Leaders in the spotlight | Gemma Webb – CEO and Chairman of the Board, RetuRO SGR: Leaders must navigate fast-changing environments with a clear sense of purpose

For RetuRO, having a clearly defined direction was crucial. It guided me in selecting the right team members, who are essential to any business’s success, and developing our strategy. We built the world’s most complex Deposit-Return System within a year. We achieved today’s impressive results mainly due to this clear initial goal. Added to this were experience, vision, and adaptability, which were equally important contributors to our success.

The year 2024, so far, was not a good year for European industry, the crisis continue and the difficulties faced by the big Europeans economies had a serious impact in the smaller countries, like Romania. Romanian industry is connected to the big European economies, like Germany, and any difficulties there are transferred to us. In the past 5 years EU Commission produced several measures in line with the Green Deal commitment, unfortunately the EU authorities didn’t take into consideration the immediate impact to the European industry.

This year, The Diplomat-Bucharest shares with its valued partners and audience, a momentous milestone – the 20th anniversary on the business media segment in Romania.

So, we came a long, wonderful and also challenging way to this year, when we celebrate two decades of unwavering dedication to excellence in media and our relentless pursuit of delivering insightful, timely and impactful business news and events. To celebrate this milestone, THE DIPLOMAT-BUCHAREST connects with businesspeople and put into light their excellence and performances in a special event, THE DIPLOMAT-BUCHAREST AWARDS GALA. 

This year, the special Awarding Gala ceremony will take place on October 22, at JW MARRIOTT BUCHAREST GRAND HOTEL, Grand Ballroom.

To mark the occasion, we spoke with business leaders about their business sentiment, expectations and conclusions for the first half of this year. We recently talked to Gemma Webb – CEO and Chairman of the Board, RetuRO SGR:

The business sentiment in 2024

2024 has been a year of significant learning and responsibility for RetuRO, with our progress meeting and exceeding expectations. We saw positive momentum in the first half, with the nationwide expansion of our Deposit-Return System (DRS). A recent study revealed that four out of five Romanians returned DRS packages at least once, with awareness levels reaching 98% within the first seven months. This level of consumer engagement is incredibly encouraging and validates our efforts to make recycling accessible and straightforward.

By July 2024, we had collected over 1.3 billion packages and delivered around 72,000 tonnes of material to recyclers. However, with this rapid growth, we have faced challenges scaling our logistics and ensuring consistent consumer education nationwide.

For the remainder of the year, our focus will be refining operational efficiency, addressing these scaling issues, and continuing to drive public awareness to ensure that the system becomes an integral part of daily life for all Romanians.

What matters most for a leader this year: Fundamentals of leadership

In 2024, adaptability and vision are essential. Leaders must navigate fast-changing environments with a clear sense of purpose. For RetuRO, having a clearly defined direction was crucial. It guided me in selecting the right team members, who are essential to any business’s success, and developing our strategy. We built the world’s most complex Deposit-Return System within a year. We achieved today’s impressive results mainly due to this clear initial goal. Added to this were experience, vision, and adaptability, which were equally important contributors to our success.

In our case, the most empowering message to our teams is this: we are creating lasting, meaningful change, and every role is vital in making sustainability an everyday reality in Romania.

Leadership is about empowerment, vision, and integrity. I empower my team to take ownership of their roles while ensuring they have a clear, shared vision of what we are working towards. Fostering a collaborative environment where trust, accountability, and mutual respect thrive is essential.

In this regard, I encourage open dialogue and adaptability to ensure we keep moving forward, even when encountering roadblocks. At RetuRO, we organise regular informal meetings to get to know each other better and discuss achievements and challenges. These meetings promote transparency, encourage collaboration, and inspire new ideas and best practices. Moreover, we inspire and learn from each other, which is incredibly important.

Today, I can proudly say we are a team of pioneers united by a shared passion for sustainability and a commitment to making a difference. Facing unprecedented daily challenges has helped us grow stronger and united.

We are working on consolidating a mindset where sustainability is central to our business and every action we take

A key focus is fostering a sense of ownership among employees – encouraging them to view their work as part of a larger, impactful mission.

RetuRO is not a traditional business. It serves a utilitarian, nationwide purpose and operates on a not-for-profit basis. As such, profits must be reinvested into improving and expanding the Deposit-Return System.

When we talk about growth at RetuRO, we focus strictly on the outcomes of our activities and measure success by the collection rate we achieve each month, thanks to the support and contributions of all parties involved.

In this regard, the most substantial growth potential lies in expanding the efficiency of our DRS and increasing participation rates.

By investing in technological solutions and enhancing our collection infrastructure, we can optimise operations and provide a smoother and more user-friendly experience for retailers and consumers. This will be critical as we work toward a national culture of recycling and circularity. Strategic partnerships with local authorities and educational campaigns will also play a key role in driving this growth.

The foundation is a solid commitment to sustainability

It must be embedded into the core of business operations and individual mindsets. It is about compliance and cultivating a culture where sustainability is second nature.

Regarding the recycling industry, it is crucial to continuously improve systems and educate consumers and stakeholders on the long-term benefits of a circular economy. Although this approach to waste management is still in its early stages in Romania, I foresee remarkable progress, especially considering the impressive results achieved by the DRS in such a short time.