About us
Radek Orszewski
Hi, my name is Radek Orszewski and I am the creator of the Lean Agile Ninja brand.
How did it all start? I think it was when I was 16 years old and became… a sailing instructor. Yes, despite my young age and quite a difference from my students, I realized that imparting not easy knowledge in an accessible way is something I enjoy and do well, as evidenced by the results from the beginning. Today, when I have been working professionally for nearly 20 years, I still hear it from the people I meet on my path.
My career paths have not been simple and typical. Despite graduating with a degree in biotechnology engineering from Wroclaw University of Technology, I didn’t work much “in the industry,” but the studies that taught me to think, to understand how complex systems work came in very handy. Well, I also had a love affair with astronomy, which I started and, although I didn’t finish it, I understood that the Universe at the nanoscale and cosmological scale have a lot in common.
Similarly twisted paths caused me to work casually as a journalist for several years. First in the telecommunications industry and then in cycling. Well, that’s right. because bicycling, as well as the aforementioned sailing, various water activities are always something that drew me in. And if he is involved in something? It’s 102%.
At 102 percent, I also worked as a software tester, project and people leader. A long time ago, back in 2009, I stepped into agile, into my first Scrum Master role, and that’s how I stayed. The agile, though not always mainstream, search for how to work with meaning, deliver value and understand context steered me toward the Kanban Method.
Although working in the telco, travel industry, gaming, or fin-tech industries I came across new contexts all the time, the problems turned out to be so similar. Hence, without shying away from other approaches, I deepened and deepened how to combine agile with lean, and how the aforementioned Kanban helps us manage the intangible, i.e. knowledge-based work.
After years of working in organizations and smuggling teaching, coaching or consulting into the roles I’ve held since 2008, I decided to see if there was value in it for others. And how? It turned out that Lean Agile Ninja, long associated only with me, is a way to do what I’m good at and help others with it.
I am an Accredited Trainer of the Kanban Method and the only Polish-language Accredited Kanban University Consultant (AKC). I am constantly developing my experience and knowledge with other approaches such as working at scale (LeSS, SAFe) but also how to build flow-oriented organizations. Therefore, I became the first Polish Team Topologies Advocate and Lean Agile Ninja is one of the first Team Topologies Solution Partner and Training Partner.
What else? Constantly something new, influenced by my family including the biggest challenge – being a dad of two wonderful boys. Hence I am unfamiliar with LEGO, Ninjago. Star Wars, or my childhood fascination that stays for a lifetime – Star Trek.
Aneta Orszewska
For almost 20 years (I can’t believe it myself when I write this!) I’ve been mainly involved in two topics: business strategy and agile management and product development (digital and otherwise).
I have worked in a variety of roles from Head of Product, Product Strategist, to Sales Director or Business Development Lead. I strongly believe in and implement – my own and my clients’ – goal-driven approach, agile values and user needs. My main talent identified by Gallup is Strategist.
In the areas of product management, I focus on finding and testing the best paths to create digital products, based on business and user needs, using Continuous Product Discovery, Continuous Strategizing, lean Start-up, data and common sense approaches.
I really enjoy interacting with people and supporting their development – I am the daughter of two passionate teachers.
As Head of Product at Boldare, I was involved in implementing product approaches focused on business goals and user needs, Product Discovery processes, Business Model Innovation and agile product transformations. I work with Product Owners, Product Managers, Agile Coaches, SMs and C-Levels, with agile teams producing digital products.
At Lean Agile Ninja, I am the godmother of the company, one of the main stakeholders, as well as a collaborative trainer, contributing to topics, naturally, centered around agile management and product development and business models. I have extensive international experience in training and coaching.
Experience
19 years of working in a mainly international environment
Clients I have worked with include: Nestle, BASF, UNICEF, SAP, General Mills, Deutsche Bank, bio-tech start-ups,
I have completed many training courses in business strategy, business development, agile working methodologies [Kanban, Scrum, Design Thinking], agile product development, product discovery processes.
Key Competencies:
- Business consulting: strategy, business models;
- Product management: product strategy, product vision, discovery processes;
- validation strategies and techniques
– agile selling
Ewa Mika
Hi, I’m Ewa – I’m a physicist, musician, Scrum Master and Kanban Coach. I have been sharing my knowledge as a mentor and course author for several years. I also teach at Kozminski University, and at Lean Agile Ninja I support your learning as an Accredited Kanban Coach.
