Interview with Dr. Christopher Hartwell, President of the Management Board of CASE
What was your main motivation behind applying for the position of CASE president?
Having done my PhD at the Warsaw School of Economics, having worked with Leszek Balcerowicz as my advisor, and having been coming to Poland since 1996, I naturally knew CASE. I was working in Russia at a research institute at the time, and when the post came up, I felt like it was a natural fit. Also, my grandmother originally came from Poland (or rather, the bits of Poland that are now western Ukraine), and so it felt like a homecoming. Finally, I’m never one to shy away from a challenge, which CASE was facing at the time.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while managing CASE?
Several, actually. When I arrived, CASE had gone through a tough period, with so many of the first generation of CASE experts coming through, growing up, and moving out. Rebuilding CASE with the next generation was the key challenge. Additionally, being an independent think tank, we continually are on the search for sustainability, an issue which is perpetual. Both of these issues have been very challenging.
Dr. Christopher Hartwell
