Małgorzata Szymczuk
Founder and Managing Partner
Our name contains exceptional symbolism. In kimbundu, one of Angola’s main languages, the word “kwenda” means "to go ahead". However, Quenda’s work is not just about dynamism, because quality always takes priority. That’s why we replaced the first two letters from "Kw" with "Qu" with reference to Quality as fundamental value of our activity.
The common logo of Quenda Group’s companies is also far from random. It represents a shield, which symbolises security and protection, but at the same time alludes to a mask, representing African traditions and beliefs. It is a combination of modernity and deep respect for the culture, which keeps inspiring us.
We believe that quality and reliability are key to our growth and values we transfer to our clients. We take pride in the fact that every element of our brand identity exudes a sense of mission and passion which drive us every day.
At Quenda, people are the most precious asset. We value experience and other skills of our employees and create work environment in which everyone can take satisfaction and sense of pride in her/his work. We build a solid team taking into account unique characteristics of each member. For us, company’s growth is sustainable only when it translates itself into each employee’s personal growth. In our team, experienced senior staff, mostly from Poland comes together with young, talented Angolans. This is how we pave way to actual transfer of knowledge and experience, essential to unlock the enormous potential of human capital in Angola.
Section under construction - we will keep adding information about members of our team.
Founder and Managing Partner
Founder and Managing Partner
Chief Technical Officer
Director of construction of the Regional Maritime Surveillance Centre in Lobito
Site director of the 3rd phase of construction of the University of Namibe
Civil engineer in Namibe
Civil engineer in Namibe
Office manager and PR person
Financial coordinator in Angola
Civil engineer in Namibe
Translator and administrative coordinator in Lobito
Translator and administrative coordinator in Namibe
Founder and Managing Partner
Started her career in international oil&gas industry as a specialist at the Research and Exploration Department of Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG SA) and later with Shell Poland.
Since 2008 her professional life has been developing in Africa, where she first worked as an expert on UN with the embassy of Poland in Nairobi. Between 2009 and 2013 she was the consul of Poland in Luanda. In 2013 she was appointed as acting chargée d’affaires of Poland in Luanda. The embassy she was in charge of representing Polish interests in 6 countries of Central Africa with total area of ca. 4,7 m km² and population of over 143 m.
Throughout her diplomatic career she considered a priority the promotion of economic and commercial cooperation between Poland and countries of Central Africa. She co-organized multiple Polish business missions to Angola and other countries of the region and supported Polish companies in their endeavours to enter African markets.
She decided to end the diplomatic career to pursue new challenges in business. Using the vast experience acquired in Africa and a broad network of contacts, she developed the business model Quenda Group is based on.
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Founder and Managing Partner
Has been professionally involved with Angola since 2004. He worked in the country as a university lecturer and a manager. He wrote several articles and books about Angola, Portuguese speaking countries and Southern Africa.
Since 2008 he has been working on international construction projects in Africa. While working for Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs he supervised the implementation of projects under polish development cooperation programme in Kenya and Rwanda and afterwards in Angola and the Republic of Congo.
Having concluded diplomatic career as a deputy head of mission at the Polish embassy in Luanda in 2012, he took part in the management of the construction and equipment of the Namibe Fishery and Marine Science Academy in Angola, considered to be the biggest Polish project in Africa. In 2017 he started a new chapter in his professional career by joining Quenda.
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Chief Technical Officer
Five decades of Krzysztof’s professional experience, which includes implementation of large-scale projects in Poland, Africa and the Middle East, is a significant contribution to the quality of Quenda’s undertakings. Having graduated from the Technical University of Gdańsk as Master of Civil Engineering specialized in hydraulic structures, went on to build an impressive portfolio, combining roles of designer and manager. He was chief designer of some of most significant infrastructural projects in Poland including the construction of water reservoir in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki, Deepwater Container Terminal – DCT in Gdańsk, container terminal in Ostrów Grabowski at the Port of Szczecin, refurbishing of Swedish Wharf at the Port of Gdynia or the construction of Large-scale Steel Structures’ Production Plant in Ostrów Brdowski, Szczecin. He also developed technical designs of the Central Sea Port in Gdańsk and of the cooling system of the first Polish nuclear power plant.
Krzysztof’s first foreign assignment was in 1982 in Iraq. For 2 years he was designing and supervising the construction of an irrigating system in Al-Khalis district in Central Iraq, and supervised the construction 23 water treatment plants near Basra.
At the end of 1990s he was involved in the project of expansion of Nigerdock shipyard in Lagos, Nigeria. Over the years he worked as chief engineer, designer and head advisor to the Contract Engineer, being responsible, i.a, for managing over 300 employees of local subcontractors, collaboration with a Dutch technical partner, relations with Nigerian authorities and supervision over the warranty period.
In the following years he developed several projects in the field of maritime infrastructure in Libya. Krzysztof was the general designer in projects such as: the conversion of part of the port of Tripoli to a container terminal, construction of a fishing port in Garabulla, refurbishing and conversion of the Port of Derna. He was also active in Malta, designing Grand Harbour marina.
