Why it feels harder than it should
Many women who move to Poland arrive with a senior role, a clear job and real experience. And still the first year can feel lonely. Colleagues go home to families and friends they have known since school. Most business events run in Polish. And the international groups you find online are often built around social life rather than work.
The result is a gap: plenty of people to have a drink with, very few who understand what it is like to run a team, a budget or a company here.
What actually helps
- Look for level, not just nationality. A room of other expats is comfortable. A room of women who make similar decisions to yours is useful. The best rooms are both.
- Choose small formats first. A dinner or an evening of 30 lets you have real conversations. Large conferences are better once you already know a few faces.
- Mix with Polish women too. They know how the local market, hiring and paperwork really work, and they will tell you over dinner what nobody writes down.
- Go more than once. The second time you walk into the same community, you are no longer new. That is when introductions start to happen.
How Imperfect CEO works for expat women
Imperfect CEO is an international community of women who run companies, teams and budgets. It started in 2022 and today brings together over 1,200 women at mid and senior level in 7 cities, including Warsaw, London and Amsterdam.
Our rooms work in English. Polish is not needed. At every event you sit down with a mix of Polish and international women at a similar level, from different industries: founders, directors, managers and women in between corporate and their own company.
You choose the format that fits your week: a premium dinner for up to 15 women, a networking evening of around 30, the flagship Imperfect CEO Talks for 100 to 120, or a small lifestyle afternoon such as ceramics or a training morning.
What you leave with
- Contacts to women who pick up the phone when you are looking for a co-founder, a client or advice before a hard decision.
- Honest answers about what things really cost and what did not work, from women who have been here longer.
- A few familiar faces in a new city, which after a move is worth more than it sounds.
Questions we hear often
Are Imperfect CEO events in English?
Yes. Our rooms work in English, and Polish is not needed. Many events mix Polish and international women, and conversation happens in whichever language suits the table.
Where in Poland do the events take place?
Mainly in Warsaw, and also in Poznań and other cities. The current dates are on the calendar at imperfect.ceo.
I am new in Poland and do not know anyone. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Many women come on their own, and the formats are small enough that nobody stands alone.
Is it only for expats?
No. Imperfect CEO is for women at mid and senior level from every background. That mix is exactly what makes it useful when you are new here.
Your circle in Poland starts at one table.
See what is on in Warsaw and Poznań, or leave your email and hear about new dates first.