08:00 – 09:00 Welcome coffee & Registration
09:00 – 9:10 Welcome speech Bill Avery – Founding Editor, Business Review
9:10 – 9:30 Welcome speech from Vice Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu
09:30 – 10:15 Macroeconomic Context I Panel Discussions
Topics:
- Maintaining a stable course for the Romanian economy in the next years. Key priorities.
- Facing the country’s macroeconomic challenges. Recommendations for strengthening the economy.
- The regional perspective. The strategies of other CEE countries on keeping macroeconomic indicators at bay
- Growth patterns of the Romanian economy
Speakers:
- Valentin Lazea – Chief Economist, BNR (Presentation here)
- Oana Popescu – Regional Economic and Political Analyst (Presentation here)
- Anda Sebesi – Editor-in-Chief, Business Review
10:15 – 11:30 Enhancing Bilateral Economic Relations with Key Players
10:15 – 10:30 Speech from HE Stella Ronner-Grubačić – Ambassador of Netherlands in Romania
Topics:
- Enhancing the strategic ties between Romania and strategic parners
- Romania’s international profile as NATO member and its cooperation with allied countries
- Strategic investments of France, Germany and the US
- Trade Winds 2017 – putting strategic business relations between Romania and the US in a regional perspective
Speakers:
- Anca Harasim – Executive Director, AmCham
- Dragos Anastasiu – President, AHK Romania
- Andrei Tarnea – General Commissioner of the Romanian-France Cultural Season
Moderator: Jorg K. Menzer – Partner, Head CEE Offices, Noerr
11:30 – 11:45 Coffee Break
11:45 – 12:45 Country Strategy I Panel Discussions
Topics:
- The economic development model of Romania. Can it secure sustainable growth on the long run?
- Harnessing growth through a tighter cooperation between foreign and domestic investors
- Strategic approach to focus sectors of the economy
- Enhancing the capacity of Romania to generate added value. The gradual shift from the low-cost model
- Sectors of the Romanian economy that have bankable demand for financing
Speakers:
- Franz Weiler – President, Foreign Investors Council
- Dragos Pislaru – Partner, Civitta Romania (Presentation here)
- Matteo Patrone – Director for Romania, BERD
Moderator: Jorg K. Menzer – Partner, Head CEE Offices, Noerr
12:45 – 13:45 FDI Growth I Panel Discussions
Topics:
- Destination for FDI: Fiscal incentives to attract fresh investments
- State aid schemes for investors looking to expand operations in Romania
- The role of EU funding in the financing mix
- Investment drivers: What factors define the country as attractive? Perspective from a newly arrived investor
Speakers:
- Raluca Popa, Advisor, Minister for Business Environment
- Alex Milcev -Tax & Law Services Leader, EY Romania
- Adriana Record – Executive Director, CCIFER
- Anca Harasim – Executive Director, AmCham
- Charlie Crocker – CEO, BRCC
- Manuela Furdui, Managing Partner, FiNEXPERT
Moderator: Ovidiu Posirca – Senior Journalist, Business Review
13:45 – 14:30 Lunch
*pending confirmation
08:00 – 09:00 Welcome coffee & Registration
9:00 – 9:15 Presentation by Alexandra Predeanu – Country Manager, ICAP Romania (Presentation here)
9:15 – 10:00 Focus on Manufacturing
Topics:
- How can Romania attract more manufacturing investments
- Business strategies of key manufacturers
- The impact of the manufacturing sector on the local economy (share of GDP/jobs created/amount of investment generated)
- Gauging industry trends
- Manufacturing growth strategies
Speakers:
- Anca Vlad – Vice President AOAR
- Bogdan Stanciu – General Manager, Timken
- Martina Scheidleder – Managing Director, Voestalpine Romania
Moderator: Ovidiu Posirca – Senior Journalist, Business Review
10:00 – 11:00 Focus on Transport & Infrastructure
Topics:
- Improving mobility of goods and mobility of people
- Development under smart cities principles. Urban Infrastructure & Transportation
- The right infrastructure mix for Romania: What should be the focus of investments
- Consumer trends and investments in the electricity market – The outlook of urban mobility and demand for electricity
- Infrastructure in eastern Romania – the economic benefits of increasing transport links with the rest of the country
- Potential of infrastructure investments through PPP
Speakers:
- Adrian Borotea – Group strategy and EU agenda Director, Cez Romania
- Loredana Van de Waart – Partner, Gruia Dufaut Law Office (Presentation here)
- Mihai Teodorescu – General Manager, ICT Logistics
Moderator: Anda Sebesi, Editor-in-Chief, Business Review
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee break
11:15 – 12:00 Focus on Environment
Topics:
- Key legal environment provisions that investors need to know about
- Implementation of EU environmental policy into national legislation
- Companies’ perspective: Doing business in a sustainable manner
Speakers:
- Andrei Orban – President, Environ
- Robert Uzună – Corporate Affairs Director, Ursus Breweries
- Raul Pop – Senior Manager, Climate Change and Sustainability Services, EY Romania
- Radu Merica – President, RER
Moderator: Ionut Georgescu – President, CA Fepra
12:00 – 13:00 Panel discussions | Focus on Real Estate
Topics:
- The Romanian real estate investment market in the regional context and investment trends in CEE
- Catching up with regional competitors in terms of investment volume and number of high profile players
