CONFERENCE 1 – How will innovation, technology and current trends influence the future of economics at a global level?

Emil Boc este primarul municipiului Cluj-Napoca, al doilea oraș ca mărime și dezvoltare economică din România. El se află în acest moment la cel de al treilea mandat ca edil al municipiului, primul mandat fiind în perioada 2004-2008, urmat de un al doilea mandat, care însă a fost întrerupt de numirea în funcţia de prim ministru al Guvernului României, în perioada 2008-2012. Revenit la cârma oraşului, Emil Boc a inițiat începând cu anul 2012 o serie de proiecte strategice care să asigure Clujului capacitatea de a oferi infrastructura necesară dezvoltării orașului în direcția serviciilor, în domenii ale inovației şi tehnologiilor înalte. În acest fel, potențialul enorm al ofertei de forță de muncă tânără și calificată poate fi pus cu ușurință la dispoziția companiilor, volumul investițiilor fiind astfel în continuă creștere la Cluj-Napoca. Emil Boc este de formație jurist și totodată profesor universitar în drept constituțional la una dintre cele mai reputate universități din România, Universitatea Babeș - Bolyai.

Florentin Banu, former Romanian badminton champion, is the author of two big successful businesses on the Romanian market: S.C. Joe I.B.C S.R.L. (business crowned with the success with which the sale of the company was made to Nestle, world manufacturer in the food) and S.C. Artima R.I.C.supermarket company (firm that was sold to PEF Investment Polish concern in March 2005, subsequently becoming “Carrefour” supermarket chain). The business man from Timișoara is currently focused on supporting the threebusinesses that he holds. Together with his brother, he controls, via the Banuinvest Group, three businesses – Banuconstruct (real estate development and construction in Timișoara), Banusport (a sports center developed in Timișoara) and Interpart Production (business with plastics and moulds, especially for the automotive industry).

Andy Szekely is author, speaker andentrepreneur, keen on personal development, persuasion and leadership. Specialist in Peak Performance and professional motivational speaker, Andy developed training concepts whereby a mature person can fast become an authentic leader– MindShaping, Professional SpeakersSkills, Dealingwithskepticalpeople, Protectyourself, Powerful business writing, Charisma enhancement. From the position of speaker and trainer, Andy Szekely worked with over 50 companies in five European countries and held demonstrative presentations in the U.S., Canada and China. As an author, Andy published 5 books, produced over 100 hours ofmultimedia material for the adults’ education and editsan online newsletter with over 35,000 subscribers. His signature project is Bootcamp University – anintensivetraining camp for the personal and professional development of the adults with entrepreneurial spirit. Andy Szekely is the first Romanian author of a franchise type training programme, whereby he trains trainers presenting the sale techniques programme.

Cristian is a graduate of the Faculty ofManagement within the Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest, he holds an MBA in Risk Management within the International Institute of Learning (ILI Zurich), he can boast with an experience of over 15 years in the field of management, negotiations and the coordination of entrepreneurial projects. At the present moment, he is CEO of SBR Soletanche Bachy Romania, company that is part of the Vinci Group. It is the third business taken over from scrap,which he managed to bring to a turnover of the order of dozens of millions. He describes himself as being a person fascinated with innovation, the future, he is always in quest for challenges in order to test his limits. His motto: “Without passion you have no energy, without energy you have nothing” (Donald Trump).

Fady Chreih has been CEO of REGINA MARIA Health Network since 2013, previously occupying the position of Executive Manager. Before joining REGINA MARIAHealth Network, Fady Chreih was the manager of the Healthcare Division within Transilvania Bank. Fady graduated from an MBA at the University of Sheffield, he studied at the Romanian Banking Institute and attended many courses at Harvard Business School and London Business School. He is a member of YPO Romania Chapter and of the Health Committee within AmCham.

Bogdan Balaci occupies the position of General Manager in the South-East Europe area with in Philips Lighting. He has an experience of over 20 years in the IT industry and other industries thereto connected, being specialized in the strategic and operational business development, as well as in team management and complex projects in extremely competitive industries. Bogdan is responsible for the development and implementation of the Philips Lighting strategy in Romania and the countries in the South-Eastern Europe where the company is operational, and the consolidation of the position of the company as leader in the industry of intelligent lighting solutions counts among the objectives there of.

Partener in cadrul fondului de Venture Capital Catalyst Romania (3TS Capital Partners), antreprenor in serie si business-angel cu investitii de succes in Europa de Est, Marius Ghenea se afla in topul oamenilor de afaceri conform Forbes Romania.

Eliza Rogalski is one of the most appreciated and respected specialists in communication in Romania, with 15 years of experience in communication strategy. Founder of Rogalski Damaschin Public relations and creator of several PR campaigns rewarded in the most important communication competitions in the world- Effie, Cannes, Eurobest, SABRE, IPRA and the European Excellence Awards, managing a team distinguished twice with the title of the "PR Agency of the Year" and “IAA Excellence Awards”, Eliza Rogalski has deep comprehension of the business world, with strong expertise in internal communication, employer branding, crisis communication, media relations, CSR and reputation management. Eliza Rogalski graduated from the Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR London) and the Berlin School of Creative Leadership.