Krzysztof’s professional involvement with Angola dates from 2011, when he developed technical specifications of the 2nd phase of construction and equipment of Namibe Fishery and Marine Science Academy (currently University of Namibe). Subsequently, as chief designer he was responsible for development of the entire technical documentation of the project. Between 2014 and 2016 he worked in Namibe supervising the construction works under the project. After few years of work in Poland, Krzysztof decided to return to Angola by joining Quenda. As the Group’s CTO he is based in Angola, where he coordinates the work of local teams and supervises other activities underway in Poland.
His personal presence in Angola reflects the importance Quenda Group attributes to quality of its projects’ quality.
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Director of construction of the Regional Maritime Surveillance Centre in Lobito
With a professional career spanning over 40 years, Jan is a highly experienced civil engineer. After graduating from the Technical University of Cracow, he worked as a structural designer at Miastoprojekt, an architecture and urban planning office. Jan’s first foreign assignment was in Iraq in 1989, where he worked as site engineer at a petrochemical complex in Baghdad. His experience in civil engineering in Africa dates to 1992, when he supervised execution of essential structures at a petrochemical complex in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. After several years of working as a structural designer in the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, Jan returned to Africa.
During well over a decade, he was involved in construction of various infrastructures for oil&gas industry in Nigeria, including residential and administrative buildings, hospitals, roads, airstrips and jetties. Most of the projects were in Bonny Island. He was responsible for management of construction sites and ensuring the compliance of cost, schedule, quality and HSE requirements, that are very strict in oil&gas industry. His final Nigerian assignment was construction of a hotel in Lagos for a renowned international brand. Back in Poland he managed the civil construction component of an energy infrastructure project.
Before joining Quenda in 2024, Jan worked in East Africa, as a construction manager of a resort and residential project on Zanzibar Island, Tanzania.
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Site director of the 3rd phase of construction of the University of Namibe
A Wrocław University of Science and Technology graduate. Wiktor started his professional career during studies. He worked as site engineer on road construction projects, including a ring road within S11 expressway and a bridge in Kostrzyń nad Odrą.
In 2022 he moved to Denmark to work as site engineer on construction of Mary Elisabeth children hospital in Copenhagen. While working in Poland and abroad his responsibilities included planning and supervision of the works to meet quality standards, verification and obtaining of approvals of material, analysis of technical documentation and reporting.
In 2023 Wiktor joined Quenda’s team to manage civil construction works in the project of 3rd phase of construction and equipment of the University of Namibe.
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Civil engineer in Namibe
A Warsaw University of Technology graduate with experience in supervising and managing construction projects.
For over 10 years he has participated in public procurement and commercial projects in Poland and abroad. He participated in construction of schools, hospitals, churches, public utility buildings and cultural heritage sites. Before joining Quenda he worked as site supervisor in Belgium and site engineer in Sweden.
He is interested in construction with use of natural material.
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Civil engineer in Namibe
Angolan cvil engineer, born in Lubango. Despite her young age, she managed to acquire considerable professional experience.
She participated in various construction projects in Southern Angola, including residential and public utility buildings, such as a hospital, offices or even a flight simulator for the air force. She worked both in contractors’ team and as technical supervisor.
Paulette’s skills, dynamism and dedication prove that Quenda’s decision to seek young Angolan talents and to assist their growth was right.
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Office manager and PR person
His diverse career includes professional sports and law studies. As a footballer he left Angola for the UK, where he lived between 2006 and 2010. Afterwards, he became a sport official, reaching the position of vice-president for football at the Clube Nacional de Benguela sports club between 2014 and 2016.
In the following years he worked with several Angolan companies as a PR person. In March 2022 he joined Quenda, working first in Lobito and Namibe during setting up of the company’s local offices. In August 2023 he assumed the current position at Quenda’s main office in Luanda.
The skills and abilities aquired by Edi during his career in sports, such as resilience, discipline and a strong team spirit make up his contribuition to Quenda’s activity.
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Financial coordinator in Angola
Graduate of the Methodist University of Angola, one of the leading higher education institutions in the country, Suaíla has over 12 years of professional experience. She joined Quenda in 2023, becoming responsible for finance and accounts of the Group’s Angolan company. She is exceptionally dedicated, precise, rigorous and patient, which all are very desirable traits in her profession.
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Civil engineer in Namibe
Graduated from the Technical University of Gdańsk, with master’s degree in civil engineering and post graduate studies in project management. During her professional career of over 8 years, she has participated in residential, road and railway construction projects. She supervised execution of concrete, structural and finishing works. And supervised subcontractors’ teams. Her curriculum also includes work at a design bureau.
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Translator and administrative coordinator in Lobito
Altough excellent working knowledge of Portuguese is key element of her current job description, Martyna graduated in Danish philology at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. During her professional career she worked at Danish Crown Global Business Services, IBM and as language teacher. All her positions required good organizational skills and autonomy. Martyna learned Portuguese as a hobby. She was recruited by Quenda during her trip through Southern Africa, having traveled across Angola, Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique.
