Submit your idea before April the 5^th and get it evaluated by the local jury which consists of experts in the NGO field, social entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs, corporate representatives and academics.

Bogdan Braicu, Managing Director Organizatia Umanitara Concordia, has a licensee of the Finance, Banking and Accounting Faculty from the Academy of Economic Studies Bucharest, year 1997, chartered/expert accountant since 2002 and graduated Executive MBA, Asebuss program, in 2006. Started the professional activity in 1998 at KPMG Romania where he worked as an auditor for a period of three years and then activated in the pharmaceutical sector between 2001 and 2006 and then held the position of Accounting Manager at Novartis Pharma Romania. He spent 4 years in life insurance companies as a Financial Manager, between 2006 and 2010, first with Cardif Insurance (group BNP Paribas) and then, with Ergo Insurance. After 12 years of activity in multinational companies, with responsibility in financial-accounting field, he decided to make an important change and to choose a foundation that aims to social, school and family reintegration of children and youngsters coming from poor and social disadvantaged families, or from the street. Besides the support and taking care of around 400 children and youngsters in Concordia centers, one of their main goals is education. The project Concordia Bakery within the vocational school was very well appreciated internationally, in 2011, receiving two awards from Erste Foundation, within a social competition.

Ciprian Stanescu, Coordinator of the Leadership Programs Department, Aspen Institute Romania

Ciprian has been working for the Aspen Institute Romania since October 2007, having as responsibilities the workings and development of the Aspen Romania Leadership Programs: the Young Leaders Program, the Institute’s Aspen Seminar, the Regional Seminars and the Justice and Administration Leadership Program. He holds an MA in Political Science from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary and a BA in International Relations and European Studies in Romania. He previously worked with the European Institute of Romania and the European Commission Delegation in Romania. His interests go from non-formal education, leadership or global associative networks to multiculturalism and geopolitics.

Cosmin Alexandru is a consultant in branding and communication strategy. He is also conducting workshops and coaching in leadership for individuals, companies and NGOs. Since 2005 he manages his own company, B&P Brandivia, and also heads the Erudio Association, an organization that runs the Erisma – Creative Leadership, a three months development program for top managers and leaders of companies and NGOs. In this program he teaches Public Speaking and Mentorship. Before 2005 Cosmin was the Managing Director of GfK Romania. Everything started in 1992, when Cosmin co-founded and managed one of the first private market research companies in the country. After selling the company to the GfK Group, in 1996, he successfully managed the cultural transition form a antreprenorial entity to a multinational branch, leading GfK Romania to become the largest market research organization in Romania and staying like that since. For many years Cosmin is advising, as a board member, leading Romanian NGOs and provides them with guidance on strategy and sustainable development. He graduated the faculty of General Economics within the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest in 1994 and the ASEBUSS Program for Executive MBA conducted by the University of Washington Business School in cooperation with the Romanian-American Postgraduate School of Business, in 1999.

Cristian Lupșa is the editor of Decât o Revistă, a quarterly magazine covering culture, society, and the stories of modern day Romania. He believes in the power of narrative to drive change. When he isn’t editing he is reading, sometimes writing, or playing Angry Birds.

Diana Certan, Chief Operation Officer, New Horizons Foundation

For the past 11 years Diana has been working in NGO`s  either as a volunteer or as a staff person; for the past 9 years she has been working with New Horizons Foundation (www.new-horizons.ro ), as a program director and currently as Chief Operations Officer. Together with her team succeeded to create the largest youth movement in Romania through NHF`s service learning youth program IMPACT.  IMPACT was recognized in 2010 in the Education Gala Awards, organized by Dinu Patriciu Foundation when was awarded second prize for best 2010 NGO that works in education. In 2011 Diana was awarded the prestigious award of Aspen Institute Romania Future for Future Leaders and was also one of the 125 Women for Change in Romania nominated by AVON.  Diana`s professional interests are youth programs, community development, organizational management, evaluation and the quote that defines her as a person is “Be the change you want to see in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi) and she is trying to live it up every day.

Dragos Nicolaescu
Dragos spent 17 years understanding and solving the customers’ needs. He has 13 years of international experience in working effectively with people at all levels of International Corporations. He accumulated 10 years of management experience in leading heterogeneous teams of professionals, improving business and maintaining collaborative relationships with customers, suppliers, partners and employees. For 7 years he was working in top management positions in global and local companies. He founded 8 companies in the last 16 years. For the last 3 years he provided vocational mentoring and support over 100 clients in creating sustainable business from their passion.

Karl Heinz Fellinger is CFO and CRO of goodbee Credit IFN, a Microfinance Institution specialising in financing agricultural activities in rural areas. Karl-Heinz has studied at Vienna University of Economics with specialization in Finance and Insurance. In 1993 he entered Erste Österreichische Sparkasse for an internship and became an employee in 1994 in the predecessor department of SABINE Factory. With the merger of Erste and Giro Credit to Erste Bank his orientation moved from West to CEE and he became a member of the Loan Portfolio Reclassification Team, when Ceska Sporitelna was integrated into the Group. In consequence, he built up the Credit Analysis Department in Ceska. After 6 years of Credit Analysis, Riskmanagent and Basel II he returned back to Erste Bank. In 2006, he entered Risk Management International, being responsible for Hungary and Romania. In 2007, he took over the Management Position as Head of Corporate Risk Management in Erste Holding, responsible for the entire corporate Portfolio of Erste Group. He joined the good.bee team in May 2010, being responsible there for Risk Management and Credit Processes. In April 2012 he moved to Romania, joining the local subsidiary of goodbee Holding, goodbee Credit IFN as a board member responsible for Risk and Finance.

Vlad Craioveanu, co-founder Ropot. After 6 years in the sport marketing industry as New Business Developer, Vlad is now co-founder at Ropot. His focus is on developing new products and projects that will adress different areas of develpment of social entrepreneurship in Romania. Vlad is a strong supporter of creting businesses with purpose and thinks that for this to happen you need to create networks and communities. This is why he is also involved in starting the first Romanian HUB, part of the international HUB Network (www.the-hub.net/getready/). Vlad graduated the Academy of Economics in Bucharest and was member of AIESEC in his student years.

Zoltán Cristian Bereczki is the Enterprise Development Manager of NESsT in Romania. Zoltán is responsible for managing the NESsT portfolio of social enterprises – businesses created to further a social purpose in a financially sustainable way – and of further developing NESsT activities in Romania. His primary expertise is in the area of business planning and development, organizational growth and nonprofit capacity building. Prior to joining NESsT, Zoltán worked as a Program Manager, developing projects for civil society organizations across Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine. NESsT’s mission is to develop sustainable social enterprises that solve critical social problems in emerging market countries.