GREGOIRE NITOT
Owner and CEO of Polonia Warszawa since March 2020
When the final decisions were made in March 2020, and Gregoire Nitot took over Polonia, the club was penultimate (17th place) in the third division (4th Polish level). Polonia was once again on the verge of bankruptcy. The company’s debts at the time amounted to more than PLN 2 million, and athletes and employees had not received salaries for months. There were also no funds to cover the cost of stadium rent, fees, etc. The situation was so bad that before the acquisition by Gregoire Nitot, the chairman at that time, the coach, and many players left the Club in December 2019 due to financial difficulties.
As a result, the Club was not accredited by the Polish Football Association before the start of the competition and did not play the first match of the spring round on March 7, 2020. If it hadn’t been for Nitot’s becoming the main shareholder, the oldest football club in the capital city would’ve ceased to exist.
Before taking over the Club, Nitot faced attacks of aggression. In February 2020, negotiations for his purchase of a majority stake in Polonia were underway, and some of the Legia fans found out about it. A small group of aggressive hooligans reacted to the news in a scandalous manner. During the match between LKS Lodz and Legia Warszawa, they displayed a banner in the stands with the following inscription: “Monsieur Nitot, il nest pas encore trop tard pour se retirer. Vous avez encore des clients, l’entreprise fonctionne encore…” (in English: “Mr. Nitot, it’s not too late to retreat. You still have clients, the company is still functioning…”). Polonia fans initiated a campaign expressing their opposition to the attacks of aggression in Polish football and showing their support for the new investor by publishing photos and posts on social media with the hashtag #BonjourGregoire. Thousands of fans of other clubs from across Poland joined the campaign. Among them were also many Legia fans who are looking forward to the return of rivalries in Warsaw. The entire situation was covered in the national media.
Today, one of Nitot’s goals is to eliminate aggression and hatred and create a wonderful, welcoming atmosphere in the Polonia stands, also toward rival fans.
The CEO of Polonia grew up by the river Seine, but has been connected with Poland for many years. Warsaw holds a special place in his heart – he first came here in 2000 for 10 months as part of an Erasmus student exchange. He has lived here permanently since 2006, when he founded Sii Poland, and has held Polish citizenship since 2016. His wife Irena, with whom he has three children born in Warsaw, is also Polish.
Greg (that’s how his co-workers call him) loves competition and crazy projects that not many would undertake – the most fascinating and at the same time, the most challenging one is restoring the former glory of Polonia Warszawa.
Why did you invest in Polonia Warszawa when the Club was on the verge of bankruptcy?
Thanks to the dividends collected from Sii, I had a lot of private savings. I could have used this money to buy shares in some prosperous company, a villa by the sea, a sports car, or a luxury yacht. But I prefer crazy and fascinating projects with passionate people over material things – they don’t give me happiness.
Since childhood, football has been one of my passions, and I have always dreamed of owning a big football club. I chose Polonia because it’s a club with incredible history and potential, and Warsaw is my home – I live here, and I didn’t want to invest in any club in a city other than the capital.
What is your main goal related to the Black Shirts?
My main goal is to advance to higher leagues and return to the Ekstraklasa and for the Club to achieve financial stability and independence from my private funds. I dream that in the future, we will be able to play against the best teams on a European scale and that Polonia will not only be one of the best clubs in Poland but also in Europe.
What kind of place would you like Polonia’s stadium to be?
My dream is that Polonia’s fans are the best in all of Poland and that matches are always accompanied by great cheering, songs, a great atmosphere and emotions, but always with a positive, joyful attitude, including toward the fans of our rivals.
Of course, we want to win and to be a great club that rivals respect and fear. But we also want to be a club that everyone admires and envies the friendly atmosphere filled with happiness created by our fans.