One of the most powerful young managers in Romania, Alin Gherman joined DPD (Pegasus) Romania in the position of Commercial Manager. He has extensive experience in sales and marketing, previously working for DHL, Procter & Gamble, Holdmann and Babel Communications. He has an EMBA from Asebuss in collaboration with Kennesaw State University. He is also trainer of Exec-Edu.

Sergiu Neguț (http://www.linkedin.com/in/sergiu) is a consultant and Board adviser, specialized in hands-on entrepreneurial growth and business transformation. He is a frequent speaker and acts as Associate Dean of Entrepreneurial Growth with Maastricht School of Management Romania. Sergiu is an active Business Angel, with a number of local investments including frufru, 2parale, Softelligence or Intermedicas. Previously, Sergiu has been ExecutiveDirector of Regina Maria Healthcare Network, coordinating together with the founder an accelerated (10x) growth of the company through a mix of organic growth, greenfields and acquisitions, including selling the company twice to PE investors. Before Regina Maria, Sergiu has coordinated from Austria and Switzerland the East European expansion of Amgen. Sergiu proudly holds an MBA from INSEAD, and his previous education includes a Computer Science degree from Politehnica University of Bucharest and an International Business degree from ASE.

Mihaela Stroe este doctor in sociologie, speaker, trainer, autor, specialist in analiza comportamentala. Din 2003 Mihaela este partenera de afaceri cu fostul agent FBI Joe Navarro, unul dintre fondatorii diviziei de Analiza Comportamentala din cadrul FBI.

Silviu Hotăran became an ”entrepreneur in education” at the beginning of 2009, his passion and goal being changing and developing people, teams and organizations, with complex goal-oriented projects (training, coaching, mentoring etc.). In the period 1996-2008, Silviu was a General Manager at Microsoft, 9 years for the Romanian subsidiary and 3 years for Southeast Europe, where he was in charge of developing the Microsoft businesses and organizations in 12 countries. Currently he is a Managing Director at the GKTI Semper Human company

Voicu Oprean is the General Manager of AROBS Transilvania Software, a company specialized in developing software solutions for GPS navigation, apps for mobile phones and a vast experience in outsourcing for the tourism, banking, transport, health and automotive industries. He founded AROBS in June 1998 in order to prove young programmers that they can build a successful career in software development in Romania, as well, without having to emigrate. The 15 years of success and development that the company has had are due to these IT specialists who works for large-scale projects, both for foreign and Romanian clients. In 2013, AROBS means a company with 5 offices in the country and abroad (Cluj, Bucharest, Iaşi, Budapest, Chişinău) where over 350 specialists work. They permanently support and develop the activity of the 3 main lines of business: • Developing customized software solutions through outsourcing for companies of various industries (tourism, automotive, health, banking), including apps for Android and iOS mobile platforms. AROBS is one of the established suppliers of software solutions for foreign countries, which has managed to create long-term partnerships with companies in Finland, Great Britain, Sweden, Belgium, Canada, The Netherlands, Germany and the USA, in its 15 years of activity. • Software solutions dedicated to the internal market used by over 2000 business clients in Romania: GPS monitoring and car fleet management apps, SFA and CRM apps for sales automation and warehouse and storeroom management, the ticket and badge sales automation solution for public transport companies, the first TMC system in Romania to provide real-time information from traffic. • GPS navigation system distribution in Romania and Eastern Europe. Smailo, the AROBS own brand, became in January 2012 the best-selling navigation system in Romania and along with the other brands in the portfolio (Mio and Becker), it made the company the largest GPS navigator distributor in the country. The success of Smailo GPS in recent years has determined the company to make the next step, namely to increase the range of products by including Android tablets under the same brand. With 7”, 8” and 9.7” screens, the Smailo Web Energy tablets are created for users who want access to Internet and useful and entertainment apps, but they have a limited budget. “In all I am doing, I am trying to promote a model of work and life based on mutual respect among people, clients and the community, respect for life and the environment. It is a personal goal of mine to create a harmonious balance between professional and family dedication, complemented by sports activities and involvement in the community. “Voicu Oprean, general manager of AROBS Transilvania Software

Laszlo Pacso is the creator and coordinator of the Business Days project, with an experience of more than 16 years in sales and bargaining, and in managing and coordinating entrepreneurial projects. He founded a mobile telecommunications company from scratch, he coordinated its rebranding project, the market repositioning and integration in the structure of the group of companies of a large pharmaceutical one. He is also the founder of JCI Targu Mures and had a significant contribution to the dynamization of the business environment in Targu Mures by organizing more than 20 events dedicated to the business environment in one year, by promoting the investitional and touristic potential.