Robert Pławiak Chief Digital, Technology and Information Officer | AI & Emerging Technologies Expert & Cyber Resilience | Inspirational Speaker | Digital Transformation Leader
Robert Pławiak is one of the most experienced and influential digital transformation leaders in Central and Eastern Europe. Over more than 20 years of professional career, he has built a strong personal brand as an innovator, strategist, and practitioner who successfully bridges the worlds of technology and business. His expertise spans a broad spectrum of topics: from artificial intelligence and IT/OT convergence, through cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and advanced data analytics, to leadership and change management in complex organizations.
He currently serves as Chief Digital, Technology and Information Officer (CDIO/CTO) at Polpharma, where he is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive digitalization strategy. He leads projects based on the use of AI, LLMs, and Industry 4.0technologies, integrating IT and OT in the demanding environment of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Thanks to his vision, Polpharma is at the forefront of companies implementing modern operating models built around data, automation, and artificial intelligence.
Previously, Robert served as CEO and Group CIO at Intelligent Logistic Solutions (Pelion Group), where he built a modern digital infrastructure for one of the largest logistics and pharmacy networks in Europe. He led implementations of WMS, TMS, and ERP systems, was responsible for IT security, DevSecOps transformation, and M&A processes including the internationalization of IT systems (including the operational transfer of the pharmacy network from the Swedish market to Poland). Over the past two decades, he hastransformed, built, and modernized technology departments at companies such as PZU Group, Europejski Fundusz Leasingowy SA, Inteligo SA, Raiffeisen Bank Polska SA, Eurobank Ergasias SA, and most recently the Pelion group of companies.
Robert is also an active participant in the industry community–as a speaker, mentor, and thought leader. He has presented at numerous prestigious conferences and events, including:
- AI Strategy 2026–from Pilots to Production (Helsinki)
- Masters & Robots
- European Economic Congress (Katowice)
- Pharma MES Europe (Berlin)
- IT ManagerofTomorrow
- IDC CEE Summit (Vienna, Warsaw)
- Data Economy Congress
In his presentations, he covers topics such as: the application of AI in industry and pharmaceuticals, scaling innovation in large organizations, ethics and trust in future technologies, and transformational leadership in the era of digital uncertainty.
As the President of the IT Leader Club Polska Foundation, he has been working for years to develop IT leadership competencies in Poland. He initiated and co-created the IT Academy–a unique educational program for the public sector, offering MBA-level management training in technology management and innovation.
He holds a Master of Engineering degree in Computer Systems (Military University of Technology) and an MBA (Warsaw School of Economics–SGH) and has also completed the prestigious Digital Transformation Strategies program at Cambridge Judge Business School. He is a certified member of PMI, ISACA, and ISSA, and an active advocate of IT management and cybersecurity standards.
His achievements have been recognized multiple times–including the Digital Excellence Award 2024for a strategic approach to transformation and as a finalist of the Digital Excellence Awards 2022in the Transformational Capabilities category. In September 2025, he was honored with the title of “CISO of the 2025 Year”.
Robert Pławiak is a leader who thinks in terms of the future–consistently pursuing a vision of digital enterprises as learning, agile, data-driven, automated organizations ready for the challenges of the AI era. He is not only an architect of transformation but also an inspiring speaker who can translate complex technological ideas into an accessible language of business benefits
