Poland – On December 19th, the Polish oil refining and petrol retailing giant PKN Orlen, organized a Christmas get-together for the Polish athletes and sports stars that it sponsors. Nearly 400 representatives of the world of sports were present for the event which summarized Orlen’s investments into sports in 2022 and the achievements of some of the athletes representing the company.
The CEO Daniel Obajtek stressed that it has been a special year, as the company has inherited a new group of sponsored athletes after incorporating two other major players on the Polish energy and fuel market, Grupa Lotos and PGNiG. Following the acquisitions
PKN Orlen now ranks among the world’s 150 largest companies in terms of revenue and serves more than 100 million customers.
The CEO underlined the company is more determined than ever to support sports and that sponsorship is an important element in building the company’s brand in Poland and abroad.
PKN Orlen has been expanding its operations abroad, with the Member of the Management Board for Marketing and Communications at PKN ORLEN, Adam Burak, stating that
around half of the company’s revenues now come from foreign sales.
Entering foreign markets has been made easier by the company’s logo having received a lot of exposure at the world’s largest motorsport event, namely F1, and in the thrilling Dakar Rally. The company’s representatives have had a fruitful year on the motorsport circuit.
Kamil Wisniewski stood on the podium of the overall classification of the Dakar Rally for the first time in the team’s history, coming in on third place among quad riders. Meanwhile, Robert Kubica became the first Polish driver in history to stand on the podium of the legendary 24h Le Mans race while Bartosz Zmarzlik became the individual speedway world champion for the third time. Kajetan Kajetanowicz, who joined the ORLEN Team after the merger with LOTOS Group, won third place in the overall classification of the World Rally Championship in the WRC 2 category.
The success at numerous championships and tournaments comes in the wake of PKN Orlen’s dynamic increase in sponsorship within the world of sports. Compared to 2015, the company now allocates 180% more funds in support of sports or culture.
Addressing the athletes present at the Christmas meeting,
CEO Daniel Obajtek pointed out that PKN Orlen is no longer just an organization heavily involved in supporting sport stars, but has grown into a veritable “sports empire”, sponsoring 90 individual top athletes, 70 sports clubs, 11 sports associations and 2 sports committees, including the Polish Paralympic Committee.
Determined to provide the younger generation with chances at a good future, the company is also increasing its CSR focus by now supporting more than 62,000 Polish children, having increased its spending on youth sports by more than 130%. There are numerous programs aimed at popularizing sports among the youngest, including, with the largest one being the so-called School Sports Club. Over the past 5 years, 900,000 children have taken part in it.
