Corporate
Governance that
Creates Value

The only professionalization program for board members accredited by the Ministry of Education.

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Envisia – Business School, the first business school in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to the professionalization of board members and the promotion of good corporate governance practices, and the Romanian-American University, one of the most performing higher education institutions in our country, announce for the first time the obtaining of the first official accreditation, MEC and ANC, in Romania for the postgraduate study program "Corporate Governance that Creates Value", based on the strategic partnership between the two institutions.

The “Corporate Governance that Creates Value” program developed by Envisia – Business School, benefits from both academic accreditation through the partnership with the Romanian-American University, and recognition by the capital market industry through the partnership with the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

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By enrolling in the postgraduate program, you will become part of the Envisia community, a high-caliber group, consisting of board members and leaders (top C-suite) of companies in the business environment and financial services industry in the public and private sectors.

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Envisia Boards of Elite is committed to consistently providing its members with educational opportunities, events and informational support to support their professional excellence and ongoing personal development.

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Our faculty is made up of recognized opinion leaders and experts in the field of corporate governance and strategic leadership, with a deep understanding of the local and international market.

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Adrian
Codirlașu, PhD, CFA

Vice-President of CFA Romania and AAFBR, Member of ACI Romania

Adrian is a senior banker with 20 years of experience in banking and financial markets.

He is a CFA charter holdersince 2006 and holds a PhD in International Finance. Adrian has 5-year experience as a Senior Options Dealer with ING Bank where he helped started the bank derivatives business in Romania and over 8 years’ experience in risk management (market, liquidity, operational, reputational and credit risk). Previously, he has been a Senior Economist in the Research Dept. of the National Bank of Romania for about 6 years. Adrian is also an Associate Professor with DOFIN – Doctoral School of Finance, ASE. Between 2011 - 2013, Adrian was the President of the Association of Financial-Banking Analysts in Romania and for the last 13 years Adrian has been a member of the CFA Romania Board of Directors, as well as the association’s President for seven years.

Adriana
Lobdă, MABPD, FCCA

Founding member, Envisia – Boards of Elite

Adriana has over 20 years of experience in auditing and audit advisory services working mainly with Big 4 professional service networks. Starting 2001 she was in charge of coordination of audit missions for a wide range of clients, from medium size companies to large size companies, operating in different industries.

During 2012-2016 she was an audit partner leading one network regional office in Romania. While working for Big 4 companies Adriana acted as liaison partner with various regulatory bodies in Romania and abroad. She was actively involved in liaising with representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Oversight body in Romania during the process of transposition into national law of the statutory audit legislation, finalized in July2017.

She graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies, Faculty of International Business & Trade, with a Master Degree in Economics. She also graduated from the program of Executive Master of Business Administration-from The Institute for Business Administration in Bucharest/ Kennesaw State University, Atlanta.

Andrew
Kakabadse

Chairman of the Board of Directors of Envisia – Boards of Elite, President of the Director Forum Henley Business School, member of Thinkers50

Andrew is Professor of Governance and Strategic Leadership at the UK’s Henley Business School, and also an Emeritus Professor of International Management Development at Cranfield University’s School of Management.

He is currently embarked on a major million global study of boardroom effectiveness and governance practice, with the participation of a number of governments including British Ministers of State. His top team database covers 43 nations and many thousands of private and public-sector organizations.

He holds a number of international Visiting Professorships and Fellowships and has published 45 books, over 230 articles and 18 monographs. Andrew has been made one of ten lifelong members of Thinkers50, the listing of the world’s top 50 business and policy thinkers.

Gabriela
Hârțescu, PhD

Dean, Member of The Board, Envisia – Boards of Elite

Gabriela is the Dean of Envisia – Boards of Elite. In this capacity, she fosters and encourages research within the school and supports curriculum development, the initiation and design of new programs in line with Envisia’s overall curriculum objectives and serves as the education and academic representative of the business school to external bodies.

Gabriela is also the Chair of the Academic Committee at the International Association for Sustainable Economy (IASE) and the President of the Banking Commission, International Chamber of Commerce within the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

She is a member of professional associations such as: Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), Association of the Romanian Financial and Banking Analysts (AAFBR) and Association of Independent Administrators (AAI). 

Gabriela has an extensive experience in financial services industry, before joining Envisia, she was the CEO of the Romanian Banking Institute, Member of the Board of Directors and Chairperson of Triple E EFCB Committee at the European Banking and Financial Services Training Association (EBTN) etc.


She holds a PhD in Finance from the Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest and recently was granted by Henley Business School – University of Reading UK with the title of Visiting Fellow in Marketing and Reputation. 

Carmen
Micu, EMBA, MABPD, MEng

Founding member and CEO, Envisia Boards of Elite | Chair of the Board IASE Global

Carmen is Founder and CEO of ENVISIA-Boards of Elite, the first Business School in Romania for Board Directors and Chair of the Global Organization: International Association for Sustainable Economy.

