Kellogg School of Management alumnus Mateusz Morawiecki was appointed Poland’s new prime minister Dec. 11, according to The New York Times. Morawiecki was chosen by party leader Jarosław Kaczynski to replace Beata Szydło, who resigned Dec. 7.

Taryn Tawoda, associate director of external communications for Kellogg, confirmed in an email that Morawiecki is an alumnus of Kellogg Executive Education. He received a certificate from the Advanced Executive Program — which is no longer offered by Kellogg — in 2006, Tawoda said.

Morawiecki served as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development in Szydło’s cabinet after joining the ruling right-wing Polish Law and Justice Party in March 2016, according to The Washington Post. The party’s push to restructure Poland’s court system is being seen as an effort to make the judiciary less independent, and are under intense scrutiny from European Union officials, according to The Times.

Morawiecki is the son of a prominent anti-communist activist, Kornel Morawiecki, and was politically active from a young age, The Post reported. In the 1980s, he participated in his father’s underground anti-communist organization, Fighting Solidarity.

The Post also noted Morawiecki’s “cosmopolitanism” and fluency in English and German. Morawiecki is expected to better represent Poland internationally as its conservative government faces wide criticism. However, Morawiecki is not expeected to dramatically change the course of the part: in a a recent interview he said they are seeking to “re-Christianize Europe,” according to The Post. Morawiecki’s assumption of the role is seen as largely symbolic, as the party’s leader Kaczynski remains in control of affairs, according to The Post.

“Poland’s democracy is strong. With reforms to ensure that our citizens have access to impartial, prompt, efficient and incorruptible justice, it will become stronger,” Morawiecki wrote in a Dec. 13 opinion piece for the Washington Examiner.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @piuadrianw