Tomasz Piotrowski - LIM Center board member - interview
Coping with the pandemic in the commercial real estate industry. An interview with LIM Center board member Tomasz Piotrowski
How long have you been a LIM Center board member?
I have served on the Board in various constellations since 2007.
Would you describe the still ongoing, albeit somewhat milder, pandemic crisis as the most difficult moment in your prolific career?
Certainly as one of the most demanding. It is extremely difficult to manage such a powerful brand in a constantly changing environment. The biggest problem was unpredictable restrictions, introduced almost overnight. Dealing with such a situation requires extraordinary creativity, nevertheless, thanks to correct management decisions we were able to minimize the negative effects of the pandemic.
From a LIM Center board member's perspective, how does the commercial real estate industry look?
This is one of the more affected industries, which, moreover, has not received equivalent support. At the same time, it is to be expected that the process of returning to the pre-Covid-19 state will be a long one for our industry. It requires foresight from management teams. It is also necessary to be able to maintain the trust of partners (both customers and financial institutions) built on the basis of long-term strategies, which should be modified if necessary.
What impact does the Covid-19 pandemic have on the LIM Center's current operations?
The pandemic forces us to take a creative approach to new expectations. Given our results, we can confidently say that we are a leader.
What is your assessment: will the market return to the pre-pandemic situation, or are the changes that have occurred permanent, and will brands like LIM face entirely new challenges?
In the long term, the market will return to its pre-pandemic state, nevertheless a flexible approach that takes into account the needs of customers is necessary in the near term. The challenge is to maintain the necessary level of profitability while taking into account the needs of the most affected industries. Brands affected by the pandemic to very different degrees are operating in our complex. In this situation, it was absolutely necessary to develop a model of cooperation to the greatest possible extent to safeguard the interests of all parties. And we succeeded in doing so.
Is it possible to determine today what actions must be taken for the LIM Center to emerge from the crisis situation strengthened?
Even today we can confidently say that LIM Center is emerging from the crisis strengthened. The mechanisms and solutions we have adopted have proven themselves, and the decisions we have made, even if difficult, have proved to be correct. The most important challenge before us is to restore a sense of comfort and security in the use of common spaces.
From this point of view, how is the LIM Center's future shaping up in the near future?
LIM is the operator of the most prestigious office space in Poland, and this will not change. Our task in the near future is to prepare for changed and increased customer needs. We are convinced that our next actions will only solidify our position as a leader in the commercial real estate industry.
There is no doubt that LIM management has a very busy and difficult period ahead. How do you deal with such situations?
In my vision of running a business, nurturing good personal relationships is fundamental. An atmosphere of trust and cooperation, based on authentic, sincere relationships helps tremendously in facing the next challenges. At LIM, we have managed to build a close-knit and well-understood team in which everyone can find support. This makes it very easy to cope with even the greatest difficulties.
