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Leadership & Vision

Council of Distinguished Minds

The Council of Distinguished Minds brings together respected leaders from the business community, academia, and public institutions, invited by CPAG to contribute a strategic perspective on Romania's development priorities and its positioning within the European and global economy. Drawing on the experience and judgment of people who have helped build and develop major institutions and sectors, the Council discusses key economic developments and helps shape long-term strategic directions for Romania's economy. These directions are grounded in the real dynamics of the business environment, institutional realities, the European framework, and the needs of society.

Members of the Council of Distinguished Minds

Mariana Gheorghe

Mariana Gheorghe

Co-Founder of the Future of Leadership Institute, dedicated to developing the next generation of leaders amid new economic and technological transformations. She currently sits on the Supervisory Board of UniCredit Bank Romania. She spent over a decade at the helm of OMV Petrom (the country's largest company) as CEO and President of the Executive Board, following an international career as Senior Banker for South Eastern Europe and the Caucasus at the EBRD, and served on the Supervisory Boards of ING Group and ING Bank in the Netherlands. Earlier, she was Deputy General Director of the International Finance Department at the Romanian Ministry of Finance. She brings top-tier leadership experience and a long-horizon perspective on investment, governance, and organisational performance.

Ramona Jurubiță

Ramona Jurubiță

Country Managing Partner of KPMG in Romania and Moldova and Board Member of KPMG in Central and Eastern Europe. With over 25 years of experience in taxation, she is recognised for multidisciplinary expertise spanning energy, financial services, construction and infrastructure, consumer goods, healthcare, and technology. She served as President of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC, 2019–2021) and as Coordinator of the Coalition for Romania's Development in 2019. She currently serves on the FIC Board of Directors and is actively involved in leading professional bodies such as the Chamber of Tax Consultants (CCF), CECCAR, ANEVAR, and ACCA (Fellow). She brings a strong cross-country perspective on competitiveness, investment, and how policy, regulation, and corporate strategy interact across the region.

Sergiu Oprescu

Sergiu Oprescu

Chairman of the Supervisory Board of UniCredit Bank Romania and President of the European Mortgage Federation (EMF-ECBC). Across a career of more than 30 years, he has been a pioneer of Romania's capital markets, co-founding and later chairing the Bucharest Stock Exchange. He led Alpha Bank Romania for nearly two decades, going on to coordinate the Alpha group's international network across Romania, Albania, Cyprus, and the UK as the first Romanian banker to head a foreign banking holding. A former President of the Romanian Association of Banks (2015–2021), he brings deep expertise on the conditions that enable investment, competitiveness, and financial stability.

Mara Roman

Mara Roman

Acting Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania and Deputy Head since 2022, leading its Political Section. A European Commission official since 2010 and former Romanian diplomat, she has extensive experience in inter-institutional affairs and political communication, coordinating relations with the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in the Directorates-General for Energy and Transport, and leading energy policy coordination within the Directorate-General for Energy. She brings a direct understanding of European decision-making, the workings of the EU institutions and strategic engagement in the European policy process, while providing insights into how EU policies, legislation and funding instruments can best support national priorities and investment.

Cristian Secoșan

Cristian Secoșan

General Manager of Delgaz Grid and former CEO of Siemens Romania, with over 30 years of experience in energy, technology, and digitalisation. He has held senior leadership positions at major companies including OMV Petrom, ABB, and Alstom, served as Director General of Romelectro (2015–2018) on projects across Romania, Egypt, Kosovo, and Saudi Arabia, and as a Board Member of TAROM. A former President of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC, 2021–2023), he has also been active in the Board of Directors of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania). He combines expertise in strategic leadership and energy systems, industrial infrastructure, and technology-led modernisation, contributing directly to debates on the energy transition and the enabling role of technology in a competitive economy.

Aura Socol

Aura Socol

Board Member of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) and Professor at the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), specialising in macroeconomics and monetary integration. Her PhD and post-doctoral research both focus on Romania's euro adoption; she served on the National Commission for the Changeover to the Euro as an independent expert appointed by the Prime Minister and was scientific coordinator of the official National Euro Adoption Plan. She is the author of numerous books, studies, and scientific articles published in Romania and abroad on macroeconomics, monetary integration, and macroeconomic policy. She contributes deep expertise in macroeconomic processes and an institutional perspective that connects academia, the policymaking process, and decisions on monetary-fiscal coordination and long-term economic stability.

Remus Ștefureac

Remus Ștefureac

General Manager of INSCOP Research, one of Romania's most active and respected sociological research firms, and President of the STRATEGIC Thinking Group think tank. A university lecturer at SNSPA's Faculty of Communication and Public Relations, where he teaches countering disinformation, building resilience to disinformation, and public opinion polling. He previously served in diplomacy at the Romanian Embassy in the United States and holds a PhD on active measures, disinformation, and propaganda. A widely published author of numerous books and articles and a regular political analyst in Romanian and international media, he contributes a perspective on how economic decisions are shaped by public attitudes, levels of trust, and the political context of reforms.