Meet Eva & Dominic, the power duo behind Polaron
At Polaron, we often talk about history, heritage and the stories that shape who we are. But one story many of our newer clients don’t yet know is the story behind our own beginnings and the two people who built Polaron into what it is today.
To bring a more personal glimpse into the heart of the company, we sat down with our founders, Eva and Dominic, for a lighthearted Q&A. From their day-to-day routines and global travels to surprising hobbies, proudest achievements and even the mischievous behaviour of their cat, this interview offers a warm look behind the scenes of Polaron.
Many of our newer clients might not know the story behind Polaron’s founders. Could you introduce yourselves and share what brought you both to Australia, and why Australia?
Dominic: “I’m Dominic. I’m the 4th child of parents who moved around quite a bit, so my three sisters and I were all born in different (neighbouring) countries. I almost moved to Australia at 18 to study, but chose to go to London instead. I came here 15 years ago now and the reason is Eva. Before that, I was living and working in Luxembourg.”
Eva: “I was born and grew up in communist Poland, arriving in Australia as a refugee 40 years ago, via France. Australia was always a natural choice as I already had some family here. When I was child, I loved history and languages so running up a business that combines both is truly a dream come through.”
Eva, you and Dominic work together and live together. How did you first meet, and how did Dominic find his place within Polaron?
Dominic: “What can I say? The world of language services is an incubator for romance! I was a project manager in Luxembourg, looking for an urgent, massive translation into Polish. I found out about Eva, picked up the phone, woke her up at 4 in the morning and the rest is history!”
Eva: “In those days, we did a lot of translations for the European Commission and it’s true that they were usually massive and urgent. The phone actually rang at 2 am and to Dominic’s question: “Sorry, did I wake you up?” Keen to get another project over the line, I lied and said: “No, not at all”, even though I was fast asleep. We bonded over crazy deadlines and brutal all-nighters!”
How did Polaron start? Was there a specific moment when you thought, “Yes, this is what we’re meant to build”?
Dominic: “Eva is best placed to tell this story. She comes from a family of enterprising people and what started as a single person Polish-English translation and interpreting operation grew into what Polaron is today.”
Eva: “Both sides of my family were businesspeople but WW2 and then communism quashed our entrepreneurial spirit. Starting from scratch in Australia was hard but it seems business runs in my veins. And I could never imagine that Polaron, which I set up on my kitchen table 25 years ago, would have over 50 staff, four global offices and thousands of happy European citizens.”
What does a typical day look like for each of you and are your days actually as similar as people think?
Dominic: “Our days are probably more different that people would think. Eva is out and about a lot more than me. I’m more of a back-office kind of guy. Eva works about 10 times more than I do. I’m pretty sure she works while she sleeps!”
Eva: “Yes, I do work in my sleep (I’m joking). But it’s not unusual for me to send emails in the middle of the night. We work across numerous time zones and for our clients, time can be of essence. I do a fair bit of travelling as my job involves meeting with government officials, diaspora organisations and various community organisations. I wear a few different hats, including that of Honorary Consul of the Republic of Austria in Victoria and sit on a few different boards and associations. I love the dynamic nature of my job!”
What’s one thing people would be surprised to learn about you, either personally or professionally?
Dominic: “Hard to say! I’m an open book!”
Eva: “That I love watching documentaries. I can spend a whole weekend watching real stories: from politics to serial killers.”
You’ve both taken Polaron from an idea to an international company. What has been your proudest moment so far?
Dominic: “I don’t know about a single proudest moment. I’m proud to be able to say we are (probably) the best in the world at what we do. Otherwise, my pride comes from small moments where I can see we’ve made a positive impact on somebody’s life.”
Eva: “So, so many proud moments! Every time the team helps someone get their European citizenship, every time we find archival documents for a client and every time we discover stories of resilience, culture and European heritage. Oh! And we’ve had several Polaron babies! Some are already in high school.”
You work across so many countries and cultures. Which place has inspired you the most?
Dominic: “We travel a fair bit for work, but mostly to the same places! Every year, we go to Poland, Czechia and New York where we have offices. The most exotic place we went for work was South Africa, which was quite the experience!”
Eva: “New York is my favourite city in the world, despite its flaws. It’s where my 95 year uncle lives so every time we go to New York for work, we get to catch up and reminisce. He is an amazing Holocaust survivor who can still recite poems he learned in Poland as a child.”
Who is more organised? Who is more spontaneous?
Dominic: “Me. Eva.”
Eva: “True, true! I am spontaneously organised. Or organisadely spontaneous.”
What do you hope people feel when they work with Polaron for the first time?
Dominic: “Part of a family.”
Eva: “The weight of history, heritage and pride we handle for our clients.”
For someone just starting their EU citizenship journey, what’s one piece of advice you wish everyone knew?
Eva: “Get the experts to help you! Honestly, unless you love bureaucracy, having a company like Polaron assist you with the paperwork is a life saver.”
What’s one thing you’re excited to grow, build, or explore next, either for Polaron or personally?
Dominic: “Workwise, I’m working on rolling out a company-wide system to help us manage our workloads. It’s a big project, but it’s progressing well. At a personal level, I’ve always got a musical project on the go. I’m currently very excited about a possible project involving the guzheng, a cool Chinese harp-like instrument. I’m also quite excited to have a song from one of my albums played on the radio in the next few days.”
Eva: “After all these years, I am still excited about my work: about uncovering people’s stories and changing their lives by providing them with a Plan B that an EU citizenship can be for many in this day and age.”
And finally, what’s the funniest or most memorable moment you’ve had while working together?
Dominic: “We’ve had a few curveballs over the years and – strangely – although we work hard and often carry a fair bit of stress, we do get to have quite a bit of fun too!”
Eva: “We laugh a lot, and I mean a lot. We both have a quirky sense of humour that helps us survive all the stress that running a business can bring. We have a cat that’s both extremely annoying and cute. Dominic only speaks French to him and I swear at him in Polish when he bites my toes. We find it hilarious.”
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