Speakers of 2023 edition

Janusz Cieszynski was born on May 6, 1988, in Wroclaw, Poland. An accomplished manager, entrepreneur, and local government official, Janusz boasts a rich portfolio in digitization. Since 2018, he has championed groundbreaking GovTech projects that have revolutionized the daily lives of countless Polish citizens. Serving as the Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Health from 2018 to 2020, he spearheaded the team that unveiled transformative services like e-prescriptions, electronic sick leave, and test referrals. These services are housed in the Internet Patient Account (pacjent.gov.pl), a renowned government platform frequented by over 17 million users.

In 2021, Janusz was designated the Secretary of State for Digital Affairs, where he expanded the breadth of e-services in telecommunications and fortified Poland’s cybersecurity. By 2023, President Andrzej Duda appointed him as the Minister of Digitization. Under his visionary leadership, the Ministry of Digitization has achieved:

• The roll-out of the mCitizen 2.0 app, a trailblazing portal granting digital access to documents and facilitating online official processes. This app has user-centric features like environmental violation reporting and bus technical status checks.

• The initiation of mDowód – a digital identification equivalent in legality to traditional ID cards.

• A monumental subsidy program in June 2023, promoting fiber optic development and ensuring 99% household penetration by 2026, supported by a staggering investment exceeding €2 billion.

Owing to these initiatives, Poland is the premier EU nation boasting an ID app destined to emerge as the epicenter of e-government services. Additionally, Janusz oversees cybersecurity, e-service growth, broadband infrastructure expansion, digital competence promotion, and education. Under his stewardship, the government-sanctioned laws to counter electronic communication abuses, dramatically reducing fraudulent digital activities. A defining moment in his tenure was the swift assistance extended to Ukrainian citizens after the Russian invasion. In March 2023, Minister Cieszynski led a team that provided electronic identification to Ukrainians migrating to Poland due to the conflict, serving nearly a million users within a month. Under his directive, the Ministry of Digitization donated 20,000 Starlink devices and established a mobile data center for the Ukrainian tax administration. As the government’s appointed representative for cybersecurity, Janusz introduced an innovative compensation scheme for cybersecurity professionals in the government. This strategic move curbed the migration of pivotal talent from public to private sectors, fortifying the nation’s cyber defense.