Senior executive with over 25 years of experience in general management and in marketing & communication, she has held local, regional and global assignments, in companies such as Beiersdorf AG Hamburg, Wella AG and Omnicom Media Group, covering an array of industries from FMCG to Pharma and Media & Advertising.

Strong business development professional, Carmen holds two masters’ degrees and is an alumna from prestigious schools: Wharton Business School, Kellogg School of Management- Northwestern University, IESE Business School, ASEBUSS, University Of Washington. She holds a certification in Hogan psychological evaluation and is a member of the Independent Directors’ Association (AAI).

Carmen is currently Board Vice-President Membership Experience PWN Romania and since 2019 she was Chair of the Nomination Committee Professional Women’s Networks. She has been nominated as PWN Global Member of the Year in 2019. 

Chris
Ansell, CFA

International Consultant, Visiting Fellow Cranfield University

Chris Ansell, CFA has many years’ experience of Equity Markets in London and New York from his time as Investor Relations Manager in BT, the UK telecommunications company, and as senior Equity Analyst at Nomura.

He was Course Director of MSC Global Finance at Coventry University London, and currently is Visiting Fellow at Cranfield University. Chris consults companies on equity markets, and is a CFA instructor to clients in Asia, Europe and North America.

Chris holds an MA in Natural and Electrical Sciences from Cambridge University, MSc in Telecommunication and Information Systems from Essex University, MBA from Cranfield University, is a CFA Institute Charterholder, and a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Mirela
Păunescu, Phd, FCCA, CIA

Consultant

Top consultant, Mirela holds an impressive portfolio of international and national professional qualifications such as: FCCA, CIA, CAFR, CCF and CECCAR along with a solid academic background: a PhD in Accounting from ASE Bucharest and an MBA from Bentley University USA (graduated with High Distinction). She is a highly experienced practitioner, being a partner in a consulting firm. Her main fields of expertise covers: IFRS, Audit, Taxation, Budgeting, Business Planning, etc. Mirela is also an accredited trainer with applied teaching experience both in classroom and on-line courses delivered to professionals looking to acquire additional practical skills, enhanced understanding and solutions in the fields of the trainings.

Mihai
Purcărea, CFA

CEO & President of the Board of BRD Asset Management, Member in AAF Board of Directors, Board Member of CFA Society Romania

Mihai has a broad experience in capital markets and financial investments, being involved for the past 15 years in managing some of the largest investment funds in Romania. He is a CFA charter holder since 2011 and holds a MBA in Financial Management with City University of Seattle (CityU).

He is currently the CEO of BRD Asset Management, a company that manages funds of over 1 billion EUR. Mihai was previously Chief Investment Officer at Erste Asset Management where he was in charge with implementing the strategy of investing over 1.5 billion EUR in assets: shares, bonds and derivatives. He is a Board Member of the CFA Society Romania, a Member in the Board of Directors of AAF and an Aspen Institute Fellow.

Narcisa
Oprea

Program Coordinator "Corporate Governance That Creates Value", Envisia – Boards of Elite; Partner - Schoenherr

Narcisa Oprea has over 20 years of experience in corporate governance and capital markets. Currently, Narcisa is a partner (Bucharest) of Schoenherr law firm.
Prior to joining Schoenherr, Narcisa was head of the capital markets practice at a Romanian law firm, and until 2002 she was Head of Legal at the Bucharest Stock Exchange. Narcisa advised not only companies on corporate governance matters, but also investors seeking to protect their shareholders’ rights in listed companies.

Narcisa served as a non-executive board member of the Bucharest Stock Exchange and of the Corporate Governance Institute.
She is a regular speaker in conferences focusing on corporate governance, being also a trainer certified by the Financial Supervisory Authority.

Narcisa is a very active commentator in public debates on proposed regulations addressing corporate governance matters.
In 2004, Narcisa co-authored the OECD Report on the Romanian implementation of the OECD Corporate Governance Principles.

Flavia
Popa

Secretary General, BRD – Groupe Societe Generale

With more than 20 years of experience in the Romanian financial-banking system, Flavia has been, since 2012, the Corporate Secretary of BRD Groupe Societe Generale. In this capacity, she coordinates various areas such as internal and external communication, activities in the area of CSR, public affairs and sustainability, corporate affairs, as well as activities that involve a holistic approach to the various types of risks that a systemic bank manages.

She acts as a trustee in different organizations such as Fundatia9 or CCIFER.

She is passionate about nature and communities and is involved in projects aiming to positively impact these areas.

She graduated from Law School and followed different programs in banking, psychology, law, business - MBA Seattle University or Insead, but also in diversity&inclusion - Diversity Charter or climate change.

Radu
Hanga

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bucharest Stock Exchange

Radu Hanga is the Chairman of the Board of Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) from 2020. Prior, between 2017 and 2020, he was a member of BVBs’ Board of Governors. As of 2020, he is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Asset Managers in Romania (AAF).

