The year 2020 is a strange but also special year by now. It requires us to adapt to many limitations and adversities but also has made us be able to develop many unique competencies. Almost all projects need to be done remotely. The same was with the Poland Business Run this year.

The Foundation of Poland Business Run helps people with disabilities of the musculoskeletal system. Foundation spreads knowledge about people with disabilities and tries to change people’s perceptions about disability. Every September foundation organizes a special event for corporations designed to help by running! A charitable cause - TOGETHER WE CAN SUPPORT FURTHER BENEFICIARIES AFTER AMPUTATION AND WITH MOTOR DISABILITY.

This year the health and safety of the participants were the most important, so the run was prepared in a new formula – Poland Business Run 2.0. We still had 5-runner teams, but each runner had to cover the Poland Business Run distance (4km) alone in a location of their choice. It wasn’t necessary to run, as before, in a specific city, but in any place in the world – other cities, countryside, mountains, or even abroad. The idea was – run wherever you want for those who cannot do this!

Several thousand participants are the number that made this charity relay the biggest sporting event in Poland in 2020! This year's business run showed that despite the difficult time for all of us, we can create a project together that gives a sense of normality, community, and dedication.

The Noble Gift known as a Szlachetna Paczka is the largest and most recognizable foundation in Poland which helps families in need. It implements a system of smart, personalized aid, thanks to which material and mental support go to concrete people and families in difficult situations. The Noble Gift responds to the actual needs of the recipients in the form of Christmas gifts.

ALK GBSC unlike other companies, in addition to traditionally collected products and gifts, year by year is preparing special auction to gain more funds and have fun together at the same time. Our employees voluntarily ‘sell’ to each other services or things made by themselves for example homemade bread, jam, liqueur, individual photo session, or some pieces of art like linocuts. The most popular and desired is always an additional day off given by our Director.

This year we’ve collected not only enough funds to respond to all family needs but a lot more. The amount of money exceeded our wildest dreams so we could give them more than we expected at the beginning. We hope that our support gave the family a bit of happiness and also gave them an impulse for change and motivation to become independent and take responsibility for their lives as the aim of Szlachetna Paczka is.

Our cultural beliefs are not only present in our everyday duties. We are happy to support a foundation that operates with similar beliefs. As we can see the Noble Gift also works with the idea of doing the right thing, take ownership, dare to make tough decisions, but also building bridges - helping others, understanding someone else's perspective, motivating to act, and seeing that together you can do more!

One thing is for sure, this was a strange year and a lot of things have happened. For the first time since ALK GBSC was created, we were not able to spend time together outside the office and even in the office. All of our regular awaydays, Spirit Days, planned trainings, business trips, parties, and other team-building activities were cancelled. What is more remote work has become our normality.

No one expected that Covid-19 will keep us at home for so long, but it seems that we are living in a constantly changing world. Despite all obstacles, we have adapted to the new dynamic situation and at the same time, we have achieved a lot by providing new ways of working while constantly looking for better solutions. We have accomplished a majority of our goals. Additionally, this time challenged us to even fulfill continuous improvements in the new environment.

We have transferred most of our projects to remote mode, planned online events for the next year, and provided developments regardless of Covid-19. During this year HR Team was working on a new time and absence system to deliver the best quality services. Moreover, we started to prepare additional office space to guarantee safe work conditions for employees after we return to the office and obviously because of our future growth:)

There is no way of knowing what 2021 will bring but one thing is for sure – ALK is still growing and building a solid foundation for the upcoming years. We have learned a lot so that we can confidently step into 2021, and all the years ahead. We can manage various difficult situations and handle any adversities. As ALK we have a strong future. This past year was without a doubt a big lesson for us. Not only we have learned that we can cope with surprising situations but also easily adapt to change for the better.

February

• ALK announces drug discovery partnership with American biotech company X-Chem.

March

• The annual general meeting elects Anders Hedegaard as the new Chairman of ALK’s Board. 
• ALK launches klarify digital platform in Denmark.
• COVID begins to impact business operations and clinical activities.

June

• ALK launches clarify digital platform in Ireland.
• ALK secures rights to market OTIPRIO™ in the USA.

August

• Q2 report: Revenue unchanged with tablet sales up 25% and EBITDA up 213%.

October

• ALK launches ITULATEK™ tablet for tree pollen allergy in Canada.
• RAGWIZAX®   for ragweed allergy is approved for children in Europe.

November

• ALK updates its full-year financial outlook to reflect improved earnings and cash flow as well as growth at the lower end of the guidance range.
• Q3 report: Revenue up 7% with tablet sales up 52% and EBITDA up 61%.

December

• RAGWITEK®  for ragweed allergy is approved for children in Canada.
• Full-year 2020 financial results: Revenue up 8% with tablet sales up 42% and EBITDA up 64%.

In ALK we know that being appreciated is very important, not only in the workplace but also in everyday life. Appreciation is what makes people feel good, and is what gives people the motivation to keep doing nice things for other people.
ALK employees have a great chance to show their coworkers how much they appreciate them by High Five Awards. We recognize the exceptional performance and achievements of a short-term nature based on our cultural beliefs.

Two High Five awards are now behind us. In February the following people were awarded:
Paulina and Piotrek from General Ledger Team
Monika from Accounts Receivable 
Artur and Paweł - Infrastructure Services
and Ania - Global Commercial Excellence.

The following individuals were recognized for their outstanding achievements in the April handout:
Darek - Corporate Reporting, Tax, Treasury, and Compliance
Damian - Infrastructure Services
Krzyś - IT Support
Maciek - Finance Standardization & Continuous Improvement 
Rafał - Sales Team
Michał - SAP Team.

Congratulations to all and we are looking forward to the next nominations :)

Building Bridges is one of the most important cultural beliefs in ALK. By creating a place where everyone is connected, seeking mutual understanding, and reaching out to colleagues, we believe that spending time together brings us closer. We can achieve better results together than we can alone.

The pandemic separated us from each other for such a long time. After 461 days of barely seeing each other, and in some cases not seeing at all, we had the best opportunity to meet and spend some time together outside of the office.

In late June, we met at Barka Augusta- a floating restaurant- a barge that has been converted into a restaurant. The Barka situated in an amazing location, on the Vistula River, provided us pleasant views of the city, delicious food, and all this outdoors.