- New areas of interest for office developments in Bucharest and overview of the office market outside the capital
- Potential for new investors entering the industrial market following recent market consolidation moves
Speakers:
- Antoniu Panait – Managing Director, Vastint
- Vlad Tanase – Partner, NNDKP
- Geo Margescu – Co-Founder & CEO, Forte Partners
- Radu Lucianu, Managing Partner, Capital Property Advisors
- Mirela Radulescu, Sales&Marketing manager, ICCO
Moderator: Silviana Petre Badea- Managing Director&Head of Capital Markets, JLL Romania (Presenattion here)
13:00 – 13:45 Lunch
13:45 – 15:15 Focus on Technology & Innovation
Topics:
- Digitizing Romania: The challenges and long term benefits for the economy
- Latest tech developments helping companies keep a competitive edge
- Turning Romania into a regional IT hub – Cities to watch
- Generating Intellectual Property (IP) in Romania
- Understanding blockchain: Its influence on business and the public sector
13:45 – 14:00 Presentation by Teodor Blidarus, President, ANIS – Romania, the Digital Hub of Europe (Presentation here)
14:00 – 14:15 Presentation by Flavian Cristea – Digital Strategist, Grapefruit – Chatbots: the future of customer engagement (Presentation here)
14:15 – 15:15 Panel Discussion Speakers:
- Ion Sturza – Managing Partner, Fribourg Capital
- Razvan Copoiu – Industry Vice President, South & Eastern Europe, Schneider Electric (Presentation here)
- Florin Spataru – Digital Marketing Manager, Orange
- Diana Rusu – Executive Director, Spherik Accelerator
- Vlad Nistor – Founder, Coinflux
- Cosmina Simion – Partner, NNDKP
Moderator: Teodor Blidarus – President, ANIS
*pending confirmation
08:00 – 09:00 Welcome coffee & Registration
09:00 – 10:00 Money Makes the World Go Round. Tapping into Venture Capitalism & Private Equity
Topics:
- Funding environment and trends
- The financing ecosystem for start-ups, Romania vs other Eastern European countries
- Innovation industry status
- Emerging sectors on the radar of venture capitalists
- Initial Coin Offering (ICO) the new IPO?
Speakers:
- Marius Ghenea – Investment Director, 3TS Capital
- Dan Sturza – General Manager, Fribourg Digital
- Bogdan Iordache – MVP Academy
- Sebastian Cochinescu – Co-founder & CIO, Cyber Swarm (Presentation here)
Moderator: Ovidiu Posirca – Senior Editor, Business Review
10:00 – 10:30 What are bigger funds looking for? I Fireside Chat
Speakers:
- Serban Roman – Country Director Romania, Enterprise Investors
- Dragos Rosca – President, Delta Asset Invest
- Carmen Oprea – Co-founder & COO, Socital
Moderator: Ovidiu Posirca – Senior Editor, Business Review
10:30 – 11:15 The Knowledge Economy I Fireside Chat
Today’s knowledge pool is more than “information” and resides in an increasingly digital world, encompassing human capital, intelligent supply chains, and changing customer demands. How will the next digital wave impact global business worth?
Presentations:
10:30 – 10:45 The European vision on Industry digitalisation. Industry 4.0. Digital innovation hub | Dan Nechita – Co-founder and President, Smart Everything Everywhere (Presentation here)
10:45 – 11:00 New generations @work and how they will reshape the companies | Ionut Georgescu – Seed Investor, Flat White Economy Investment
11:00 – 11:15 Coffee Break
11:15 – 12:30 Demand for Skills: Why Workforce Development is More Critical than ever
The panel will introduce successful, innovative approaches to workforce development and analyze how today’s workforce is educated and trained (and retrained) to meet the needs of today’s and tomorrow’s industries.
Topics:
- The case for dual education; how professional reconversion can impact the work force
- How are the younger generations – millennials – changing the recruitment and retention policies of companies
- How strong is the correlation between employee satisfaction with the workplace environment and their “engagement” with the business?
- What should companies do to be a desirable employer for today’s workforce?
- How does today’s workforce see and set their career? The hottest industries for today’s workforce
- Financial and non-financial incentives for the new generation of employees: their expectations vs. reality
- Work 4.0 – the 4th industrial revolution
Speakers:
- Dan Petre – Partner D&D (Presentation Here)
- Matthew Dezzani – CEO Digitaljob.org
- Oana Toiu – Curator Global Shapers, an initiative of the World Economic Forum
- Dragos Gheban – Managing Partner, Catalyst (Presentation here)
Moderator: Anda Sebesi, Editor-in-Chief, Business Review
12:30 – 13:15 Lunch
13:15 – 14:00 Building Social Impact
Topics:
- Creating significant social impact: Who did it successfully in Romania
- The link to Romania: Global shapers & trends
- Developing social businesses in Romania
Speakers:
- Ciprian Stanescu – Partnerships Manager, ASHOKA (Presentation here)
- Gratian Mihailescu – Urbanize Hub
- Corneliu Antochi – Project Manager, ALIAT
- Marina Neagu – Founder, MKBT
Moderator: Oana Toiu – Curator Global Shapers, an initiative of the World Economic Forum
14:00 – 15:00 Made in Romania
Topics:
- The exit strategies: Stories of Romanian entrepreneurs
- Local brands gaining market-share abroad
- The new Made in Romania tag: Uniting local and foreign investors
Speakers:
- Mihai Raneti – Founder, Cyber Swarm
- Andrei Botescu – Co-founder, Atelierele Pegas
- Mihai Rotaru – Clever Taxi
Moderator: Oana Molodoi – Business Development Manager, Business Review