CEE Exchange

Fred Schneider
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CEE Exchange is a podcast by the wiiw Executive Network, featuring in-depth conversations with senior executives leading businesses across Central and Eastern Europe. Each episode explores how leaders navigate strategy, leadership, and execution in complex CEE markets, covering topics such as consumer behavior, digital transformation, supply chains, regulation, and regional competitiveness. Conversations include one-on-one fireside discussions as well as panel-style episodes with multiple executives. CEE Exchange builds on the work of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.

Episodes

  1. The CEE Growth Model in Transition

    May 12

    The CEE Growth Model in Transition

    In this episode of CEE Exchange, host Fred Schneider is joined by Mario Holzner and Richard Grievesen of the wiiw to dissect the Spring 2026 Forecast: "Growth Model, Adapting Under Pressure." Following the outbreak of war in Iran on February 28th, the regional macro outlook has shifted, requiring leaders to move beyond the "cheap labor" mindset and embrace a high-tech, automated future. Growth Divergence: While the external environment has deteriorated, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) remains resilient, with a baseline growth forecast of 2.1%, more than double that of Western Europe. The Energy Factor: Strategic planning must account for oil prices between $85 and $110 per barrel, with potential "stagflation" risks if high prices persist throughout the year. The End of an Era: The three-decade-old model of "cheap labor convergence" is no longer functioning as the region faces unprecedented demographic decline. The Automation Imperative: With labor costs rising by 70–80% in some markets since 2019, the new growth model relies on robotics, digitization, and AI to drive productivity. Defense vs. FDI: In a historic shift, defense spending in EU-CEE has overtaken FDI inflows as a share of GDP, signaling a new "durable demand anchor" for B2B and B2G sectors. Industrial Resilience: Despite the "decade-long shock" of German industrial stagnation, high-tech manufacturing in Poland and the Czech Republic continues to outperform. New Growth Pockets: While core markets face structural hurdles, growth rates of 3% or higher are emerging in the Western Balkans, Kazakhstan, and Turkey. The Ukraine Horizon: Executives are encouraged to begin positioning now for the significant "upside potential" of the Ukrainian market as it opens up. For more information on the wiiw Executive Network: ⁠www.wiiwexecutivenetwork.com⁠ 00:00 — Cold open & introductions 01:57 — The Iran shock and the 2026 scenarios ($85 baseline/ $110 pessimistic) 04:31 — Why this isn't 2022: the three channels 06:46 — Resilience and industrial differentiation in CEE 10:06 — Country divergence: structural vs cyclical 12:35 — Inflation is back - transmission timing and stagflation risk 16:39 — The growth model in transition: demographics, automation, digitalisation 18:23 — Wages vs productivity: the low-cost manufacturing model is breaking 21:50 — Defence overtakes FDI: the new demand anchor and fiscal trade-offs 25:00 — Three questions for your next board meeting 26:31 — What executives should stop doing, and the Ukraine upside 28:19 — Closing takeaways

    30 min
  2. From Firefighting to Forecasting: Preventive Maintenance and the Future of Industrial Operations

    May 7

    From Firefighting to Forecasting: Preventive Maintenance and the Future of Industrial Operations

    A state-owned industrial operator with six thousand employees sets an explicit target: cut the operations team by forty percent in five years, using preventive maintenance technology. That is not an incremental efficiency play — it is a fundamental redesign of how a business deploys people. In this episode, Fred Schneider sits down with Sorin Balasko of WIKA Group to unpack the logic behind decisions like that one, and why the same logic is showing up far beyond heavy industry. Sorin works directly with companies across Central and Eastern Europe on the deployment of real-time monitoring and IIoT systems, with firsthand experience across oil and gas, healthcare, construction, and logistics. The conversation moves from the operational economics of going from once-a-month inspections to half-hourly data feeds, to the procurement question every executive faces when a Chinese alternative looks impressive on paper but fails at minus one degree with a bit of snow, to the workforce dimension that twenty-nine percent of executives in the wiiw Executive Network's recent CEE Labor and Productivity Benchmark flagged as their single most critical talent constraint. The takeaway most likely to outlast any specific technology: this is organizational transformation enabled by technology, not the other way around. The technology is ready. The question is whether the organization is. CEE Exchange is a podcast by the wiiw Executive Network. The Network is part of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies. 00:00 — Welcome and episode introduction 03:04 — The operational reality: three-hundred-person maintenance teams 06:42 — A state-owned company's 40% headcount reduction target 09:35 — What changes when real-time data replaces scheduled inspections 13:05 — Cost side vs. revenue side: where the immediate impact lands 15:06 — Vendor selection and the competitive pressure from Chinese providers 17:54 — Where European industrial products differentiate beyond the data sheet 20:43 — The workforce dimension and the talent constraint 23:22 — The "third path": when clients ask vendors to absorb the new capability 25:36 — Practical advice for executives considering the transformation 27:09 — Closing thoughts

    28 min
  3. Energy in Poland: The Cost of Transition and the Price of Standing Still

