Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz

He was born in Kielce on July 29, 1961. He is the great-grandson of Nobel Prize winner Henryk Sienkiewicz.

He graduated from the 9th Secondary School in Krakow and then studied history at the Jagiellonian University. In the 1980s, he was one of the leaders of the student opposition movement.

He was active in the Independent Students' Association. He was responsible, among other things, for printing and distributing second-circulation publications, such as the "Bulletin of the Independent Students' Association". He was detained and repressed many times by the security apparatus of the Polish People's Republic. In 2015, he was awarded the Cross of Freedom and Solidarity for his activities.

After the fall of the Polish People's Republic, he was one of the key people reforming the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the years 1990-2002 he worked at the State Protection Office as an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was among the founders of the Center for Eastern Studies, where he served as deputy director responsible for Eastern issues, as well as chairman of this institution.

He lectured at the National Defense University in Warsaw, and was also a member of the boards of the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the Central Training Center of the Internal Security Agency.

In the years 2002-2013 he worked as an entrepreneur in the consulting industry, specializing in investment risk assessment. He is the author of numerous columns, published, among others, as part of permanent cooperation with "Tygodnik Powszechny". Nominated for the Grand Press award for one of his texts.

In 2013-2014, he held the position of Minister of Interior and Administration, as well as coordinator of secret services. Member of the Sejm of the 9th and 10th term