An interview with Bartosz Skwirtniański and Sebastian Niciński, who founded the DiamArte Club in Warsaw, a company with mission to provide customers with products and services that fulfil their dreams in the best quality way, while being a great investment of capital. They are united not only by their professional experience gained in corporations, their desire for continuous development, but, above all, by similar values, following the late Professor Władysław Bartoszewski: ‘It is worth being honest, although it does not always pay off. Dishonesty is payable, but it is not worth it’. Both have just been awarded the titles of Leader by Vocation.
Bartosz Skwirtniański
Bartosz, are you a born leader?
You cannot be born a leader. It is a process of acquiring certain competences and adapting to reality, because nothing is given permanently. You have certain qualities in your genes, but it’s work and development that make us strong in certain areas. I’m a leader in certain fields and activities. At school, I always stood out in sports. I come from Wałbrzych. It is where I played in the Górnik Wałbrzych football team, it’s where I shaped my personality, and it’s where I learned to grow up and become independent. Now – professionally – I simultaneously pursue several projects, and privately I develop my passions – dance and marathons. I’ve completed the Crown of Polish Marathons – the five biggest marathons you are required to run within two-years’ time. The above was followed by much bigger running projects such as the Abbott World Marathon Majors (the six largest marathons in the World – New York, Boston, Chicago, Berlin, London and Tokyo), and the Crown of World Marathons (a marathon on each of the Earth’s continents) – I’m yet to run in Antarctica. All this recharges my energy – I pursue passions and side-effectively explore the world.
Undoubtedly, you know how to manage your time and are involved in many different activities. Could you guide us around your career path?
I graduated in computer science and management from Wrocław University of Technology. I worked in Polish and European corporations for over 20 years. At Philip Morris International I held various positions in the sales department. I was also involved in the creation and launch of new product brands in Poland. At Kaufland, where I was employed for over 12 years, I worked in managerial positions in the internal control and audit division. Later, as a board member, I was responsible for the sales organisation department. I often happened to work over 14 hours a day. It was a demanding period that taught me a lot in terms of business. At one point, I changed my life and started my own business. I knew it couldn’t be just one profile of activity. I wanted to create businesses giving me the opportunity to run them from anywhere in the world, while operating in different industries mutually supporting each other. I first took up financial consultancy with a particular focus on the topic of business succession. I’m a licensed financial advisor in the areas of succession, credit and insurance and am certified by the Financial Supervisory Commission. Shortly afterwards – out of a passion for dance and travel – the company Spicy Life Travel was born. I organise trips combining dancing, sightseeing and learning about the culture and language of a given country. We dance Salsa in Cuba, samba in Brazil, tango in Argentina. In addition, we offer sightseeing and learning about local cuisine in Mexico, Turkey, Greece, Portugal and Japan, or trips to major sporting events in the USA. I’m active in the Entrepreneurship Club and regularly attend meetings of BNI, Barter Club, and Entrepreneurs’ Organisation.
Your and Sebastian Niciński’s latest project is DiamArte Club, a company offering luxury goods, including diamonds. Is that right?
The company is based in Warsaw. We also have the possibility to take our clients to our office in Antwerp – the world capital of the diamond trade, where we can provide clients with the most valuable collectible and investment-grade certified transparent as well as coloured diamonds. We’ve signed a cooperation agreement with Mennica Skarbowa S.A. (treasury mint). We therefore also supply gold, platinum and other precious stones. We offer our customers sports cars, exclusive watches or products of very well-known world artists – paintings, sculptures, posters. We have access to products made of hand-woven cashmere from India; wedding and evening dresses sewn by the best European tailors and designers. As you can see, the spectrum of products and services is very wide. We are building a club of people who share similar values to ours.
What are you most proud of?
Of my children, they are the most important people in my life. My son is 25 and studying in Poznań, my daughter is 15. I’m proud of the fact that they are independent, intelligent, sensitive. My ex-wife and I have infected them with a love of travel and perception of Poland not as the navel of the world, but as part of a global community where it’s good to have the ability to network and be open-minded. Together with my son we ran marathons in Wroclaw and New York, whereas with my daughter we ran breakfast runs in Chicago and New York. These are magical moments, making me proud and very happy.
What are your plans?
As for today, my mind is strongly focused on the here and now. Of course, there are plans for the future. As far as my passions are concerned, I want to complete both running projects and technically perfect tango, line salsa and bachata. In the travel business, I plan to prepare a trip to Angola – the capital of Semba and Kizomba. In connection with the luxury goods business, I plan to expand my competence and acquire more certificates related to diamond valuation. We will also support charitable activities.
Sebastian Niciński
So, Sebastian, how did you develop your leadership qualities?
Well, I’ve been continuously developing those qualities. Who I am today is influenced by my experience, achievements, choices, decisions and values. “I know that I know nothing” by Socrates perfectly resonates with me. This is my barometer and drives me to acquire competence and knowledge. I can’t be perfect in everything, therefore I find strength in people, in mutual relationships, in combining strengths and complementing competences. The way to success and development is through interaction, the selection of professionals who complement the leader’s competence. The key is to skilfully manage their diversity, motivate and make them grow, unleash their creativity and respect their work. I believe in the principle that sometimes one might happen to be a manager, but one must always be human!
