This year, at the Business Insights 2026 conference organized by Verslo žinios, we brought the perspective of the construction sector: we participated as sponsors, and Gilesta CEO Romas Paliulis took part in a panel discussion dedicated to the industry.
We share selected excerpts from the Verslo žinios article covering the discussion:
How can the construction sector maintain stability amid challenges such as material shortages or a lack of skilled workers? The construction industry does not have the “luxury” of merely putting out fires as they arise, noted Romas Paliulis, CEO of the general contracting and construction company Gilesta:
“A strong construction company must always plan strategically and think ahead. Without that kind of planning, the sector would not have survived crises such as the one we faced in 2022, when Russia began its invasion of Ukraine.”
Paliulis emphasized that global instability can affect the construction sector both in Lithuania and across Europe, making long‑term strategic planning essential to successfully delivering large, multi‑year projects.
“We must anticipate what we will do if plan A, B, or even Z becomes reality. I can say confidently that, for several years now, we have been implementing changes within our company not to solve today’s problems, but to strengthen our resilience for the future. One example is the introduction of the Adizes management methodology, ensuring that the company functions like clockwork — everyone knows their responsibilities and is empowered to make decisions on the spot,” Paliulis explained.
Gilesta is also digitalizing all its data to track historical trends, monitor how material prices shift under different conditions, and forecast what may happen next.
“We don’t make decisions based on intuition — we rely on concrete data and calculations. This has become a strong competitive advantage in the market: when speaking to potential clients, we justify our proposals not with ‘our experience’ but with numbers and data that clearly support what we say. This makes it much easier for clients to trust us and invest,” the CEO added.
Technological innovation and sustainability trends are also reshaping the construction sector.
“Even those who tend to adopt innovations more slowly must plan strategic changes in these areas, as this is driven both by new regulations and the expectations of a new generation of workers. The construction sector is undergoing significant tectonic shifts, and the key is not only to manage them but to harness them — not to create new crises, but to achieve better results,” Paliulis stressed.