Jacek Jaśkowiak – Mayor of the City of Poznań

He was born on March 10, 1964, in Poznań. He is a social activist, sports activist, and former entrepreneur. He graduated from the Faculty of Law at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and completed postgraduate studies in accounting, finance, and taxation. He was a GFPS scholarship holder at Bielefeld University in Germany.

Professional Career

He gained professional experience in the 1990s working for trading companies. Among others, he worked for Dr. Jan Kulczyk at Kulczyk Tradex. From 1997 to 2014, he ran his own business providing accounting and advisory services to foreign entrepreneurs. Together with business investors, he participated in creating thousands of jobs in Poland.

Sports and Social Activities

He is an active athlete. He has completed over 50 cross-country ski marathons and has finished the prestigious Vasaloppet several times. As the 38th person in the world, he completed all marathons in the Worldloppet series. He contributed to Szklarska Poręba being awarded FIS Cross-Country World Cup events, which he organized in 2012 and 2014. He is a member of the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Cross-Country World Cup Committee.

For many years, he has supported visually impaired cyclists from the “Razem” club in Poznań. He himself enjoys cycling and also commutes to work by bike. He was a close friend of Jacek Kaczmarski, the legendary poet and singer-songwriter, whom he helped reorganize financially and support in organizing concerts. When illness prevented Kaczmarski from continuing to perform, Jaśkowiak employed him in his former company.

Public Activity

Since 2008, he has spoken out on public matters, including in Gazeta Wyborcza and Głos Wielkopolski. His civic engagement led to his candidacy in 2010 for the office of Mayor of Poznań on behalf of the civic movement My-Poznaniacy. Since 2013, he has been a member of the Civic Platform (Platforma Obywatelska RP) and was its candidate for Mayor of Poznań in 2014. In the second round of the election, he received 86,164 votes (59.09%) and succeeded Ryszard Grobelny, who had served as mayor for 16 years.

Private Life

He has two sons, Jarosław and Stanisław. His wife, Joanna Jaśkowiak, is a notary. His life story is so colorful that the Nowy Theatre in Poznań portrayed his figure in the play “Gracze” (part of the “Jeżyce Story” series), strongly emphasizing his friendship with Jacek Kaczmarski. The bard dedicated the novel “O aniołach innym razem” to him and referred to him in the lyrics of his songs.