People Empowering Business Forum & Awards Gala 2024 – Celebrating the Best of People & Teams in companies

Now in its 10th edition, the recently held People Empowering Business Forum & Awards Gala 2024 celebrated the leaders and their teams who have made exceptional contributions to empowering the work environment and made a significant mark to broader business community. For 2024’s anniversary edition, both the Forum and Awards Gala acknowledged the best-in-class professionals from cross-sectors in the Romanian economy.

This year’s special FORUM & AWARDS GALA event took place last evening at InterContinental Athénée Palace Bucharest, Le Diplomate Hall.

We thank all our Partners of the event:

PLATINUM PARTNERS: NXP Semiconductors, Wipro, RetuRO SGR
GOLD PARTNERS: Adrem, Teleperformance, ACCA, Schneider Electric, Distributie Energie Electrica Romania, Vastint Romania,
Sphera Group, tbi bank, Michelin Romania, Cognizant Romania, Philip Morris, Kinstellar
PARTNERS: Magna Exteriors Craiova, Continental Romania, ICI Bucharest, Tinmar Energy, Stefanini Romania, Distributie Oltenia
SUPPORTING PARTNERS: Concordia, BRCC, Cluj IT Cluster, ANIS, Lovering & Partners Business Consultants
MEDIA PARTNERS: Outsourcing Today, Sustainability Today, Automotive Today, Financial Intelligence, Romania Durabila, Economistul, Club Economic, Bursa

The event concluded this year’s series of events of The Diplomat-Bucharest with the merited accolades and appreciation for the most important resource of business and society: The People. This year’s Forum & Gala event gives the floor and praise the professionals who went the extra-mile in their workspace and business communities.

PEOPLE EMPOWERING BUSINESS AWARDS GALA acknowledged those who go above and beyond in fostering an environment of growth, inclusivity, and positive change within the organization. It highlights individuals who lead by example, demonstrating innovation, leadership, and a deep commitment to uplifting others. By honoring these outstanding achievements, the awards not only applaud individual efforts but also reinforce the companies’ and leaders’ commitment to building a supportive and empowering work culture.

The special anniversary Gala event conveys the message that empowered and connected employees and teams are the cornerstone of a successful and advanced business organization.

During the special AWARDS GALA DEDICATED TO PEOPLE OF COMPANIES, The Diplomat-Bucharest welcome on the stage the companies who wanted to publicly share their appreciation and accolades for those – people and teams – who inspire, push the boundaries and go forward and beyond in their work, who challenge the status-quo and bring innovation to the table, who are talented, hardworking, motivated and self-driven in their professional careers. We present them below, with our warmest congratulations:

The following awards have been offered:

The first award of the evening, EMPLOYER BRAND ARCHITECT, has been powered by Booking Holdings company and offered by Anca Fotache, General Manager, Booking Holdings Romania, to CRISTINA PETRESCU, Communication and Employer Branding Team Lead.

The award powered by Cognizant Romania has been offered by Raluca Dolan, HR Director, Cognizant Romania, to Cognizant Romania Leadership Team, for IMPACTFUL LEADERSHIP

The award powered by RetuRo SGR has been offered by Ilona Lixandru, Director HR RetuRO SGR for OUTSTANDING HR PERFORMANCE to their HR team. The HR team members have been awarded for outstanding results achieved in the company’s first year of operation.

The award powered by NXP Semiconductors Romania has been offered by Mirela Gavra, Publisher, The Diplomat-Bucharest for COMMITMENT TO PERFORMANCE to The HR team in Romania.

The award powered by ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has been offered by Mirela Gavra, Publisher, The Diplomat-Bucharest for RESILIENCE AND CREATIVITY to ACCA Southern Europe team and has been received by Mihaela Robu Business Development Manager, ACCA Southern Europe.

The award powered by Philip Morris Romania has been offered by Mirela Gavra, Publisher, The Diplomat-Bucharest for TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN HUMAN RESOURCES to LUMINIȚA FLOREA , Director People & Culture Director , Philip Morris Romania.  Luminița Florea is People & Culture Director at Philip Morris Romania and has almost 23 years of experience in Human Resources. Luminița has held various roles in very varied fields, from telecom, to oil & gas or pharma. In 2012, she joined Philip Morris Romania, and in 2017 she took over the position of People & Culture Director for both Philip Morris International affiliates in Romania, the Otopeni factory and the commercial entity. From this position, Luminița and the team she leads define and implement the company’s Human Resources strategy. About the 13 years spent at Philip Morris Romania, Luminița says that it was a journey that she enjoyed every moment, she witnessed the change the company is going through, but also a transformation on a personal level.

The award powered by Distribuție Energie Electrică România has been offered by MIHAELA SUCIU Director General, Distribuție Energie Electrică Romania for REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN ELECTRICITY FORECASTING AND PROCUREMENT to Electric Energy Forecasting & Procurement Department and has been received by Marius Gudea, Director of Electricity Forecasting & Procurement Department, Electricity Distribution Romania.

