Andrzej K. Koźmiński was born in 1941 in German-occupied Warsaw into a scholarly family. After earning his Ph.D. in economics at the age of 24 and his habilitation (senior doctorate) three years later, he took academic positions in Italy and France. Upon returning to Poland, he continued his research at the Main School of Planning and Statistics (SGPiS) and then at the Faculty of Management of the University of Warsaw. Finally, at the age of 35, he became a professor.
According to reviewers of his honorary doctorate, Prof. Koźmiński should be praised for his exceptional accomplishments in the field of management science and for his vision and organizational efficiency, which was essential to build Kozminski University. Furthermore, Prof. Koźmiński's long list of trailblazing ideas and significant publications in English, French, Polish and other languages was recalled in the laudation by Prof. Beata Glinka.
Prof. Alojzy Nowak, Rector of the University of Warsaw, described an almost half-century-long relationship of the honorary doctor with the University of Warsaw. In 1958, Andrzej Koźmiński began his sociology studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw, studying at the same time internal trade at SGPiS. He was affiliated with the Institute of Sociology of the University of Warsaw until 2003. In the 1970s, he was instrumental in establishing the Faculty of Management at the University of Warsaw, which emerged from the Institute of Management. In 1981-1987, he was the first democratically elected dean of the Faculty of Management on the recommendation of the "Solidarity." In addition, Professor Koźmiński co-founded the International Management Center, an organizational unit of the UW that offers MBA programs.
From 1989, he was the head of the International School of Management, from which Leon Kozminski Academy emerged in 1993 (currently Kozminski University). Kozminski University is the only Polish business school awarded AACSB, EQUIS, AMBA accreditations and is ranked as a leader in business education in Central Europe by the Financial Times. Professor Koźmiński was the rector of the Academy for 18 years, then its President, and currently serves as the Honorary President.
Professor Koźmiński is the author of several dozen books on management, including textbooks translated into many languages, a researcher with an established international position gained due to many years of research and teaching at foreign universities, mainly in the US and in France. Moreover, he managed to establish not just a university but also his research school with a group of talented Ph.D. students, several of whom have already received their professorships.
Prof. Andrzej Koźmiński often comments on current economic and social issues, presenting his thoughts and original conclusions. He also did so in his honorary degree conferment lecture at the University of Warsaw. Referring to the leadership research conducted for years, he said that currently, the world badly needs authentic and credible leaders who would be followed by everyone with total dedication to solve real problems of humanity.