Certain leadership qualities were already apparent at school, at sporting and cultural events. Sport is my life companion – volleyball, table tennis, football, cycling, swimming. I love skiing and enjoy windsurfing. As a junior, I played volleyball at the club. I joke that if I were taller, I would certainly be an athlete and not a banker! [Laughs]. In the banking olympics, my team and I, as its captain, won medals in various competitions, including gold in volleyball. In the Alps, I raced in skiing competition of the UNICREDIT group employees. These days, I exercise and cycle. We also go for a family skiing. I play table tennis in the Hobby League in Łódź.
Leader by vocation is not only a distinction for me, but mainly further responsibility and the next stage in my development. After years in corporations, I’ve been developing in business with more passion. I also get involved in helping others.
How did you acquire your competences?
I value financial independence, therefore, after high school I used to work as a lifeguard in the summer holidays and 2 months in Germany in a company manufacturing pipeline parts. I earned my master’s degree at the University of Insurance and Banking in Warsaw. I offered insurance at Nationale Nederlanden, I took a job at PBG bank (now Pekao with the ‘bison’ logo). The bank was part of the European UNICREDIT group. I gained experience and established relationships with managers and employees from Italy and other European countries.
The bank was my professional love, difficult and exciting. It was a period of hard work, with a strong pressure, but allowed me to grow and establish relationships. From an ordinary work position, I created my managerial path in many areas: sales and quality, operational, control, branch network development, projects or organising meetings – along with weather ordering [laughs]. As the leader of one of the key projects, before my 30s I took on the position of a regional director with more than a thousand employees reporting to me. As a head office manager with one of the Board Members, I developed the branch network and supported sales. During the last period, I managed area sales in the central region. My managerial adventure lasted 19 years. I travelled extensively throughout Poland, mainly the Mazovia, Warmia and Masuria and Podlasie regions.
The stimulus for change came from my brother. He offered me to join forces and jointly develop the business in medical services, which is why after 27 years I left the banking sector. It was a difficult decision, a new challenge, uncertainty and giving up a good income. Was it worth it? Time will tell, but I can already see positive changes. I’ve gained experience and competence in running my own business, in the medical sector. I strengthened the clinic’s relationship with Gremi Personal, the strategic partner of the Entrepreneurship Club. It was important to provide regular financial support to the Gremi Personal Foundation, which helps civilians and soldiers fight for Ukraine’s freedom. As a CEO, I launched and organised the Centre for Orthodontics and Dentistry in Lodz. This year, in July, out of our passion for luxury goods, Bartek and I founded DiamArte Club.
Which competences have you found useful in building your own business?
Many competences are useful – ease in establishing new relationships, communication, commitment and responsibility. Management experience is useful in many aspects, however, a bank is a corporate structure. In a private business you have to take care of everything yourself. This is a new and interesting experience for me. When adapting the clinics for the disabled, I was cutting the stoneware for the floors, and the moment later, I was driving to a meeting of the Entrepreneurship Club in an elegant outfit and establishing business relations.
I met lots of interesting people at the Club. It turned out that Bartek and I had a good flow and shared similar values. We joined forces to offer uniqueness in the acquisition of luxury goods.
What do you have in common in terms of values?
We believe that it’s very important to have an ethical approach to business, to keep our word and deadlines, to be transparent in business. We appreciate people acting alike, professionally and privately. We do not tolerate manipulation and cheating.
Quality is a value in itself, honesty and respect for people – for who they are, whatever they do – are essential.
The key is to act together, by supporting, complementing one another and drawing from each other’s strengths – this makes us strong.
How do you enjoy your spare time?
I spend time with my family, but also enjoy travelling, playing sports and reading books. I have two sons aged 21 and 14. The older son is already a student, currently in his third year of medicine.
We love to get the whole family in the car and drive around a chosen region of Europe. Last year, during the summer, we explored the south of Europe: from the French Alps, through the Azure coast with a stop in Monaco and Saint-Tropez, to Portofino in Italy. In winter, on the other hand, we skied in Courchevel, in the 3 Vallees in France.
What should our Readers know about DiamArte Club?
We treat DiamArte as sort of the art of uniquely fulfilling our clients’ dreams concerning the notion of luxury. We are inspired by ancient times, where, for the Greeks, art was meant to show the perfect beauty to aspire to. We offer a variety of luxury goods and services because we want to own them ourselves and like to feel uniquely served. We want to provide our business partners and buyers with the uniqueness we appreciate ourselves.
Why the form of a Club? We invite people with a similar sensitivity to beauty, art, quality and values to join us.
What are your plans?
We plan to be the first choice for clients in the market for suppliers and services in the world of luxury goods, to operate on a long-term basis with similar values. Business relationships are important to us, but at the same time we want to help others. We will participate in various business clubs and charity initiatives. We are among the Leaders by Vocation and participate in the Helping Others Is The Way They Are (Ten Typ Tak Ma, Że Pomaga) project, which supports the construction of an artificial heart for children. We plan to support the social campaign of the European Business Women Club I DON’T HATE – I MOTIVATE (NIE HEJTUJĘ – MOTYWUJĘ), under the Honorary Patronage of the Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Justice.
Dorota Kolano
Beata Sekuła
