How will leaders respond to the complex challenges of 2024?
The 21st edition of the prestigious conference “CEO Conference – Shaping the Future” took place at the end of November 2023, in Cluj-Napoca.
A premium event, which is a debate forum for business leaders
The event brought together more than 100 business leaders, CEOs, board members, investors and entrepreneurs from across the country to discuss and share ideas about the challenges and opportunities in the context of the current economic, social, technological and legislative climate.
The main theme of the conference, Mastering the New Reality, was addressed in the context of the challenges of the permacrisis, and speakers offered insights and solutions to successfully navigate this rapidly changing reality.
The conference debates focused on the challenges faced by Romanian companies in the current economic, social, technological and legislative climate.
The messages of the speakers from the first panel at the CEO Conference, Cluj-Napoca
The moderator of the event, Marius Perșinaru, CEO, Entrepreneur and Strategic Organizational Consultant, opened the conference by emphasizing the importance of adaptability and continuous learning in the face of sudden changes in the business environment.
Then the first panel of the conference brought the following business leaders to the fore:
- Aurel Bernat, Executive Director Financial Institutions and Investor Relations, Banca Transilvania
- Florin Frunză, Chief Executive Office, MET Romania Energy
- Gabriel Biriș, Co-Managing Partner, Biriș Goran SPARL
- Anda Daniela Marian, Head of Organizational Strategy, Korn Ferry EMEA
They shared lessons and insights from their own experiences, emphasizing the need for reinvention and adaptability in the face of instability and unpredictability.
Aurel Bernat, Executive Director Financial Institutions and Investor Relations, Banca Transilvania noticed that every year business people had something to learn and the safest things are the most unsafe. And we must not rely too much on what we think is certain and good. For Aurel Bernat, the biggest challenge of 2024 is to “put negative things aside and find solutions”. He also pointed out that “ESG will become a key element in any activity, for any financing, for any financier”.
Florin Frunză, Chief Executive Office, MET Romania Energy, said that the time of entrepreneurs and managers who run their company by instinct is over: “We live in times where, if you cannot and if you do not know how to measure your risk the business is exposed, and you don’t know what measures you need to take, to control that risk as much as you can, you have every chance to find yourself without the business you run in an extremely difficult time short”.
Gabriel Biriș, Co-Managing Partner, Biriș Goran SPARL mentioned that, in the context of the application of the tax measures recently adopted, from January 1, 2024, Romania will be closed and we will not hear of new large investments in Romania, nor of the expansion of the current. “We have to be careful and not take risks that can destroy us. Prudence is the most important advice I can give,” stated Gabriel Biriș.
Anda Marian, Head of Organizational Strategy, Korn Ferry EMEA spoke about workforce dynamics, employee skills and the jobs of the future. “A macro-trend that I see is the investment in development, in talent development,” said the Korn Ferry EMEA leader. “The leader of the future, from my perspective, is optimistic, but an element that we must not lose sight of is the opportunity cost”, Anda Marian concluded.
The messages of the speakers in the second panel at the CEO Conference, Cluj-Napoca
The second panel was supported by business leaders who discussed the transformations applied in their businesses, with an emphasis on the intelligent use of resources and new technologies.
- Florin Popa, Director, Orange Business Romania
- Gabriel Pavel, Regional Director, Balkans, Hungary, Czech & Slovakia, Fujitsu
- Alin Ioaneș, Chief Executive Officer, ROMBAT
- Noemi Karacsonyi, Chief Executive Officer, SIMACEK Romania
Florin Popa, Director, Orange Business Romania said that he does not believe that today a company, regardless of the field of activity, can still function without digitizing the interaction with the customer. Likewise, he noted that cyber security is a paramount issue today, as no company can afford to neglect this aspect when the number of cyber attacks has increased so much in recent years.
“If I had to choose one word about next year, it would be: opportunity. I come from an industry that, beyond transformation, change, is currently in the middle of a positive storm, which brings many opportunities”, said Florin Popa, Director, Orange Business Romania.