    Mar 26

    Energy in Poland: The Cost of Transition and the Price of Standing Still

    Poland still gets 60% of its electricity from coal, pays nearly double what French businesses pay for power, and is now absorbing a geopolitical energy premium from the war in the Middle East. So what does the path forward actually look like? In this episode of CEE Exchange, Fred Schneider talks with Wojciech Sztuba, Managing Partner at TPA Poland (Baker Tilly), about the forces reshaping Poland’s energy landscape and what they mean for businesses operating in the region. The conversation covers why high electricity prices are already suppressing industrial activity, how the Middle East conflict is layering a new cost shock on top of structural problems, and what Poland’s massive offshore wind program in the Baltic Sea could eventually deliver. Wojciech walks through the practical toolkit available to mid and large companies today, from corporate power purchase agreements and cable pooling to demand side response strategies and explains why most businesses are not yet pricing ETS2 carbon regulation into their investment planning, even though it is coming. CEE Exchange is a podcast by the wiiw Executive Network, featuring in-depth conversations with senior executives and industry advisors shaping strategy across Central and Eastern Europe. 00:00 Introduction 03:06 The Cost Picture: Poland vs. Europe 05:07 How Businesses Are Processing the Shock 07:24 From Passive Purchasing to Proactive Energy Strategy 09:49 Fiscal Limits and Government Support 12:12 Offshore Wind and the Baltic Opportunity 14:47 Scale of Investment and the Emerging Supply Chain 16:31 When Does Investment Translate to Lower Costs? 20:05 The Business Toolkit: CPPAs, Storage, and Flexibility 22:47 ETS2: The Regulatory Wave Ahead 24:02 Preparing for What Is Coming 26:25 Closing: The Underappreciated Insight on Heating

    29 min
  4. Supply Chain Strategy in CEE: Finding the Goldilocks Zone Between Ambition and Execution

    Mar 10

    Supply Chain Strategy in CEE: Finding the Goldilocks Zone Between Ambition and Execution

    Cheap, flexible automation is now available across Central and Eastern Europe, so why aren't more companies using it? In this episode of CEE Exchange, Fred Schneider and supply chain advisor Karl Friesenbichler work through what it actually takes to turn supply chain ambition into operational results. The conversation explores how to find the right sequencing for automation, why the companies seeing the biggest productivity gains are investing in organizational change before technology, and how to bridge the gap between operational teams who see what needs to change and the boardrooms that fund it. Karl also shares practical approaches to upgrading live supply chains without disrupting operations, drawing on examples from warehouse transformations to airport baggage systems. CEE Exchange is a podcast by the wiiw Executive Network, featuring in-depth conversations with senior executives and industry advisors shaping strategy across Central and Eastern Europe. 00:00 Introduction 01:27 CEE as a Core Execution Platform 05:30 Labor Scarcity and the Goldilocks Zone for Automation 10:45 Why Organizational Change Outranks Technology 15:30 The Business Case Gap Between Operations and the Board 19:15 What Digital Integration Delivers and What It Does Not 21:30 Brownfield Transformation: Upgrading Live Operations 24:00 Closing

    25 min
  5. CEE Outlook 2026: Making Decisions Amid Uncertainty

    Feb 3

    CEE Outlook 2026: Making Decisions Amid Uncertainty

    In this episode of CEE Exchange, the Executive Director and Deputy Director of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies join the discussion on the geopolitical and economic outlook for Central and Eastern Europe in 2026. Rather than focusing on forecasts, the conversation looks at what has structurally changed in the region's macro environment, how geopolitical uncertainty has become a permanent condition, and which factors are likely to shape competitivemess across CEE. Drawing on macroeconomic analysis and recent proprietary executive survey insights, the episode explores labor and productivity, investment dynamics, energy costs, and the challenge of making decisions in an environment where certainty is unlikely to arrive before action is required. CEE Exchange is a podcast by the wiiw Executive Network, featuring in-depth conversations with senior executives and economic analysts focused on Central and Eastern Europe. 00:00 Introduction to CEE Economic Outlook 01:27 Macroeconomic Shifts in CEE 04:44 Executive Confidence Amid Uncertainty 08:01 Geopolitical Impacts on CEE Economies 10:23 Navigating Geopolitical Risks 15:17 Investment Trends and Challenges 18:42 Competitiveness and Labor Market Dynamics 23:58 Misunderstood Macro Assumptions for 2026

    28 min
  6. Retail Strategy in CEE: Adapting to Change Across Diverse Markets

    Jan 13

    Retail Strategy in CEE: Adapting to Change Across Diverse Markets

    In this first episode of CEE Exchange, Fred Schneider speaks with Radu Stoica, Managing Director for Central and South Eastern Europe at Deichmann, about retail strategy in Central and Eastern Europe. The conversation explores how retail leaders are adapting to shifting consumer expectations, rethinking store footprints and supply chains, and using digital and data more effectively across diverse CEE markets. Radu also reflects on the leadership challenges of managing complexity across the region, as well as how political and regulatory uncertainty influences long-term planning. CEE Exchange is a podcast by the wiiw Executive Network, featuring in-depth conversations with senior executives shaping strategy across Central and Eastern Europe. 00:00 Intro 03:27 Main Topic 04:39 Radu Stoica's Background 05:46 Strategic Shifts in CEE Retail 09:39 Consumer Behavior Changes in CEE 13:41 Operational Changes in Retail 18:25 Leadership Challenges in Diverse Markets 23:31 Digital Transformation and Data Utilization 29:36 Navigating Regulatory Uncertainties 32:50 Future Opportunities in CEE Retail

    35 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

CEE Exchange is a podcast by the wiiw Executive Network, featuring in-depth conversations with senior executives leading businesses across Central and Eastern Europe. Each episode explores how leaders navigate strategy, leadership, and execution in complex CEE markets, covering topics such as consumer behavior, digital transformation, supply chains, regulation, and regional competitiveness. Conversations include one-on-one fireside discussions as well as panel-style episodes with multiple executives. CEE Exchange builds on the work of the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies.

Information

  • Creator
    Fred Schneider
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Copyright
    © wiiw
  • Show Website
    CEE Exchange