I changed careers to have more impact
I have been working in sustainability in many positions: in an association I started from nothing, in a corporation where the agenda ran through me, in a university lecture hall, and also as an independent expert. I see both what gets decided in meetings, and what survives of that decision on the ground.
How I got here
I spent the first sixteen years of my career in IT. I founded Deneb România in 1994 and led it until 2010; I headed the IT department of the Bucharest office of a Singaporean company, and consulted for OMX Group on the implementation of the Bucharest Energy Exchange. But the fact that I was bringing home a good salary didn't satisfy me. I needed to do meaningful work, where I could contribute to the greater good.
So, in 2005 I completed a master's degree in Systems Ecology at the University of Bucharest, with a dissertation on the ecological footprint, and I started working in sustainability. In 2006 I co-founded the ViitorPlus association, where I still sit on the board. From 2012 to 2023 I led the sustainability agenda at IKEA Romania, and since 2023 I have been teaching at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.
Today I split my time between sustainability strategy for organisations and development programmes for the people who carry it - because I have seen too many good strategies fade together with the energy of those carrying them. Out of that experience came the Dynamic Equilibrium Method, which I use in all the coaching programmes. It grows out of my Erickson training and keeps its solution focus: we work from the resources you already have towards the direction you want to go.
And for over forty years I have been climbing mountains, including above 4,000 metres. That is where I learned that a measured pace beats a hurried one.
Education and memberships
- Coaching: Erickson International - "The Art & Science of Coaching" (2022) and "Deep Coaching" (2025). Career coaching certification, CareerShift (2023).
- Reporting: GRI standards, certified course, 2017.
- Impact Measurement: "Impact Measurement and Management", NGO Academy, University of Vienna.
- Short courses at the University of Cambridge: The Global Biodiversity Framework, The Paris Agreement, The SDGs, Investment Rules, Trade Rules and the Law.
- MSc in Systems Ecology and Ecotechnics, University of Bucharest, 2005.
- MEng in Computer Science, Politehnica University of Bucharest, 1995.
- Professional communities: International Coaching Federation, Climate Coaching Alliance, Circular Economy Coalition.
- At IKEA Romania, 2012-2023. Waste recycling rate from 50% to 83%; reporting according to GRI standards for 2021-2022; the car fleet, from 0% to 65% electric in 2018; over 900 employees trained; sustainability assessments in six countries.
- At ViitorPlus, since 2006. Co-founder of the association, board member. Directly contributed to many of the results: 2,500,000 trees planted in new forests, 77,500 young people involved in EcoChallenge contests, and 615,000 pupils who learned from educational materials created by ViitorPlus.
- In the lecture hall, since 2023. Associate lecturer at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies. Close to 250 master's students taught in Sustainability and Sustainable Consumption strategies, at the Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics.
- Mentor, since 2019. 27 teams mentored in 8 national and European programs.
- Independent expert, since 2023. Social and environmental impact assessments for 19 projects funded through the Bucharest Community Foundation. 3 studies and management plans for green spaces in industrial areas. 25 store managers trained.
- Coach, since 2022. Over 70 clients, of which 40 in group coaching (over 20 in nature coaching programs).
Where I have spoken
Some of the public conversations on sustainability from the past two years.
- ClimateZone Podcast - Energy, the energy crisis, and climate change · 2026 · Watch
- Circular Economy, from compliance to competitive advantage - panel on technology and circularity in economy · 2026
- Pro Green, at ProTV News - Sustainability in business · 2025 · Watch
- The time has come, at Euronews Romania - The planetary resources can't keep up the pace, a 30-minute programme, as ViitorPlus representative · 2025 · Watch
- Orange Sustainability Day - Moderator and speaker, for Orange România · 2025 · Watch
- Efectiv Podcast - together with Teia Ciulacu, the founders of ViitorPlus, about 19 years of activity, successes and failures · 2025 · Watch
Plus around twenty short contributions on Euronews Romania, Pro TV, Prima TV and TVR Info, some of them as a representative of the ViitorPlus association.
If you have read this far, you probably have a particular situation in mind, which we could work together on.
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