Gabriel Pavel, Regional Director, Balkans, Hungary, Czech & Slovakia, Fujitsu said that there is a need for organizations that are more resilient, strong, sustainable and at the same time efficient. Resilience is achieved through a very clear analysis of the risks, costs and value that the company needs to achieve, because the cost factor is 1 to 10, meaning it has to spend 10 times more to have a such system.
“To be able to achieve efficiency, under these conditions, it is necessary for the IT department to be much closer to the business in order to make its contribution in a relevant way”, said Gabriel Pavel, Regional Director, Balkans, Hungary, Czech & Slovakia, Fujitsu.
Alin Ioaneș, Chief Executive Officer, ROMBAT believes that sustainability must become an integral part of a company’s DNA, something that must be clearly seen in the strategy. Also, the transformation that many industries are now going through must be the priority point on the agenda of the leaders in those fields, including with regard to the development of human capital.
“As there is a need to move to Net Zero and, by 2035, the move to electrification will be made, the automotive industry is making a fantastic effort to keep up with these trends. Automation and the efficient use of resources, along with research and development, are the other important trends that we must take into account in the coming period”, explained Alin Ioaneș, Chief Executive Officer, ROMBAT.
Noemi Karacsonyi, Chief Executive Officer, Simacek Romania emphasized that sustainability is not a sprint, it is a marathon during which value must be created both for the company’s employees and for its customers and partners. Business leaders must expect periods of greater instability and volatility, which will lead to higher risks, which they will need to have the tools to assess.
“We need to rethink our strategies in such a way that the information we have helps us make decisions. After we manage to collect the data, what we do with it to have an impact in business is up to the leaders”, stressed Noémi Karácsonyi, CEO of Simacek Romania.
The benefits of attending the CEO Conference: solutions, ideas, leadership and inspiration
Attending the CEO Conference provided a valuable opportunity for CEOs and other members of the company’s management to exchange ideas, share best practices and listen to speakers with experience in running successful companies.
The conference also gave attendees the opportunity to network with other business leaders to learn about the latest trends and developments in various industries.
“Beyond the gray forecasts regarding the developments in the business environment in 2024, the vision of Romanian business leaders for the transformation of the future brings a relevant level of confidence. The solutions shared at the CEO Conference pave the way for positive achievements in the coming period”, said Dumitru Ion, CEO of Doingbusiness.ro and Kompass Romania, the organizer of the event.
The event was supported by important Partners: Orange Business Romania, Biriș Goran SPARL, Strauss Romania, FUJITSU, Parapet, Met Romania Energy, Oscar Downstream, EnergoBit, Dent Estet.
Supporters of the CEO Conference were: Bandocracy, the Embassy of Sustainability in Romania, Creative & Bright, DeLonghi, Kompass Romania, Asociatia Firmelor Bihorene, RMKT, WEASWEB, Wise Money, Valoria Business Solutions.
Media partners include: Agerpress, Cluj.com, Radio Transilvania, Bucharest Business, BZI, Jurnalul de Afaceri, Jurnal de Craiova, Financial Market, Prahova Business, spatiulconstruit.ro, spotmedia.ro, Transilvania Business.
Doingbusiness.ro supports organizations that take care of people, local communities and that have developed impactful projects. Thus, we are happy that, together with partners and event participants, we promote and support the causes of some organizations that need support: Ajungem mari, UIPath Foundation, Hospice Casa Speranței.
“As an organizer, it is always very energizing to see at the end of the conference how the participants leave with clear strategy ideas and perspectives, useful to take their companies to the next level, as well as with renewed inspiration and motivation”, said Diana Dumitrașcu , Executive Director, Doingbusiness.ro.
What’s next in 2024?
Against the backdrop of accelerated macroeconomic changes, the 21st edition of the CEO Conference provided a platform for valuable debates to authentic leaders, representatives of the largest Romanian brands and executives from major industries such as finance, banking, insurance, automotive, energy and utilities , IT, construction, pharma and more.
The next edition of the CEO Conference will take place in May 2024 in Bucharest, where business leaders of companies from all over the country will discuss the results achieved, the observed trends and the right strategies to navigate the challenges and take advantage of the emerging opportunities.
For more information and news about the upcoming edition, please visit www.ceoconference.ro.
