MediaMarkt Polska Head of Legal and Compliance Maciej Czajkowski discusses how to ensure compliance requirements are met in a fast-paced decision-making process and the opportunities presented for those who strike that balance right in terms of attracting ever-conscious consumers.
CEELM: Please walk us through your career leading up to your current role.
Czajkowski: After graduating from law school, I started working at a law firm advising companies operating in various industries, which allowed me to develop knowledge and competencies across the different areas of law (civil law, commercial law, labor law, corporate law, etc.).
In 2008, I took the opportunity to try my hand as an in-house lawyer, and I joined the legal department of the Eurocash Group – the largest wholesale distributor in the FMCG sector in Poland. I must admit that from the outset I felt very comfortable in the new role, working much closer to the business than at the law firm. After a few years, I was entrusted with the function of Head of the Legal Department, giving me the opportunity to also develop my managerial competencies. Parallel to the company’s development, driven largely by acquisitions and expansion into new areas of activity (retail franchise chains, own retail stores, launching an online store, etc.), I expanded the legal team, which ultimately comprised more than a dozen lawyers working across several locations.
In 2022, I decided to take on new challenges and joined MediaMarkt – an international organization distributing consumer electronics in several European countries – as Director of the Legal and Compliance Department in Poland. This step allowed me to experience operating within an international organization and to cooperate and exchange knowledge within an international community of lawyers.
CEELM: How is your legal and compliance team structured, and how does it support the wider business?
Czajkowski: It currently comprises four lawyers, including myself, who are responsible for providing comprehensive support to the organization both in terms of legal advisory and in compliance and data privacy. Each team member provides legal support across a broad range of matters, with two members also being involved in compliance and two in data privacy. This division of responsibilities enables us to support business activities in a comprehensive and flexible way and ensures the continuous availability of necessary legal support, even during periods when individual team members are absent. We also cooperate with external law firms when specialist expertise beyond our competencies is required or when consulting on particularly complex business projects.
CEELM: What is your strategy for integrating compliance requirements into fast-paced commercial decision-making?
Czajkowski: A key element for us is involving members of the legal and compliance team in various business projects from the initial planning stages. We work very closely with colleagues from business teams. As a result, we are able to clearly communicate compliance requirements from the outset and proactively propose solutions that will allow the planned business objectives to be achieved in accordance with applicable legal requirements. It also helps that, within MediaMarkt Poland’s structure, the Director of the Legal and Compliance Department serves as a member of the management team of around a dozen senior managers, within which key and strategic projects are discussed. The same Director also participates in formal Management Board meetings.
CEELM: How do you balance commercial agility with the need for regulatory certainty?
Czajkowski: First and foremost, we strive to continuously monitor not only changing legislation but also the activity of public authorities, published guidelines, recommendations, explanations, and court rulings so as to have the greatest possible understanding of how provisions of law are interpreted by public bodies. When we have the opportunity, we participate in meetings with representatives of the authorities and actively take part in the work of business organizations, where consultations with legislators and regulatory bodies are also possible. As mentioned, we exchange experiences and solutions developed in other countries within the MediaMarkt team.
All this allows us to build a broad picture of the legal environment in which we operate and, as a result, identify and propose solutions that will help achieve business objectives while minimizing legal risk.
A mindset focused on achieving business objectives, openness to discussion, creativity, a proactive approach, and flexibility are, for us, essential qualities of an in-house lawyer who is a partner to colleagues in the business departments and is not perceived as a blocker of business projects.
A key element in this regard is building trust among representatives of the business departments. They are aware, on one hand, that ensuring compliance is in the shared interest of the company and its employees, and, on the other hand, that their colleagues in the legal department make every effort to find solutions that meet business needs.
CEELM: Are there any emerging legal trends or regulatory issues that you believe Polish retailers are underestimating?
Czajkowski: From my experience, market observations, and the communications of public authorities, it appears that some retailers still underestimate the growing consumer awareness of applicable legal regulations. Today’s consumer has unlimited access to information about the legal provisions governing trading rules, the obligations incumbent on producers and sellers, and the rights afforded to consumers, and is increasingly well-informed in this area. These facts necessitate retailers exercise the utmost care in implementing solutions required by law so that consumers have no doubt they are treated fairly, that communications directed to them are transparent, and they are not exposed to unfair commercial practices or dark patterns. For example, in recent weeks, consumer protection authorities in Poland have reported about further proceedings against retailers for violations of rules concerning the obligation to transparently inform on the terms and conditions of product delivery or cases of so‑called “greenwashing,” which demonstrates that not all retailers pay sufficient attention to their responsibility to act fairly toward their customers.
CEELM: Regulatory change is often seen as a constraint, but it can also open new avenues for business growth. Where do you see the biggest opportunities emerging from current or upcoming regulations?
Czajkowski: In this context, I would refer to the previous question – a conscious and responsible retailer will certainly recognize the opportunity to build customer trust and, consequently, grow their business not only by creating an attractive commercial offer, but also by continually adapting their operations to regulatory requirements and ensuring respect for consumers’ rights to the extent required by law. One of MediaMarkt’s core values is customer focus, which we understand not only as offering an attractive product assortment at the best possible prices or providing additional services related to the purchase (financing, extended protections, insurance, etc.), but also ensuring transparent communication regarding pricing offers, customer data processing policies, the course of the purchasing process, after-sales service, and so on. We continuously monitor all changing legal regulations, such as, in recent times, the Omnibus Directive, Digital Services Act, European Accessibility Act, EU Data Act, General Product Safety Regulation, AI Act, NIS2, and EU Deforestation Regulation, striving to prepare in advance for implementing their requirements both in in-store sales processes and in the e‑commerce channel.
I believe that caring for consumers’ interests and respecting their rights will constitute a significant competitive advantage worth focusing on just as strongly as other business aspects. A conscious consumer, when choosing between similar offers from competing retailers, will direct their purchasing preferences toward those who, in their view, provide the greatest transparency in communication, transaction security, and respect for their rights.
CEELM: If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self at the start of your legal career, what would it be?
Czajkowski: While continuing to explore the complexity of law, do not limit yourself to that field of knowledge alone. Learning the basic principles of accounting, corporate finance, and management helps to better understand how companies operate and currently constitutes a necessary condition for providing comprehensive and effective legal advice.
This article was originally published in Issue 12.9 of the CEE Legal Matters Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the magazine, you can subscribe here.