Partner of Icentis

Mr. Cezary Iwański, as the CEO and the founder of KGHM closed investment funds company (TFI), took part in the privatization process of Zespół Uzdrowisk Kłodzkich SA. As a result of negotiations executed after a thorough due diligence process, TFI acquired a majority stake in ZUK SA signing a privatization agreement with the State Treasury. Mr. Iwański made use of his qualifications and knowledge and proved to be an efficient manager, defining strategic objectives he expected the company to achieve. He showed special care in making sure that the company continues already initiated investments in ZUK SA and starts new ones directed at strengthening the company position in the market of medical spas and mineral water.

As the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ZUK SA he focused on substantive actions of the Executive Board and analyzed its financial results objectively and competently. Thanks to the objectivity and professionalism of Cezary Iwański, his cooperation with the Management Board of ZUK SA, of which I am a CEO, went very well.

Jerzy Szymańczyk
CEO of ZUK

Cezary Iwański has been a member and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Uzdrowisko Cieplice since February 3rd  to the 30th of June 2011. During this period, he fulfilled his obligations perfectly, took care of the company development and took active part building its strategy. We want to stress his knowledge and professionalism as well as integrity and experience. Cezary was very active and creative. He showed very high interpersonal skills. His cooperation of the management board was very constructive. We can recommend Mr. Iwański as a solid and reliable colleague.

Roman Jałako
CEO, Uzdrowisko Cieplice

Robert Moskwa
Member of the board responsible for finance, sales & marketing, Uzdrowisko Cieplice