I studied Nanostructure Engineering at the Department of Physics (and Department of Chemistry) at the University of Warsaw. During my studies I simultaneously worked, catching my first work experience in start-ups and small companies. I quickly realized that I prefer working with people and with teams, rather than with test tubes in a lab (and that it works better for me), so I continued my studies in absentia, obtaining a master’s degree in project management at Kozminski University. During my master’s studies, I started working full-time in IT. First as a PM support of a huge project for the implementation (and large-scale deployment!) of a web-based system, where I helped as a coordinator and facilitator. Later, I also worked as a team/small department coordinator (while serving as a Scrum Master). In another company, I was already a “full-time” Scrum Master, and now I act as a Kanban Coach.
I have scrolled through industries such as insurance, financial industry, creative industry, game-dev, energy industry. In general, no title scares me, and my mission is to support teams and entire organizations to improve in a broad sense – to improve all kinds of processes, to improve collaboration, to “improve” (or rather: to improve) professionally myself. All the while I am actively working at a Danish technology company, KMD, supporting a portfolio of projects developing a breakthrough product in the energy industry.
Working on a large scale allows me to use the array of techniques and tools I teach others about on a daily basis, so I have fresh examples from life “at hand” all the time. I’m a big fan of data, which is why Kanban has very quickly cemented itself in my physicist’s heart. I collect data, validate its veracity, visualize, analyze and draw conclusions. Inspection and adaptation based on real data is my primary “tool” and I am very eager to share how to use it, whether at training courses or various conferences.
Privately, I spend most of my free time playing games together with my husband and friends. Just as I like to use a cross-section of knowledge at work, I treat playing games very broadly: I play both on the computer, console, VR, as well as board games or text-based RPGs. As an artist after music school, I also sometimes like to sing to myself – although I must admit that my three cats are not very happy then.
I get a lot of joy from traveling to amusement parks and riding roller-coasters! Fortunately, my husband shares this joy and every year we try to visit at least one park together.
Alicja Pasternak
Hi, my name is Alicja, I am a virtual assistant and content marketing specialist. I have been running my own assistant brand for over 4 years. I provide remote assistance to overworked entrepreneurs and small personal brands.
At LeanAgile.ninja, I support Radek in preparing content for the Kanban channel over coffee. It’s thanks to me that the podcast “does itself” and the posts on LinkedIn publish on schedule even when Radek is on vacation ;). This way you always know when to expect new content and you don’t lose touch with valuable education. I’m the one keeping tabs on the content calendar and my finger on the “publish” button. I keep an eye on the regularity of publications and ensure organic reach and brand recognition.
Are you reading the Kanban newsletter over coffee? I’m the one who takes care of its readability, correct language and graphic design, making it more enjoyable for you to read. Kanban over coffee is not only a podcast, it is also a YouTube channel. Optimization of the account, video editing and transcription by me allow you and other agile education enthusiasts to find Radek’s content more easily and absorb the knowledge better.
I also have a life outside of work, although free time is a luxury good available only on certain days ;). I try to divide it fairly between family, friends, work with a reactive dog, sports, personal development, and reading historical novels by E.Cherezinskaya. It works out pretty well because as a minimalist I know how to set my priorities in both my personal and professional life.
Mirka Rybińska
Hi I am Mirka!
I have been working at Lean Agile Ninja for almost 3 years now.
I have: a master’s degree from the University of Economics with a specialization in finance and accounting and two daughters who taught me patience, perseverance and the art of communication.
I am not intimidated by numbers, regulations and even the most demanding clients.
I gained experience working in an accounting office and as an assistant to a tax consultant.
Therefore, before I invoice you I ask for all the details, so that the accounting department in your company with a smile accepted the document without any corrections.
I prepare all contracts and documents with the utmost care.
I worked in a multinational corporation for several years.
This required me to be able to communicate with people from different cultural backgrounds.
Multitasking and fast pace of work taught me good time management.
I am familiar with the entire purchasing process of goods and services in large and small companies, Polish and foreign.
I understand the (sometimes intricate and complicated) process of purchasing training.
The concepts of purchase order number, purchasing department, approval, or workflow process are familiar to me.
And if an invoice gets stuck in the SAP system for several weeks…I’ll understand that too.
At Lean Agile Ninja, I am also responsible for contacting you, current and future customers.
I make sure that everyone is informed at every stage of the training.
And there was up-to-date information and training dates on our website.
A keen eye keeps an eye on the company’s finances, and Radek can meet you at the training session and be confident and reassured that everything has been done to the last button.
What else.
I have moved several times, I like to travel, and I have perfected packing.
I quickly acclimate to a new place.
I find meeting new people a great source of inspiration for making changes at home.
I love/Fan Polish sea at any time of the year.
At home, the adrenaline rush comes from my kids and the LPR pilot.
All three of them sometimes get lost in the clouds, and then I make up for it by reading books, taking walks or having warm coffee with friends and family.