Romanian born and educated, with more than 20 years of experience in private equity, investment banking and privatization, Cristian Nacu is one of the most experienced and respected managers and investment professionals in the region. For 10 years he has been Partner in Enterprise Investors, one of the largest and oldest private equity firms in Central and Eastern Europe and he managed EI’s Representative Office in Romania. In addition, for two years he has been also senior advisor of the President of the firm. Enterprise Investors has been one of the most active and successful private equity investors in CEE and Romania. Active since 1990, Enterprise Investors has raised nine funds with total capital exceeding EUR 2.5 billion. These funds have invested EUR 1.8 billion in 139 companies and exited 126 companies with total gross proceeds of EUR 3.6 billion, including 34 IPOs of portfolio companies completed on the stock exchanges in Warsaw (WSE), Prague (PSE) and New York (NYSE). Previously, Cristian Nacu worked as investment professional for over 6 years for International Finance Corporation within the World Bank Group and for two years as top executive for Fondul Proprietatii de Stat, the former governmental privatization agency. He also had a prestigious non-profit activity being board member or chairing many professional or non-profit organizations. He is Chairman of the board of Junior Achievement Romania, one of the world largest educational organization for entrepreneurial skills and has been for many years President of SEEPEA, the South Eastern European private equity association and board member of Nesst Foundation Romania, a supporter of social entrepreneurship. Well recognized investment professional, he received numerous distinctions and awards. Cristian Nacu holds a degree from the Polytechnics University in Bucharest and completed multiple trainings in finance
Roxana Gureanu is an executive and certified board member with over 20 years of experience in finance and operational management at global and emerging companies. She has international experience, spearheading 1.7 billion-euro projects in ten countries—including Romania, Moldova, Austria, Bulgaria, Serbia, the Netherlands, Israel, Switzerland, the Middle East, and the United States and a cross-industry background spanning financial services, construction, FMCG, technology, venture capital, energy, oil & gas, finance, and homeland security projects.
After graduating from Romania’s most prominent economic university, she joined Thomson Reuters as a risk management consultant. She was involved in the company’s most significant project in Romania’s banking system, working closely with C-level directors, which led her to discover her passion for finance and its versatility in solving complex business problems.
In her career, Roxana has held senior leadership positions at prominent companies, including Coca-Cola HBC, S+B Gruppe, PORR Construct, and Habau Group. Throughout the years, she has achieved remarkable results: raising more than €500M in project financing packages, nearly €1B in public and private funding for large development projects, and leading complex financial initiatives resulting in €60M VAT refund.
As Managing Director and Board Member of Habau, an active company in the oil and gas sector, she played a leading role in launching operations in CEE and managing operations in Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Moldova, overseeing 420 employees. Her focus included homeland security key pipeline projects, such as BRUA, the Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnector, the Romania-Republic of Moldova interconnector, and Neptun Deep, which are crucial for European energy security and infrastructure development in the context of the geopolitical events in Ukraine. As managing director, she demonstrated strong expertise in interpreting stakeholders’ priorities and aligning expectations, playing a leading role in the development of the RepowerEU plan. This effort contributed to Europe’s energy security by ensuring alternative gas supplies during the war in Ukraine.
In addition to corporate finance, Roxana shows strong entrepreneurial motivation. She co-founded Class IT Outsourcing, one of the first IT outsourcing companies in Romania, and has been the CFO of Sparking Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm, since 2017.
She is an active participant in the high-level business communities and is a member of the CEO Clubs, Envisia Board of Directors, Petroleum Club of Romania (where she serves as auditor), Romanian Business Leaders, and PWN Romania.
She holds a BA dual degree from ASE Bucuresti in banking, stock exchange, and environmental protection. She holds a master’s degree from the same institution and has an EMBA from the WU Executive Academy, as well as a Master of Arts in Board Practice and Directorship from Henley Business School, University of Reading.
