Artur Bialy named International Correspondent for PMForum & PM World Today in Poland

PMForum has announced that Mr. Artur Bialy has been named an International Correspondent for PMForum and PM World Today in Poland. Mr. Bialy is also a project management advisor and consultant serving technology organizations and departments of major corporations in Poland and other European countries.

Artur Bialy is an experienced project manager, program manager and technical manager/leader, with over ten years of experience managing IT projects on various levels. He has managed the implementation of complex internet applications, data warehouse and real-time systems. Artur has worked in various roles for international companies in Poland, Ireland, France and Spain. He is an expert in IT project management, business intelligence and real-time applications.

Mr. Bialy graduated from the Department of Computer Science, the University of Technology and Science, Krakow, Poland, where he also conducted research into Intelligent Agent Systems and Artificial Intelligence. Artur holds a Masters Degree in Applied Computer Science. He also holds the Project Management Professional (PMP ^®) certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI ^®) and is an active member of PMI; he was a founding member of the PMI Poland Chapter.

Artur is involved in new agile project management practices, works as an active Scrum Master and helps in implementations of lean/agile practices. He is certified Scrum Master and as one of few in Poland - Certified Scrum Practitioner (CSP) by Scrum Alliance. Artur is a Member of PMI ^® and the Scrum Alliance (Certified ScrumMaster).

According to Wikipedia, Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres, making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. Poland has a population of over 38 million people and is the world's 33^rd most populous country.

Poland was first identified as a distinct region in 966; became a kingdom in 1025, and was part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569-1795. Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic in 1918, after World War I, but lost it again in World War II, emerging as the socialist People's Republic of Poland. During the Revolutions of 1989, communist rule was overthrown and Poland became the "Third Polish Republic". Poland is a member of the European Union (EU), NATO and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

During the early 1990s the country transformed its economy into a market economy. As with all other post-communist countries, Poland suffered temporary slumps in social and economic standards, but became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 GDP levels by 1995. Poland has had one of the healthiest economies of the post-communist countries, with GDP growing by 6.1% in 2006. Poland has pursued a policy of liberalizing the economy and stands out as a successful example of transition to a primarily privately owned market economy.

The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed the development of an aggressive private sector. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" such as coal, steel, rail transport, energy and telecommunications have also continued. After joining the EU, many workers left to work in other EU countries (particularly Ireland and the UK).However, with the rapid growth of salaries, booming economy, strong value of Polish currency, and quickly decreasing unemployment in Poland, the exodus of Polish workers seems to be over. In 2008 people who came back outnumbered those leaving the country. As with other countries in Europe, Poland is now suffering from the current global economic crisis.

Krakow (sometimes spelled Cracow) is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland. With a population of 1.5 million in the Krakow-Tarnów region and situated on the Vistula river, the city dates to the 7^th century. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1596, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Krakow from 1846 to 1918, and the capital of Krakow Voivodeship from the 14^th century to 1999. It is now the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

Krakow has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish scientific, cultural and artistic life. As the former national capital with a history encompassing more than a thousand years, the city remains the spiritual heart of Poland. It is a major attraction for local and international tourists, attracting seven million visitors annually. Famous landmarks include the Main Market Square with St. Mary's Basilica and the Sukiennice Cloth Hall, the Wawel Castle, the National Art Museum, the Zygmunt Bell at the Wawel Cathedral, and the medieval St Florian's Gate with the Barbican along the Royal Coronation Route. In 1978 Krakow's historic centre, which includes the Old Town, Kazimierz and the Wawel Castle was included in the list of World Heritage Sites.

Krakow is one of Poland's most important economic centres. Its population has quadrupled since the end of World War II. The private sector is growing, with offshoring of information technology (IT) work recent years becoming important to the economy of Krakow. There are about 20 large multinational companies in Krakow, including Google, IBM, General Electric, Capgemini, Motorola, and Sabre Holdings, along with other British and German-based firms. Information about Poland and Krakow is courtesy of Wikipedia, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland.

Artur Bialy lives in Krakow, Poland and can be contacted at: artur@bialy.eu. Artur's project management blog can be found at http://www.bialy.eu. We at PMForum want to welcome Artur to the Global Correspondents Network, serving the world of project management.

PMForum's global network of International Correspondents in more than 30 countries provides news and information from around the world of project management. More information about this program can be found at http://www.pmforum.org/pm%20forum%20team/index.htm#5.

Established prior to 1995, www.pmforum.org was the world's first website devoted to professional project management. PMForum is an organization formed to operate and grow the pmforum.org website. With advisors and correspondents worldwide, PMForum is now one of the world's most popular sources of project management news and information. PMForum produces the popular monthly PM World Today eJournal where articles, case studies, papers and stories by leading PM authorities around the world can be found; free subscriptions are available at www.pmworldtoday.net.