Board of Directors

Krzysztof Olszewski, born 26 November 1951 in Wrocław (Poland), is the founder of Solaris Bus & Coach and head of its supervisory board.

Olszewski studied Mechanical Engineering at Warsaw Technical University. At the same time, he trained as an engineer in a car repair shop, earning a master’s certificate. After graduating from university in 1976, Olszewski was self-employed in the transportation technology industry. He lived in West Berlin after political events in December 1981 - the introduction of martial law in Poland - made a return home impossible. From January 1982 onwards, he worked for German bus manufacturer Neoplan in Berlin, rapidly rising through the ranks to become factory manager in 1985.

In 1994, Olszewski returned to Poland to open an independent Neoplan sales agency for the Polish market. The family-owned company traded under the name Neoplan Polska. Two years later, a production facility at Bolechowo near Poznan was opened. Under Olszewski’s leadership, Neoplan Polska became the Polish market leader for low floor city buses.

After the creation of the Solaris brand and construction of the first Urbino low floor buses in 1999, the company became independent from Neoplan in 2001, changing its name to Solaris Bus & Coach. All company shares are now owned by the Olszewski family.

In 1998, Olszewski was awarded with the Golden Cross of Merit of the President of the Republic of Poland. The Polish Association of Managers awarded him the “Manager of the Year 2004” title "in recognition of his managerial skills, his role in the consistent establishment of the business in difficult international markets and his success in creating a strong Polish brand." Ernst & Young consultants named Olszewski as their "Manager of the Year" in both 2006 and 2007. In 2008, he was made "Exporter of the Year" of the Polish Association of Exporters. In the same year, he was awarded the "Prize for the Development of Public Transport in Poland" by the Polish Minister of Infrastructure.

Krzysztof Olszewski is married with two children, Małgorzata and Jan. His wife Solange has been active in the management of Solaris Bus & Coach since the company was founded and currently is chairwoman of the board. Olszewski’s hobbies are golf, surfing and motorbikes.

Solange Olszewska is head of the Solaris Bus & Coach board. She Olszewska studied Dentistry at Warsaw Medical University. Living in Berlin since 1982, she was lecturer in Paediatric Dentistry at the Free University of Berlin between 1986 and 1994. Her career changed direction in February 1995. Olszewska became actively involved in Neoplan Polska, the family-owned Neoplan sales agency for the Polish market that transformed into independent manufacturer Solaris Bus & Coach in 2001.

Apart from her work for the company, Olszewska actively supports academic and social projects and charities. She is among the initiators and founders of the German-Polish Medical Association in Berlin and she has supported German-Polish cooperation in business and culture for many years. In 1999, the Polish president awarded her the Golden Cross of Merit for services to charity. Her professional career in the bus industry was honoured in 2005 with the "Bus Builder of the Year" title. The award, presented during the European bus industry exhibition Busworld in Kortrijk (Belgium), honours Solange Olszewska as a outstanding figure in the bus industry and recognises her particular efforts for customer orientation.

Solange Olszewska is married to Krzysztof Olszewski, the founder of Solaris Bus & Coach. They have two children, Małgorzata and Jan. Olszewska dedicates her spare time to animals and nature. She looks after her dogs and cats, which have come from animal shelters or have been rescued from emergencies. Furthermore, Solange Olszewska is involved in efforts for the protection of endangered species.

Krystyna Woźniak is member of the Solaris Bus & Coach board of directors as executive board member for Human Resources.

After completing her degree at Poznań University of Life Sciences, Woźniak worked as a vocational school teacher in Economics. Subsequently, she started her own trade business and spent several years living in Germany.

Woźniak joined newly-founded Neoplan Polska, now Solaris Bus & Coach, in early 1996 to work in human resources management. Over the following years, she was responsible for establishing and leading the company’s HR department, latterly as head of department.

On 1 January 2011, Krystyna Woźniak was called to the Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. board of directors as executive board member for Human Resources and Occupational Health and Safety.

Krystyna Woźniak is married with an adult daughter.

Martin Gruber is member of the Solaris Bus & Coach S.A. board of directors as executive board member for After Sales.

After gaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Gruber started his career in 1994 at Madrid-based environmental engineering firm ASSESA as head of their technical office. In 1995, he joined Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology in Sales, later becoming Head of Sales for the Spanish market. His work focusing on quality control was conducted in close cooperation with major companies in the automotive industry (Mercedes-Benz, Opel, Ford, Volkswagen and suppliers).

Gruber joined newly-established EvoBus Ibérica, part of the Daimler Group, in 1999, initially working in Purchasing at the Sámano bus manufacturing plant in northern Spain. His key responsibilities included production support in conjunction with suppliers and other Daimler factories. In 2001, Gruber was made Divisional Head of Technical Service, where he was in charge of customer and key account relations as well as establishing a Spanish service network for EvoBus.

Appointed as Service Director for EvoBus Ibérica in 2002, he then held overall responsibility for customer service on the Spanish market. Apart from technical service, his work included spare part sales, warranty claims, service contracts, training and documentation at the company’s own service workshop in Madrid and a country-wide network of service partners. From 2008 onwards, Gruber also managed EvoBus service activities in Portugal.

Gruber was appointed as Solaris Bus & Coach executive member of the board for After Sales on 1 May 2010.

Martin Gruber is 41 years old. He is married with two sons.