Keynote speech at STRATEGICA 2025
This keynote examines how boards in Romania’s oil and gas industry navigate ethical dilemmas generated by escalating geopolitical tensions. Drawing on qualitative insights from fourteen elite interviews, the study explores how directors balance moral intelligence with pragmatism when addressing competing stakeholder demands. By conceptualizing ethics as a strategic capability rather than a constraint, the findings reveal an ongoing transition from compliance-driven, shareholder-oriented governance toward a model grounded in moral stewardship, clarity of purpose, and stakeholder engagement, underpinned by geopolitical intelligence. The analysis highlights the crucial role of Independent Non-Executive Directors (INEDs) with expertise in intelligence and geopolitical risk, whose presence enhances foresight, ethical judgment, and the effectiveness of board decision-making. Ultimately, the keynote argues that informed governance and values-based leadership can transform ethical complexity into a culture of trust, generating sustainable strategic advantage and enabling boards to lead ethically, confidently, and legitimately in conditions of geopolitical uncertainty.
Navigating Ethical Dilemmas in Times of Geopolitical Uncertainty: A Qualitative Boardroom Study from Romania’s Oil and Gas Industry
With 30 years of extensive experience in the Romanian financial and banking sector, Lucian Claudiu Anghel is a highly accomplished and influential figure renowned for his strategic vision and profound understanding of financial markets. Lucian Anghel is a PhD in Economics and a professor at SNSPA, where he teaches management and co-authored several specialized books on banking and economics. Lucian Claudiu Anghel’s distinguished career is marked by a unique blend of practical financial leadership, academic rigor, and a profound commitment to the advancement of the financial industry.
Lucian has held numerous top management positions across various financial institutions and was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, where he significantly contributed to the development of the Romanian capital market.
Keynote speech at STRATEGICA 2025
The presentation focuses on the strategic implementation of Stock Option Plans (SOPs) as a key component of Non-Executive Directors’ (NEDs) compensation, a practice clearly favored in the local capital market where data shows 47% of variable pay is delivered via SOPs. Using SOPs is essential for enhancing NED engagement and aligning principal-agent interests, thereby improving the overall quality of management in local businesses and attracting high-caliber talent. Ultimately, the insights presented here serve as a strong basis for local regulators to refine corporate governance practices and close the management quality gap with more developed international markets.
The Role of Variable Remuneration for Non-executive Directors
Ancuța Vameșu is a Romanian expert in civil society and social economy, with over 30 years of experience in strengthening NGOs, cooperatives, credit unions, and social enterprises. She co-founded and directed the Civil Society Development Foundation and its Institute of Social Economy, and more recently the thinktank Laboratorul de Solidaritate, an affiliate of CIRIEC International, and Vicepresident of the Romanian Network of Social Economy. Her career included roles as an EU High-Level Adviser to the Government of Moldova and with the European Commission Delegation in Romania.
Trained in engineering, public administration, and policy evaluation, she has been a key advocate, researcher, and practitioner promoting social economy models and policies in Romania and beyond.
Keynote speech at STRATEGICA 2025
How social economy actors have evolved in Romania transitioning political and economical regimes their role in providing economic opportunities to less favored and lessons we can draw from their resilience, some reflections on the role of social economy in creating a socially responsible business climate, and, as such a successful economy
Social economy – strategies for resilience in socio-economic crisis – lessons from Romania’s transition
Re-an Müller is an Associate Professor in Marketing Management and Deputy Director of the School of Management Sciences at North-West University (NWU) in South Africa, with 15 years of experience in higher education, including seven years in a leadership role. His research focuses on strategic brand management with a with a particular interest in brand equity. He also supports local entrepreneurs through training and consulting and serves on the Executive Committee of the International Advertising Association South Africa (IAA, SA).
Keynote speech at STRATEGICA 2025
This keynote explores how strategic internal brand management, combined with purposeful fun, can help organisations build resilience from within. By treating engagement as a deliberate, energising tool, leaders can strengthen team alignment and proactively identify risks and opportunities. Discover how inside-out leadership and meaningful engagement can transform internal culture into a competitive advantage.ons on the role of social economy in creating a socially responsible business climate, and, as such a successful economy
Purposeful Fun Meets Strategy: Proactively Building Resilience from the Inside-Out