Livioara Sujdea, Electrica: “The board is the engine of cultural transformation in an organization”

“The importance of energy security is accepted and recognized by everyone, as is the adoption of sustainability concepts in all our operations and of course the promotion of innovation without which society would not be able to go through such a broad transformative process, with effects at the level of the entire economy and at the level of the entire country.

When we talk about human capital, which we see as a driving force that will shape the energy landscape of tomorrow, it is very important to value the importance of this force and to understand that without this force we would not be able to make strategic action plans. Within the strategy that we recently updated, cultural transformation and realignment with the company’s mission, vision and values ​​is one of the essential pillars that we have in mind, along with the creation and implementation of educational programs and the attraction of a qualified workforce and also performance management,” Livioara Sujdea, Chief People Officer and Chief Distribution Officer, Electrica said during People Empowering Business Forum organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“However, we are creating a framework through which we approach these challenges from a long-term perspective.

In addition to a leadership style adapted to an organizational framework and a certain stage in the transformation of the organization, the cultural transformation of the organization encompasses a broader framework that even exceeds the organizational framework and also concerns industry transformations.

We are a public utility company in the group we are part of, we carry out activities both in the production area and in the area of ​​energy service provision. It is a real challenge for all management teams within the group to adapt and integrate all these aspects related to organizational culture at the level of the entire group so that we have a set of harmonized values ​​and we all speak the same language.

We believe that the signal is given from the top of the pyramid, right from the board level. The board is the engine of cultural transformation in an organization. Board diversity, board dynamics, and skill sets contribute to strategic coherence and a long-term vision in which to adopt all these concepts related to sustainability, environmental stewardship, the impact of the organization through its activities, financial sustainability, and people stewardship.

The executive team and the CEO are the ones who send the signal to the organization. They must demonstrate a commitment to the internal values ​​that each company has. They must be authentic and promote an open and honest framework in which all strategic initiatives and objectives are assumed primarily by personal example.”