Press Release
April 24th, 2025
Bucharest
Adrian Baron is the newly elected President of ABSL
The Association of Business Service Leaders in Romania (ABSL) announces the election of Adrian Baron as the President of the Board of Directors. With over 10 years of experience in the business services industry and currently serving as Head of Services Management Platforms at Stefanini, Adrian is the youngest member of the current board bringing a fresh and forward-looking perspective to the association’s strategic direction.
This new mandate begins in a time marked by both global and regional challenges, as well as unique opportunities. Under his leadership, ABSL aims to strengthen Romania’s position as one of the leading destinations for business services and digital transformation. The strategic roadmap includes attracting new investors by boosting Romania’s international visibility through participation in global industry events, targeted promotional campaigns, and partnerships with peer organizations in other countries. These initiatives are designed to foster knowledge exchange and unlock new market opportunities.
Accelerating digitalization will be a central objective, with support for the adoption of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, and data analytics. ABSL will support this direction through pilot programs, expert-led bootcamps, and moderated working groups to ensure each initiative is tailored to the operational realities of member companies. Simultaneously, an ecosystem of partnerships will be developed, connecting tech providers, academic institutions, and public authorities to enable faster know-how transfer and tangible impact across the business services landscape.
Education remains one of the association’s top priorities. ABSL will continue to support the development of the workforce of the future by expanding collaborations with universities, technical high schools, and educational NGOs. A recent example is the “Career Day” project, which brought together 45 companies, 155 professionals, and over 2,400 students across five cities. Additionally, a comprehensive training catalog is currently in development, set to benefit both member companies and educational partners.
To support member companies with relevant information, high-quality data, and insights into recent trends in digital transformation, new technologies, and business models, ABSL will continue to evolve as a central resource center for the industry (Intelligence Hub).
At ABSL, we firmly believe that the future is built through collaboration. We will continue to be the voice of this professional community, supporting it through current topics, best practices, and innovation. Even as we navigate a difficult global and regional economic landscape, we see this as an opportunity to rethink and drive the growth of Romania’s business services industry — one of our priorities for the next two years. Another key pillar of our vision is education. We aim for better alignment between higher education and the real needs of the business environment.”
— Adrian Baron, ABSL President
The new ABSL Board of Directors also includes:
- Anca Fotache – General Manager, Booking Holdings Romania
- Catalin Iorgulescu – General Manager / Partner, Regional Audit Delivery Center, Deloitte
- Ecaterina Ion – General Manager, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Romania
- Bogdan Pelinescu – General Manager, Luxoft Central and Western Europe
- Francesca Postolache – Partner, PwC Romania
- Nicoleta Apetrei – Chief of Staff, CEO Office, Societe Generale Global Solution Center
- Catalina Crisan – Head of Trade Finance Operations, UniCredit
- Laura Baiasu – VP Quality Lead Europe, Wipro Digital Operations and Platforms
According to the association’s statutes, elections are held every three years during the General Assembly.