Before, between 2015 and 2020, Mr. Hanga was President of AAF. He has an extensive experience in the financial markets and followed the Strategy Execution Programme (INSEAD), the MBA Program (IDE), postgraduate studies in Business Administration (European Institute for Business Administration UBB), specialization in International Financial System (IBR in partnership with Chartered Institute of Bankers Scotland), Erasmus Program (University of East London).

Mr. Hanga started his career in the financial markets in 1997, as analyst at the brokerage company SSIF Broker (BRK), and in 1999 he joined Banca Transilvania’s team (TLV), as Capital market officer (1999 - 2002). He held more positions in Banca Transilvania group of companies, among which Vice-President of the Board of Directors of BT Securities (2001-2005), Head of Capital Market Department at Banca Transilvania (2002-2013), CEO of SAI BT Asset Management (2005-2013), Strategy Executive Officer-Group Coordination of Banca Transilvania (2013-2017) and Senior Advisor for the Board of Directors of Banca Transilvania (2017-2020). Mr. Hanga was a member of the Board of Directors of other listed companies such as Boromir Prod (2013 – 2017), SIF Moldova (2013 - 2017) and SIF Oltenia (2017 - 2020).

Diana
Stafie

Foresight Strategist, Founder of Future Station

Diana believes we can change the future by choosing to act or not on what happens to us today. To this belief she added extensive training, studies and research on how businesses can manage complex projects and shape their future through Systems Thinking, Strategic Foresight and Futures Scenario Planning.

She is part of the 2019 cohort of the International Certified Future Strategist program. She is a certified Strategic Futures Analysis practitioner and an Ambassador in the Global Scanning Network from Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies. An Associate Member of the World Futures Studies Federation and part of the International Association of Facilitators. A Certified Coach and Ambassador for the Exponential Organization Community (led by Salim Ismail, Singularity University).

Previously Diana worked both as a consultant in the Big4 environment (Ernst & Young, Romania) and in a global corporate organisation (Royal DSM, the Netherlands).

Simona
Pirtea

Managing Partner, Pirtea si Asoc.

Professionalism accompanied by strategic thinking and utter dedication are the attributes which describe Simona’s activity as a business lawyer and risk management expert. Employing her passion for excellence and outstanding positive energy, she has always handled all her business projects by combining thoughts and ideas with feelings and emotions, as the key for success lies not only in the brain and intellectual effort but more so in the heart and connection with people.

Simona is an alumnus of the N.I.A. Bucharest Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication, as well as of the U.B. Faculty of Law, having also obtained several master degrees and diplomas in Corporate Management, Managerial Communication and Human Resources, while also being a certified coach.

Believing in the renewing power of entrepreneurship and in continuous improvement through collective work, Simona is extremely involved in professional networks, volunteer programs and also as a board member of an international investment fund and of two notable NGOs with activities in gender balanced leadership and in combating fraud.

James
MacGregor, PhD

Sustainability Leader, International Consultant

James is an environmental economist who works with global clients to ensure that investment decisions are sustainable and efficient. His clients include financial institutions, donors, municipalities, governments, multinationals, and organizations in the public sector.

James has served as a principal management consultant, leading integrated multidisciplinary teams to support investments in the global energy transition. Currently, he supports clients navigating the context of ESG, TCFD, TNFD, and Net Zero reporting.

He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Gothenburg and is a fellow at Exeter Business School.

Stefan
Bucataru, ICD.D, CMC, MBA

Corporate Director, Veldtster Management and Consulting

Mr. Bucataru is a member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors (holder of the ICD.D designation) and the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (holder of the CMC designation). Mr. Bucataru graduated from the Polytechnic University of Bucharest with a Degree in Power Engineering (1987) and holds an MBA from Durham University Business School in the UK (2002). 
Mr. Bucataru’s career focus in private equity investment, mergers & acquisitions, and turnaround management spans 35+ years and includes serving as an Executive/Non-executive Director on many boards in Central and Eastern Europe and holding senior executive positions in several industries.
Mr. Bucataru speaks English and Romanian and has dual nationality, Romanian and Canadian. 
 

Aurelia
Costache

AI & Data Leader, EY in Romania

Aurelia Costache is the AI & Data Leader of EY in Romania. With more than 26 years of experience, Aurelia is passionate about bringing to market innovative, technology-based solutions that create new opportunities for organizations. With vast experience in digital transformation for large organizations, having led multiple high scale implementations throughout her career, Aurelia is currently working with clients to integrate GenAI into the wider Hyper-automation agenda. Champion for women in tech and business, her holistic approach to clients’ business transformation has enabled her to advise Boards of leading companies on their digital transformation and automation strategy and be at the forefront of driving innovation and strategic growth in the digital age.

Vlad
Obreja

Head of Public Affairs, ARIR and VERTIK Group