The award powered by Electrica . for THE INVESTOR RELATIONS IMPACT has been offered by ALEXANDRU CHIRIȚĂ
CEO Electrica to RALUCA KASAP, Head of Investor Relations at Electrica S.A. The Investor Relations Impact Award is designed to recognize and honor outstanding achievements in the field of investor relations. This prestigious award highlights the significant influence and contributions of individuals in promoting strong investor relations for organizations. It celebrates those who have demonstrated exceptional communication skills, transparency, and strategic engagement, thereby enhancing the reputation and trust in their company in the eyes of the investment community.

The award powered by Teleperformance Romania, has been offered by Charlotte Foucteau, CEO Teleperformance Greece for IMPACTFUL WORK PERFORMANCE to the company’s Task Force Team and has been received by Ciprian Broască Project Manager Task Force, Teleperformance Romania. The award is offered for agile operational methodology focused on incremental and efficient delivery of value. This approach emphasizes delivering results, rather than simply completing tasks, which aligns well with strategic goals and ensures that the project contributes directly to the organization’s success.

The award powered by Vastint Romania has been offered by Florin Roman, Chief Financial Officer, Vastint Romania for COMMERCIAL EXCELLENCE IN OFFICE MARKET to SORIN MACOVEIU, Commercial Manager, VASTINT Romania. This year marks 9 years of activity within Vastint. He is the person who managed to lease all the spaces in the two projects. He started as Leasing Manager, and later, in the role of Commercial Manager, he also took over the coordination of the Marketing department, in addition to the Leasing department. Currently, phase I of Timpuri Noi Square is 100% leased, and the efforts of the commercial department team are focused on leasing Business Garden Bucharest. When the ongoing works on phase II of Timpuri Noi Square allow, negotiations will also begin for this project.

The award powered by Wipro has been offered by Teodora Todoran, Associate Vice President, Wipro for STRATEGIC VISION to the company’s Quality Team. The VISION Award is offered for Value driven decisions, innovation, strategic partnership, integrated knowledge, open collaboration, networked capability building – VISION focuses on the strategic foresight and collaborative efforts the team delivered through business value and innovation.

The award for LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT ACHIEVEMENT powered by Sphera Franchise Group is offered to three specialists, ALEXANDRU THEODOR MIRCEA TOMA, Shift Manager, KFC, MIRUNA DINU, Assistant Shift Manager, Taco Bell, DANIEL ALEXANDRU LIRCA, Shift Manager, Pizza Hut. The award has been offered by Emilia Stroe, HR Director at Sphera Franchise Group.

The award powered by Michelin Romania has been offered by Laura Bușu Boboc, HR Lead, Michelin Corporate & Business Services (CBS) Bucharest refers to two programs comprised in the LEARNING PROGRAMS SUPPORTING A LONG LIFE LEARNING (Fearless Organisation Scan & Process Communication Model) and offered to the Learning & Development Michelin CBS Bucuresti team: ADINA JIANU, DORIN ENACHE, VLAD MOTANTAU.

The award powered by Magna Exteriors Craiova has been offered by Dragoș Grigore , General Manager, Magna Exteriors Craiova for OUTSTANDING EMPLOYEES EXPERIENCE to DANIELA ALEXANDRU, HR Director, Magna Exteriors Craiova.

The award powered by Distribuție Oltenia has been offered by Angelica (Barbu) Răducanu, Chief Administration Officer at Distribuție Oltenia for IMPACTFUL WORK PERFORMANCE, to COSMIN COJOACĂ, Head of Asset Management System Service, Distribuție Oltenia.

The award powered by Continental Romania has been offered by Lucia Iliescu Brădean, Country HR Manager, Continental Romania for COMMUNICATIONS BUSINESS EXCELLENCE to ROXANA DETEȘAN, Head of Country Communications, Continental Romania.

The award powered by Adrem has been offered by Mihaela Melenciuc, Chief Human Resources Officer, Adrem for INSPIRATION AND ACHIEVEMENT to ANGELICA PANDURU , Commercial Director, Adrem. Angelica has been working at Adrem for 10 years, and this award is a recognition of her dedication and outstanding performance. We are awarding her for her authentic leadership, for the way she inspires her team and successfully coordinates activities, contributing to the achievement of valuable results.

The award powered by Schneider Electric has been offered by Lucian Enaru, Country General Manager, Schneider Electric for EXCELLENCE IN LEADING FINANCE TRANSFORMATION, to MIHAELA POTLOG, Country Finance Manager, Schneider Electric.

The award powered by Stefanini has been offered by Andreea Miron, EMEA People & Culture Director, Stefanini, for EXCELLENCE IN STRATEGIC HR SOLUTIONS AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT to ANDREEA STĂNESCU, EMEA HR Business Partner Manager of Stefanini.

We congratulate all the celebrated teams and people of companies and we are looking forward to the next year’s edition of the event!

Stay tuned with our events at: Events – The Diplomat Bucharest