ACHIEVEMENTS
- Championship and promotion to Fortuna 1 League by Polonia’s first team
- Launch of the Otwarty Stadion and Kumple z Trybuny programs
- Transfers of key players Jakub Lemanowicz, Michał Grudniewski, Maciej Kowalski-Haberek, Michał Bajdur, Paweł Tomczyk, Mateusz Michalski
- Championship and promotion to the second division (II liga) of Polonia’s first team
- Promotion to fifth division (V liga) of the KSP reserve team
- Simplification of the company statutes
- New systems: CRM, e-commerce, ticket system. New, expanded IT infrastructure
- Transfers of key players: Wojciech Fadecki, and great talent from the academy – Bartosz Biedrzycki
- Hiring a new coach, Rafał Smalec, in place of Wojciech Szymanek and strengthening his staff (Maks Hołownia, Piotr Kruszewski, and Maciej Wesołowski joined it)
- Anna Bednarz-Jaskot (Digital Director) and Rafal Szczęsny (IT Manager) joined the structures, and IT systems were implemented: a new website, accounting system, business analysis system, and Polonia TV
- Launch of a new line of business by developing club merchandising
- Transfers of key players: Piotr Marciniec, Michał Brudnicki, and Krystian Pieczara, and the promotion of young talents from the academy, such as Krzysztof Koton and Eryk Mikołajewski
- Completing the complex process of buying Polonia with the strategic involvement and support of Sebastian Myszczyński. Saving the club from bankruptcy; paying off debt and saving the club from losing its license to play in the third division (III liga). Two people remained in the company after the acquisition, ensuring continuity of operations and facilitating the introduction of Gregoire Nitot to the club: coach Wojciech Szymanek and Alex Malczuk
- Defining the new mission statement, six strategic goals, and ten core values of Polonia
- Launch of the Finance and Administration Department run by Bartłomiej Dryl
- Launch of the Sports Department run by Sports Director Piotr Kosiorowski; carrying out key transfers to the club: bringing in Łukasz Piątek, Tomasz Wełna, and Adam Pazio
- The signing of a contract of cooperation between KS Polonia and the academy of MKS | Paweł Olczak, which allowed to strengthen the club’s youth training and reserve team
- Purchase of the “Black Shirt” bar managed by Tomasz Płochocki and incorporating it into the club’s structures
CLUB INVESTMENT
In March 2020, Gregoire Nitot saved the Club from bankruptcy with his first financial investment of PLN 2,220,500. Among other things, the funds were used to pay off overdue salaries of players and debts for renting the stadium from the City.
Currently, the amount of the company’s capital received from Gregoire Nitot’s private funds is already PLN 15,000,000. The owner covers the large financial losses generated by the Club every year – according to estimates, the current fiscal year will end with PLN 3.2 million in the red.
The new owner contributed funds not only of his own but also from the strategic sponsor of the Black Shirts – his company, Sii Poland, supports the Club with PLN 500,000 every quarter.
For more information on the Club’s financing, see the financial statement.
< 06.2023
Gregoire Nitot: PLN 10 317 300
Sii (Sponsoring): PLN 4 000 000
Plan for 2023/2024
Gregoire Nitot: PLN 3 100 000
Sii (Sponsoring): PLN 3 000 000
The amount of money that Polonia received thanks to Gregoire Nitot since 2020
OTHER INVESTMENTS
Sii Poland – founder, CEO, owner of 30% of shares
Tawerna Kaszubska – owner
Gregoire Nitot is passionate about exploring new business areas and industries. In addition to his investment in Polonia Warszawa, he is also the founder and CEO of Sii Poland – the largest provider of outsourcing services in Poland and a subsidiary of Sii Sweden. Besides, he is the owner of Tawerna Kaszubska, a lakeside guesthouse in Kashubia. It is one of his favorite places in the world, and where his wife also comes from.
OTHER INVESTMENTS
Sii Poland – founder, CEO, owner of 30% of shares
Tawerna Kaszubska – owner
Gregoire Nitot is passionate about exploring new business areas and industries. In addition to his investment in Polonia Warszawa, he is also the founder and CEO of Sii Poland – the largest provider of outsourcing services in Poland and a subsidiary of Sii Sweden. Besides, he is the owner of Tawerna Kaszubska, a lakeside guesthouse in Kashubia. It is one of his favorite places in the world, and where his wife also comes from.
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