Girteka

It’s tempting to write a novel now, but I will try to make it short and not emotional 😊 My tenure in Girteka has come to an end. It’s been 5+ years since I joined, and now I have made a decision to step down as a CFO of Girteka and devote next chapter of my career to responsibilities beyond finance function. I will refrain from reflections on who Vytenis was 5 years ago and who Vytenis is now – to be honest I’m not interested in that 😊 BUT what I genuinely am happy about is that I have had an opportunity to witness how Girteka was maturing and how numerous people in the organization have grown and blossomed as professionals and as personalities during these 5 years. This is extremely rewarding. On one hand – it is sad to leave. On another one – I’m calm, because I leave keys of Finance function to my right hand Marius Junda – congratulations Mariau, you deserve it. Short section of thanks: -Shareholders for trust in a 36 year-old dude 5 years ago to run Girteka’s finance function -ExBo team for cooperation and coping with my hot temper sometimes -My leadership team – for trust. I know that my ideas, ambition level and passion is not easy to get used to, but I felt surrounded by like-minded people whom I can trust all the way. -Girteka’s people – you are a breed of its own 😊 in a good sense. I will miss your DNA and will try to replicate it in the future at least to a certain extent. I hope I will be successful. -Partners – I know I can be a tough cookie to deal with sometimes, but the beautiful world of capitalism is very small and valuable relationships that we have built, will definitely be continued in the future 😉 Good luck, Girteka!

On the ground in Bucharest 🇷🇴 with Mindaugas Paulauskas , representing Girteka . Focused days filled with high-value conversations, new connections, and a clear direction forward. We’re here to explore, challenge assumptions, and open doors that don’t open remotely.

I joined the Bloomberg Intelligence Talking Transports podcast with Lee Klaskow to discuss what is shaping Europe’s trucking market today, and what comes next. We covered where stabilization is starting to emerge after the 2023–24 downturn, but also what continues to put the sector under pressure: ongoing rate tension, structural driver shortage, fuel volatility, and the complexity of operating across fragmented European regulations. We also discussed the growing role of temperature-controlled and high-care transport in this environment. Logistics is often framed through cycles and cost pressure. But the real story sits in execution, drivers, fleet, service reliability, and the discipline required to deliver consistently across markets. At Girteka , scale alone is not an advantage. Control is. Focus is. Consistent execution is. That is where resilience is built. Thank you to Lee and Bloomberg Intelligence for the conversation.

I have just returned from Norway, where, together with Daniel Knobloch , Mirza S. , Steinar Heia , Marius Čatrauskas and Robert Schrama , I visited our teams in Namsos and Oslo. Spending time with local teams matters to me because it gives the clearest view of the business - how we operate, where we are strong, where we need to improve, and what our customers expect from us every day. During the visit, we reviewed operations, discussed business performance across the region, assessed fleet and equipment, and aligned on the priorities that matter most in the current market environment. In a business like ours, where expectations remain high and conditions keep changing, clarity, speed and disciplined execution matter more than ever. I would like to sincerely thank our colleagues in Norway, as well as our entire Scandinavian business team across Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland and Georgia. Your contribution, teamwork and collaboration across countries help us stay close to our customers and deliver reliable services every day. This is how we move Girteka forward and deliver on our ambition to become the best-performing temperature-controlled and high-care logistics company with our own fleet. What stands out most is not only operational capability, but the mindset behind it. Professionalism, accountability, collaboration and strong customer focus are what build trust and create predictable results. This is especially important in temperature-controlled and high-care logistics, where execution quality matters every day.

Since I have been working at Girteka for three years already, I would like to reflect on how things have been going for me and what challenges I have faced or continue to deal with in my daily work. Before this, I had not worked in the transport sector, so this time has given me more confidence in every sense, as well as the opportunity to work with some of the biggest brands and very fast changing business enviroment. During this time, I have truly had the honor of working with the most well-known mayonnaise and ketchup manufacturer in its segment. I believe I can be proud that Girteka works with a company that produces every third beer in the world, and we always make sure that during championships or major events, retail chains in Germany do not run out of beer. Every day, we ensure massive volumes of banana transportation for a German food retail network. It is very impressive that Girteka can offer clients 10–40 trucks per day or even more for my customers. I also have more stories and clients that could already be turned into solid movie scenario who we managed deliver and start busines with them. It will be interesting to see what the fourth year at Girteka will bring. I can confidently say that in the transport business, unexpected needs constantly arise, highly dedicated people work in this field, and a company founded in Lithuania is successfully leading in the temperature-controlled cargo sector, meeting a wide range of customer needs 24/7. #transport #memories