Brand New Galaxy: We set our sights on enhancing competencies and expanding market reach
Kacper Kłos CEO BNG, Michał Glapiński CGO BNG, Jakub Krawczyk COO BNG, Wiktoria Danielewska CTO BNG (fot. Przemek Chudkiewicz)
Despite the pandemic, lockdowns and challenging global market conditions in 2020, Brand New Galaxy weathered the adversities, reached all its business goals, and is entering 2021 almost twice as big.
Kacper Kłos, CEO
The previous year for Brand New Galaxy was the time of making many decisions very fast. Despite the circumstances, we are pleased with what we achieved together in 2020. Last year meant hard work for us. However, despite the pandemic affecting the market, we were one of the few businesses not introducing reductions in personnel nor pay cuts. On the contrary, we set up new agencies, opened new offices, and acquired an American agency, thereby setting a new standard. We believe in our team and in the Galaxy’s flexible structure, both of which keep proving successful in unusual circumstances. These two assets enable us to continue our dynamic growth.
The changes undertaken in early 2020 regarding appointing new crucial roles in the Galaxy, such as CGO, COO, and the Board of Directors, turned out to be a strategic move. Where decisions have to be made fast, cooperation and trust are pivotal.
We are now beginning the fourth year of our business operations, having some remarkable people on board and agencies offering high-quality, specialized services in scalable digital, E-commerce, and content solutions. Our approach changes, as every year, and adapts to the market needs and the speed of our Galaxy. We are entering 2021 stronger – our two main axes of development have strengthened: the first one – competencies, where new entities such as Robonauts Pictures, Voyager, and content26 have been thriving, alongside agencies that have been with us since the beginning; and the second axis – geographical, which led us to significantly mark our presence in the MEA region (Dubai), WE (Amsterdam), and NA (Seattle).
We are planning to strengthen particular competencies with dedicated structures, enabling the specialized agencies to build new business even faster and more efficiently whilst keeping the growth within the existing one.
Increasing Brand New Galaxy’s value through international partnerships with business entities sharing our approach remains crucial for our development. This is why we have got into the global partnership with MDC Partners.
Michał Glapiński, CGO
It is an immensely complex process to build the business architecture based on an international expansion and new competencies. Business-wise, in 2020, something incredible happened in the Galaxy – despite all odds, such as travel bans, canceled flights, or inability to meet face-to-face, so typical for business, we succeeded in achieving all our goals. Definitely, it was a challenging year for everyone; however, we did not slow down. Apparently, the momentum of our plans became the response to the challenges resulting from the pandemic. It is also important to acknowledge that we represent modern agency services that greatly facilitate remote work. Managing multimillion global contracts mainly from Poland relies on digital project ecosystems, which combine several online tools in the client-agency relation. It did matter for our expansion in 2020 since major business undertakings were run mostly through online communication platforms, whereas online meetings for 500 people gained new quality.
As a team, we have always been the “digital natives,” now we are “E-commerce natives”. For years our team has been striving to set trends in various aspects of online sales support services – from design, through technology, to E-merchandising and brand activation. Embarking this E-commerce hyperloop makes us continually develop and acquire new capabilities. The year 2020 proves it. Being in a constant state of change is a natural part of business identity, so important nowadays. The acquisition of content26 and establishing Robonauts Pictures, an E-commerce production house, from scratch, manifest the Galaxy’s spirit. The change has become a “real-time” architecture. It is also how we look to the future. We know that “digitalization” of business relations and operations in the holding does not necessarily mean slowdown. Conversely, it appears that with a mutual acceptance of the current situation, it is possible to do more within the given time frame than before. This is what 2021 will be – answering in a „real-time” to opportunities and challenges.
Jakub Krawczyk, COO
Last year showed us the importance of adaptability and the value of a human element in our business. We adopted the strategy of retaining all our talents, providing reassurance and motivation throughout the pandemic. This approach helped us focus even better on the cooperation with clients and become their support in times so complicated for everyone. In turn, we managed to tighten partner relations with our existing clients and gain new ones. The incredibly active period of Q3/Q4, budget reviews, participation in major tenders, results of which we are still awaiting, all these aspects create a very positive outlook for 2021. Our main competencies and the biggest agencies in our portfolio at the same time: Pathfinder23 (E-commerce), Spacecamp (digital), and New Gravity (technology), recorded a 30%-60% revenue growth YTY despite the pandemic. It would not have been possible but for the reliable and audacious team of 500 experts. Strengthening the human potential proved right.
In 2021, we expect Galaxy’s increasing global potential and demand for its offerings to lead to a greater concentration on the areas of digital and E-commerce. We are planning both structural changes in BNG as well as the investment in new global units to meet this demand. It is our aim to further expand internationally our key competencies and create space where agencies, within their field of expertise, generate even more synergy in form of joint offers, cross-selling, and so-called delivery optimization. We are currently opening several new product channels related to, among others, customer experience & research, creative production for the fashion and beauty industry, D2C, BI, and further development of Synthrone, which goes beyond being a tool for automation of work on content for E-commerce.
Another aspect, important from the perspective of Brand New Galaxy’s operations as a whole, is the work environment and new hybrid work model. The pandemic imposed a remote work system, therefore we have suspended the plans and projects in regard to workspace expansion and investing in new offices.
Wiktoria Danielewska, CTO
2020 was a year of a new form of cooperation, remote, joint while apart – it was a year of trust in one another. It was also the time to accept and embrace change. For BNG, change is something constant, something we are all used to and we are able to adapt to easily; it is our natural environment.
However, for this environment, altered by the pandemic, to prove conducive from the early days of imposed restrictions, we took it on ourselves to openly and regularly inform the team about our plans and called for their action. We created space for sharing information, letting people inspire each other, educate, and even work-out. We bear in mind the phrase #remotegalaxy, and we know it will shape our reality for now.
We enter 2021 with a Team of over 500 people (+200 in 2020) and new offices across different time zones. We are not slowing down – since the beginning of 2021, we have already employed 30 talented people and have currently 54 open recruitments at various locations (including Amsterdam, Warsaw, Dubai, and Seattle).
For the Galaxy, it not only means growth but a great need for standardization and automation of HR processes. It is necessary to create an HR Center of Excellence. Notwithstanding the above, our principal focus remains to anticipate the needs of the business and meet those needs.
In 2021 we want to come closer to the business and people to support their development. We are planning to bring the business perspective closer to people and vice-versa for the best synergy effect. We are developing training programs at different levels of seniority and in different fields of expertise. We are going to simplify structures and appropriately support agencies associated under a particular umbrella of competencies.
Diversity is very important for us, and it goes beyond a popular buzzword. It is our standard and the everyday life in the Galaxy. We care about diversity in its various aspects, such as gender, age, and cultural background. That is why the development of a program reinforcing tolerance and openness in the Galaxy will also be the highlight of 2021.
(03.03.2021)
