A cross-border perspective shaped by business and life in Poland.
Born in the Netherlands and raised bilingually in Poland, I have spent much of my life moving naturally between both perspectives. Before building Poland Desk, I also spent more than ten years working in corporate environments across marketing at Google, energy at Shell and banking at Deutsche Bank. The sectors were different, but the work reinforced the same habits: understand the objective, communicate clearly, organise information and follow a process through to a concrete result.
I have always combined that structured experience with an entrepreneurial outlook. Alongside my corporate work, I supported foreign companies operating in Poland and helped with vehicle and property purchase and sale transactions. Poland Desk brings these strands together in one practical, personal service.
Experience built across connected fields.
Property
I have participated in purchases and sales involving apartments, houses and land. I also restored an old house in the Polish mountains and now manage it as a short-term rental, giving me direct experience of ownership, renovation, maintenance and guest operations.
Development and construction
In 2025 I completed a development investment in Kryspinów near Kraków. This experience included the practical coordination and decision-making that sits between property, construction, contractors and the final commercial result.
Automotive
Since 2012 I have regularly bought vehicles in Poland and helped clients in the Netherlands source cars, parts and specialist work. Assignments have included servicing a Jaguar and finding specialists for a Fiat Ducato camper conversion.
Sourcing and local networks
My working network and experience cover automotive, construction, property, metalworking and woodworking. Where another discipline is required, I arrange an appropriate specialist rather than pretending to provide expertise I do not hold.
Languages and perspective
I communicate fluently in Polish, English and Dutch. That matters not only for translation, but for recognising when two sides believe they agreed on the same thing while their expectations are different.
Beyond the assignment
Cars, property and mountain biking are long-standing personal interests. I also have a strong connection to Poland and enjoy helping people from the Netherlands and other countries deal with matters that would otherwise be difficult to organise from abroad. I welcome unfamiliar practical challenges, provided the scope is clear and the right specialist can be involved where needed.
Working style
- direct contact;
- practical scope;
- documented decisions;
- honest limitations;
- flexibility without pretending that every assignment is the same;
- willingness to go to the location and speak with the people involved.
Company data
- Tim van Corven
- Poland Desk
- Kraków, Poland
- NIP 6772388817
Tell me what you need to achieve in Poland.