At our site office in Lobito, she is responsible for administrative matters and translator from Polish to Portuguese and from Portuguese to Polish. She acts as interpreter during meetings and activities on the construction sites and translates technical documentation and correspondence.
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Translator and administrative coordinator in Namibe
Born in Angola, at the age of eight Taryane moved to Poland where she completed primary, secondary and high school and went on to study business management and project management and data analysis. It was also in Poland that she started her professional career as customer service and workforce management specialist.
Her unique combination of Angolan origin and extensive Polish background puts Taryane in a position to strongly contribute to Quenda’s activity in Angola.
At the office in Namibe, which oversees the construction sites of the University of Namibe and the Regional Maritime Surveillance Centre, Taryane is responsible for administrative matters and translations. She participates in day-to-day relations with our local partners and service providers, also acting as interpreter. She also takes care of accountancy and HR-related issues at the local level. Taryane also translates technical documentation and correspondence.
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Quenda Group’s activity consists of implementation of turn-key projects including:
elaboration of preliminary concepts;
development of complete implementation documentation;
execution of construction and assembly works as general contractor;
deliveries of materials and equipment;
start-up and management of completed facilities;
training and consultancy services related to the maintenance.
We participate in public procurement in Angola in the following areas:
education and higher education;
defence and security;
public works;
energy and water supply.
According to requirements of our clients we assist in sourcing financing for implementation of our projects.
The project is a part of Angola’s national programme of maritime security called “Kalunga”, which envisages creation of a modern, integrated system bolstering the country’s capability in the following aspects:
surveillance of sea traffic in the national waters;
protection of natural maritime resources;
security of economic activities at sea (fisheries, oil and gas offshore production);
countering illicit activities (poaching and illegal immigration);
reinforcing the security of maritime borders.
The programme is deemed a priority in the field of state security of Angola and its’ implementation is supervised by the President’s Office. Within the “Kalunga” programme, Quenda is executing two parallel contracts with the Angolan Ministry of National Defence, Former Combatants and Homeland Veterans, each of which provides for construction and equipment of a command and surveillance centre of covering a part of the coast – one located in Lobito, Benguela province and the other in Moçâmedes, Namibe province.
Colaborating closely with the Angolan party Quenda has developed the entire technical documentation. Currently, Quenda’s technical teams manage the works at the two construction sites, supervising local subcontractors and coordinating specialist technical teams from Polish suppliers. Quenda is also responsible for the Logistics, with most of material and equipment being imported from Poland.
The project, along with the construction of the Regional Maritime Surveillance Centres in Lobito and Namibe, is a part of the “Kalunga” national maritime security programme. Under two contracts signed with the Ministry of National Defence, Former Combatants and Homeland Veterans, Quenda is responsible for designing, construction and fitting out of 6 radar stations and 11 relay stations located along the central and southern part of the coast, stretching over 700 kilometres in the provinces of Cuanza Sul, Benguela and Namibe.
Quenda continues the tradition of Polish contribution to one of the most ambitious endeavors of the Government of Angola in the field of higher education: creation from scratch of a modern maritime oriented university in Namibe in the south of the country.
Established in 2017 as the Namibe Academy of Fishery and Marine Sciences, in 2020 it was transformed into the University of Namibe, currently numbering more than 5000 students.
The third phase of construction and equipment of the University of Namibe envisages completion of the existing campus to attain its projected functionality.
The project consists of two major types of elements: construction of new facilities and services.
The construction part includes design, construction and equipment of buildings, which are deemed essential for the academic community such as: library, auditory and offices for lecturers, canteen, clinic and sports centre along with expansion of the general infrastructure.
The services include pedagogical support and international certification of the university (to be carried out in collaboration with a leading Polish scientific institution) as well as maintenance and technical assistance of the specialist equipment and installations.
The project is financed by an export credit facility extended by Standard Chartered Bank and supported by the Polish export credit agency (ECA) – KUKE S.A. It’s the first project in which the Polish ECA is the sole guarantor.
For the purpose of implementation of the project, Quenda Business Initiative sp. z o.o. as the General Contractor formed a consortium with Torhamer sp. z o.o. sp.k., a leading Polish engineering company specializing in infrastructure.
Quenda Group’s key clients are Angolan public administration bodies, including the Ministry of National Defence, Former Combatants and Homeland Veterans and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation.
We cooperate with international banks and financial institutions such as Standard Chartered Bank, Kommunalkredit, Standard Bank and the Polish ECA – KUKE S.A. Among our partners are leading civil construction companies from Poland and Angola and with international suppliers of latest technologies and equipment, which participate in our projects as subcontractors and suppliers.
phone_forwarded +48 574 710 101 (Poland)
phone_forwarded +244 924 000 590 (Angola)
mail office@quenda.pl
ul. Zajęcza 15
00-351 Warszawa
NIP: 5252714523
REGON: 367549150
KRS: 0000682793
NIP: 5252663257
REGON: 364769833
KRS: 0000624163
Belas Business Park
torre Cuanza Norte
2º andar, fracção 202
via S10, Talatona
Luanda
NIF: 5001018809
Registo comercial: 15.223 - 22/220428