After 20 years as Country Manager at DKV Mobility Poland, Michal Balakier is retiring. Anna Biekionis, who has known the company for 22 years, was chosen as his successor. She started working for DKV Mobility on 1 April 2001 in the Customer Service Department, and over the years she was promoted to various positions. Now she will be the first woman to manage the Polish branch of DKV Mobility. Anna Biekionis took her time to give us an insight into her role, career and the journey she took with DKV Mobility.

Newsroom: How do you feel after the first months in your new role? For the Polish branch of DKV Mobility, this is the first such change after almost a quarter of a century of Michal Bałakier running the company.

Excited and very busy, that's for sure. However, I will also answer - surprisingly calmly. I have been preparing for this role for months. And if you look more broadly, at the people, customers and relations in the company, it has been much longer, because many years ago I took up the position of a Team Manager in Poland. So I know very well where I am, who I am working with and the tasks ahead of me.

Newsroom: How long have you known the company?

I have been working here for 22 years. You could say that the DKV Card has always accompanied me. But I look back on this time primarily through the prism of changes on the market, of "maturing" together with customers who now dominate international transport throughout Europe. We have been through changes in payment systems, new technologies in tolls, more than one crisis and quite a few victories together. That's a ragbag of time and a bag of experience that now helps me a lot.

Newsroom: There is a lot going on in the company. DKV Mobility is offering completely new services to its customers, the network is expanding, entering the area of new technologies and telematics. How is the market responding to this?

Very well, because times have changed too. Our customers, after the challenges of the last two years, have become extremely flexible, they are quick to make decisions, they make widespread use of new technology, apps, smartphones, new options in services. They are now more open to advice and the introduction of customized solutions. Such changes have been demanded of them - and of us - by times of pandemic and war. It is simply that those carriers who have not been afraid of challenges, and switched quickly to new markets, routes or commodities, have done best.

Newsroom: How did the last years influence the growth of DKV Mobility?

We are reaching for new services, but also strengthening the core competences like fuel and toll. The development of the fuel network is moving forward, keeping us as the provider of the largest brand independent acceptance network. The number of fuel service stations now stands at around 63,000 locations, and on top of this, we bet on alternative fuels many years ago. Today, we can boast nearly 20,000 stations that allow refueling with LNG, CNG and LPG, hydrogen.

Newsroom: The network of charging points is growing rapidly. Last November, DKV Mobility signed an agreement with the Polish charger operator Elocity.

Yes. The latest offshoot has just become the creation of an infrastructure for electric cars, so that such transactions can be settled with a single fuel card. Thus, we show that the DKV Mobility offer is equally directed at owners of passenger cars and professional transport. In Poland, it is becoming increasingly popular to invest in entire fleets of electric cars, which are environmentally friendly and work well in large agglomerations. We are signing agreements with local but also international charger operators so that their customers can easily account for the cost of powering their cars.

In Poland, Elocity joined us with a network of 700 points. Previously, we offered GreenWay, EV Plus, EV Box, LMS PL, lonity or PowerDot chargers in Poland. The special card we use for this purpose - DKV Card +Charge - is today accepted as a means of payment at around 468,000 electric stations across Europe. We have several electric car enthusiasts in the team, so I try to support them with new ideas for the development of this market.

Newsroom: Next to fuel, road tolls are the second major item in transport costs.

This segment has probably seen the biggest changes. When I joined the company in the late 1990s, we operated Telepass billing in Italy, which was the only modern toll system in Europe. The rest of Europe operated on vignettes or various types of toll tickets. I personally accompanied the implementation of each new system, as DKV Mobility has always strived to offer its services there as quickly as possible.

This is how we have arrived at a new era of tolling - the EETS standard and a single toll billing system in many countries. This is a huge progress. Today, this service is available with us in 16 toll collection systems in 13 European countries via the DKV BOX EUROPE. The latest expansion was now in February - to include bridges in Denmark and Sweden. We treat support in settling road tolls first and foremost as removing a major financial issue from the shoulders of carriers. We not only handle all the paperwork, but also make sure that the type and amount of toll is best matched to the type of vehicle and haulage. The idea is to simplify the whole process so that the client does not waste their resources and is more competitive. We also provide VAT refunds on toll transactions, another source of savings.

Newsroom: Exactly, the issue of savings. VAT refunds on fuel and other purchases leave a lot in the carriers' pockets. Is it for the same reason that DKV Mobility has decided to invest in telematics? There has been a lot of talk about the DKV LIVE platform for some years now.

Cost efficiency is one of our customers' biggest challenges. And DKV LIVE serves them as a platform for intelligent digital services that make them have their fleet at their fingertips. On this platform, companies can see in real time where, when and how much fuel is being refueled. All transactions are automatically recorded and the system helps them navigate to the filling station - estimating the time when a vehicle runs out of fuel. We call this 'digital fuel management'. Combined with telematics, we can track each vehicle on a map in real time, and soon - send information to the driver. Or check engine parameters or driving style. Companies additionally save money with a digital tachometer reader. I think DKV LIVE is exactly the kind of service for its time - it draws data from many sources and systems so that the customer can make use of it in an instant. I am rooting hard for the development of this service.

Newsroom: At DKV stations, it has recently become possible to pay remotely using a smartphone. How does this solution develop?

Yes, we have an increasing number of such stations across Europe. Currently, the APP&GO Mobile payment function can be used at more than 4,700 points in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Payments are made here from the level of the DKV Mobility mobile application. The solution is proving to be an excellent one, and customers appreciate it for its convenience, as there is no need to enter the station just to pay.

Newsroom: Managing a subsidary of a company that is blazing a trail in so many new fields is no small challenge. What are your priorities for the Polish branch?

The focus will invariably be on the customer. We try to meet their ever-changing needs. As in previous years, we will do everything to ensure that, despite the perturbations in the industry, they feel they have a loyal ally and adviser by their side. We support our customers in optimizing their fuel costs, because with every expansion of the network we have more opportunities in this field. We also want to be the first toll settlement partner: as well in EETS-compliant countries, as in the systems using different infrastructure, as exemplified by the recently introduced Box Scandic for the Scandinavian countries. Moreover, we plan to further develop the DKV LIVE platform, especially in terms of transparency and control over drivers' expenses. All this is to make customers feel safe and valued with us.

Newsroom: What is your recipe for this?

I rely on my team. They are people, some of whom I have known for more than 20 years, and they are joined every year by young and dynamic staff members, with curiosity about the world, exploring new solutions and full of initiative. I see the greatest strength in this otherness and diversity. We strive to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to grow with us and share their passion and commitment with our clients. We work as a team, with a flat company structure we support each other. We set our minds to finding solutions together and we do the same for our customers. And again, good feedback from our customers is the biggest driver for us. It is my aspiration that values such as respect, responsibility and striving for a goal are reflected every day in the operations of the Polish branch.