Maciej Kossowski

Client: Maciej Kossowski was commercial director for Poland and general manager of franchise operations in the Baltic states for a multinational beverage corporation.

Industry: FMCG, Beverages

Function: Management, Commercial

Challenge: After a reorganization, Maciej found himself in a position that was no longer aligned with his career goals and ambitions.

Process: The Career Plan helped Maciej gain clarity on what he truly wanted and equipped him with tools to present himself effectively.

Landing: Maciej Kossowski was Commercial Director for Poland and General Manager of franchise operations in the Baltic states for a multinational beverage corporation.

For 19 years he rose through the company’s ranks, working various positions from marketing and sales to revenue growth management, to customer management.

After his company undertook a global reorganization in 2020, however, Maciej foresaw fewer advancement opportunities. Professional growth was very important to him, so he decided to pursue another career path. He sought professional help and contacted The Career Doctor (TCD).

„The kind of services that TCD provides are so useful if you haven’t changed jobs in a long time. I think of job seeking as a muscle – if you haven’t used that muscle in a while, it isn’t as strong as it could be. But you can hire career management professionals who can coach you to do what you need to do faster, better, and more easily.”

Maciej started in the Career Plan, taking stock of where he was and where he wanted his career to go with his coach.

In the next phase of the program, Maciej worked with his career consultant. Building social capital didn’t come naturally, at first. Most of Maciej’s previous efforts to build professional contacts were limited to people at his former company.

Shortly after beginning his job search Maciej had gotten a call from an old friend who was co-founder of a startup in Poland that provides remote vision therapy to children. He asked Maciej to join his team.

“Startups need people with varied experiences to manage and grow the business – leaders with a little bit of everything. During my initial job search, people didn’t seem to have a clear idea of what I offered, but my background was perfect for a startup.”

A few weeks later, Maciej was ready. Not only did he join the team as Chief Commercial Officer, but he also invested some of his own money into the company. He also assumed the role of CEO for a spin-off company.

“It is so much more rewarding being in the driver’s seat – when you move from being an employee to part owner and employer.”

“If someone had told me six months ago that I’d be in Abu Dhabi meeting with medical doctors, I would have said it’s not possible. But here I am,” said Maciej. “Working for a startup isn’t right for everyone. You carry a lot of weight with you. But it’s a meaningful job, and I feel great that I can both help people and grow the company. It stretches you professionally, but no other job is as rewarding!”

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