Leading People and Culture Across Continents

What do you do at CD PROJEKT RED?

My responsibility is to make sure that, from the people perspective, we have everything under control on a strategic level. I align with the Management Board on what kind of company we want to be, what kind of people we want to have, and what kind of working environment we want to create, then I translate it into specific tasks or projects for my team. I think in practice, 80% or 90% of my time is spent meeting with people, aligning different visions, and translating those into clear, actionable plans.

How do you instill a single culture across a global company?

You do it with intentional effort. CD PROJEKT RED extending beyond Poland and opening its Boston Hub is not only growth, it’s transformation. Going from predominantly one country — international and multicultural, but predominantly one country — to a multi-country, multi-project company, is not only a quantitative but also a qualitative jump. Having experience with organizations that grow and transform, I can confidently say that one thing you really have to do when this happens is look at how you operate holistically. This is the moment when interpersonal relations alone aren’t enough, as this sort of communication simply isn’t possible when you have people living on two different sides of the ocean in two different timezones. So using our best knowledge and experience, we build something that has the best chance of working, and then continuously improve it with this vision in mind.

How do you do the building and improving part?

Normal conversations are the base of everything. Understanding where people are coming from, what the root causes of certain problems are, what should stay in order to preserve the identity of the company… No matter how big we get or how many projects we develop, this is an essential part of my job, and I can only get this understanding via direct dialogue with people.

How do you keep people focused with so much going on?

There’s an old saying: “How do you eat an elephant? With a spoon.” This might not be the best metaphor for an interview, but it’s very true! The only way to deliver such a complex goal is to divide it into smaller pieces. Then, to make sure they all come together properly, we come together too. There are very satisfying moments like The Witcher 4 Tech Demo or Cinematic Reveal Trailer, but there are also many, many smaller moments all throughout the development process. Our “always working games” philosophy, for example, is one way we check if all these smaller pieces are coming together well.

What equipped you to handle such a complex role?

For me, I have close to 30 years of human resources experience across different industries. I’ve spent all these years observing people in large companies, organizing them to create something together, and doing literally everything else in HR. I was in consulting, I was in recruitment, I was in generalist positions, so all of this together allowed me to understand well the aspects of structuring people and culture in an organization. It all adds up, and on top of that, you have your life experience. Dealing with a group of friends going on holiday together, raising your kids… Everything that touches social psychology in your everyday life also adds to this experience.

Why are roles like yours important for a company?

With the risk of sounding cliche — but it’s really the truest of truths — this company’s assets are its people, and what’s in their minds. Our products, our stories, are one thing, but CD PROJEKT RED is a story too. And there is no story without the people that are telling it. Without people, without a certain environment that allows them to be creative, to perform at their best, the company doesn’t exist. That’s the reality. Me and my team work to create an environment for people to be the best versions of themselves.

What kind of environment do you work to create?

Culture builds itself for years, sometimes decades, and some things are really embedded in that culture. So sometimes it’s not even about what you want to create or preserve, but what will preserve itself regardless. I think, when you look at the values of CD PROJEKT RED, it all starts with ambition. This is… You can almost feel it. It’s palpable. And this level of ambition turns into our drive for quality and focus on the gamers’ experience. This is embedded in our culture and it’s not going anywhere.

Do you think this company culture directly affects our games?

Yes, it emanates, absolutely. I strongly believe that, regardless of what you’re doing in the organization, we should all feel like we are contributing to this one goal: this final game with a great narrative and incredible experience that influences people’s lives. I think we all feel responsible for it, and the fact we have such a strong influence on video games and beyond should create this feeling in literally everyone, whether you are in payroll, an artist, in HR, legal, or wherever else. This is our common goal and we all can play a part in it. So yes, I believe this is something that should unite the company as an ultimate goal for all of us; it’s why one of our company values is to always think about the gamers.

Was it exciting to join this sort of atmosphere?

Everyone here is so inspirational; it was exhilarating to join! With so many creatives around, every conversation is objectively interesting, so I quickly felt at home and raring to get on with my work. The philosophy is different at CD PROJEKT RED — and you can see it in the decisions we make. Everyone is focused on delivering experiences of the highest quality, and I feel really inspired by the fact the projects we create are so ambitious and have such a profound impact even beyond video games. This mindset makes me want to excel at my job, because I feel that it contributes to creating something valuable which can influence the world. It’s also amazing to see this global impact when meeting people at our Boston Hub; there are a lot of people who joined because they appreciate what CD PROJEKT RED — a company that started halfway around the globe — stands for: our history, games, and ambition.

Were you familiar with CD PROJEKT RED, The Witcher, or Cyberpunk before joining?

Yes! For me it goes all the way back to the 1980s, and me standing outside kiosks, waiting in line for new issues of Fantastyka, Poland's oldest fantasy and science fiction magazine. I read the first ever published Witcher story there, and eagerly awaited Andrzej Sapkowski’s follow-ups. In fact, I recently realized something I’d forgotten. When I got home from work I saw my old Fantastyka on the table. My kid had found them, including that first edition of The Witcher, because he wanted to read it. I looked at them and all this nostalgia kicked in, and I remembered I’m actually together with my husband because of The Witcher! We were the only two people in our group of friends who were into fantasy and science fiction literature. When we met, that was the common topic for us. And this is how we became friends; we started to talk specifically about The Witcher. We then finally got together and now we’ve been married for so many years. This Fantastyka reminded me because half of it was his and half of it was mine. We put them all together in this one big pile that our son is now reading. So working here is a little surreal; I get these waves of nostalgia almost every day.

How important is a work-life balance to you?

It’s very important. To be honest, I wasn’t always great at it. My wake up call came when I was diagnosed with diabetes; that’s when I realized that “I am my body”. I quickly understood the importance of taking care of yourself, eating well, sleeping well, and finding space to unwind and recover. These things need to be a priority. The diagnosis definitely put things in perspective for me.

What are your goals at CD PROJEKT RED and otherwise?

My dream is for us to have a super high level of engagement, to be more diverse — and right now we are striving for it — and to have a working environment where each and every single person understands how they contribute to our projects and pop culture overall, so they not only feel satisfied with their job but also with what their job brings to society. On a personal level, I just plan to keep doing what I love the most: devouring books, movies, and TV shows, and taking trips to the mountains with friends. But I don’t have a goal there or a list of mountain peaks to reach. I just love being with people in nature. The simple act of going up and down a mountain; it always keeps me grounded.