ABSL Business Mixer Week 2020 [Iasi, Sibiu, Timisoara]
28th September 2020 @ 2:00 pm - 1st October 2020 @ 3:30 pm
ABSL Business Mixer Week 2020. Chapters: Iasi, Timisoara, Sibiu
Building a sustainable business future in a disrupted post-COVID world
COVID-19 had significantly impacted businesses, economies, industries, countries, families and individual lives, and has been highly disruptive for business across all industries: airlines, retail, restaurant, or manufacturing. It practically changed irrevocably how the world works, from social interaction to remote working, and how businesses operate and grow.
Business Services industry and Romania are not an exception and even though the local BS industry is one of the least affected sectors, managing to rapidly transfer their services in remote working format since the first cases of COVID19 in our country, they still needed to adapt quickly to the new conditions and go through an extensive process of transformation.
They had to manage turbulence in their financial plans, find new ways of doing business, attracting projects and delivering services, negotiate and adjust the customer preferences to the new context, to face disruptions in supply and infrastructure and most of all, to survive and thrive in an unpredictable world. They had to find solutions that shape the future and benefit both the business and the people.
In the session of this Business Mixer Week, focusing on Iasi, Timisoara and Sibiu, our plan is to answer the following questions:
- What was the impact of COVID-19 on companies in the BS industry?
- How have companies adapted their people and business strategies to the new context?
- What can we observe looking at the local BS industry after 7 months after the onset of this crisis in Romania?
- Are there differences in the way companies from different areas of Romania were impacted and reacted?
- How do they see the future and what are the risks and opportunities?
We will focus on 3 major themes:
- The future. We need to operationalise lessons learned and build defences for the future. Increasing the level of digital maturity, reviewing and redesigning operational flow and operating models adapted to a world in which business systems are continuously disrupted.
- Leadership. It is a tough time for leaders also, as they need to figure out what parts of their business and organization will still be relevant in the future. But what does it take to lead in disruptive times? How can they reposition their strategy in order to gain sustainability and profitability, while leading and engaging their teams?
- Organizational culture & people. Almost every company today is grappling with transformation and dealing with change and, in this context, culture and talent need to be a bigger part of the agenda. What are and how do we address the new challenges emerged from this pandemic? What roles and responsibilities of the executive teams have been reset based on the new business needs? How do we model and enforce wellbeing practices?
Monday, September 28
2 – 3:30 PM | Competing in the Post-COVID Era: The Case for Place and the Need to Get It Right
When COVID-19 forced millions to work from home, it prompted a swell of conversation about dramatically increasing work-from-home strategies to offer greater flexibility to workers and cost savings to organizations. But, extreme WFH strategies carry significant risk to growth and innovation. Leading organizations recognize returning to the office of the past isn’t the answer either. The pressure to get it right has never been greater. We know the vast majority of people, 88-90%, want to return to the office. But there are three common misconceptions about work-from-home strategies that fuel conversations about dramatic shifts away from the workplace.
A new approach to the workplace is required — one that is compelling and safe for employees and smart for the business. Recent insights, along with decades of research, contribute to five strategies to help organizations create the kind of workplaces that are able to adapt to change and support what people need to feel safe, be productive and have a sense of belonging at work.
- Arh. Andrei Angelescu, Head of Architecture & Design – COS
- Ilinca Popescu, Regional Sales Manager Central Europe – Steelcase
- Horatiu Cocheci – Director People Advisory Services – EY
- Alexandru Stoenescu – VP, Operations – Genpact Europe
- Adrian Fogas – Director Accounts Receivable – Office Depot Europe
- Andrei Droc, Workplace Consultant – Steelcase
- Kinga Pakucs, Learning & Organizational Effectiveness – Steelcase
Tuesday, September 29
10 – 11:00 AM | The recruitment planning for now & the next normal
Speaker: Georgiana Grama, Recruitment Team Leader in Business Services – Hays Recruitment
The new reality pandemic sparked innovations in recruiting, hiring and onboarding the new talent. Hays will share some lessons learned from working in this new reality, as well as what some adjustments to recruitment process recruiters/employers should take in consideration from now on.
11 – 12 PM | Restart. Organizational culture 2.0
Speakers:
- Victor Toriani Gorea, Psychologist, Life & Executive Coach, Trainer
- Georgiana Andrei, Corporate Sales Director, REGINA MARIA
2020 is definitely the year of change, different, faster and more abrupt perhaps than we would have expected. The volatility and complexity of the period we are going through, however, restores the emphasis on the employee and on the ability of the companies to adapt to a new reality, to find new ways of communicating and motivating employees. REGINA MARIA is trying to offer solutions to restore a balance in the new context.
2 – 3:30 PM | CFO as a Value creator [ENG]
Speakers:
- Razvan Maricescu, Financial Controller – Deutsche Telekom Services Europe – Romania (Timisoara)
- Gabriela Praja – Financial & Office &Facility Manager – Majorel (Sibiu)
- Dragos Moisuc – Head of Finance – SCC SERVICES ROMANIA (Iasi)
IMA Representatives: Marta Sudnikiewicz, IMA® Operations Coordinator & Grete Buivydaite, Business Development Europe – IMA®
Agenda will consist of 2 parts: Presentation: Finance Function Partnering for the Integration of Sustainability Business & Panel discussion with Finance Leaders
A key global business trend of the 21st century is the call for business to operate sustainably. At this presentation IMA looks at how the CFO and the finance function can serve as an effective business partner in facilitating integration of an organization’s sustainable business goals and activities. During the presentation you will found out about the Finance Partnering Framework and three main mandates that can help facilitating effective partnering between the finance function and the sustainable business function as well as be applied as a guidance for CFOs to lead the integration of relevant capabilities for sustainable business strategies in their companies.
Wednesday, September 30
10 – 11:30 AM | IT solutions for Employee Driven HR Experience
Speaker: Anemari Ionescu, Director Digital Solutions – KPMG Romania
2 – 2:30 PM | How are companies rethinking their corporate HQ? From light and temperature to ventilation and cleanliness, building health is now more in focus than ever
Speaker: Marius Scuta, Head of Office Department & Tenant Representation – JLL Romania
Today’s spotlight on creating healthier workplaces goes well beyond implementing physical distancing and encouraging employees to use the stairs. Building infrastructure and hygiene practices, closely monitored by new technology and live data, are being analysed and tested to ensure ventilation, lighting and heating systems are playing their part in safeguarding employees’ health.
2:30 – 3:15 PM | Teleworking vs. Work from home vs. Business continuity [RO]
Speaker: Catalin Micu, Partner – Zamfirescu Racoti Vasile & Partners
Working outside the office already proved to become a “long distance” practice to ensure the business continuity and the proper protection of the employees. However, this “long distance” until the date the new coronavirus crisis is overcome is about to impose teleworking as the feasible winner in opposition to work from home. Certain arguments are to be considered by the business leaders. Flexibility viewed from different angles is one of the teleworking winning factors.
Thursday, October 1
10 – 11:30 AM | Workplace: 360⁰ perspective to a new normality
[Panel discussion] Speakers:
- Anne Marie Diaconu, Leasing and Asset Management – Skanska Property Romania
- Simona Ciurea, Architect / General Manager – Architect Service
- Andrei Angelescu, Manager of A&D Department – COS
- Dan Petre, Partner – D&D Research
- Maria Florea, Key Client Director – JLL Romania
- Andrei Ivan, Sustainovation Director – Skanska Property Romania
- Thierry Blain, COO & Network CDO at Societe Generale EBS
- Cătălin Micu, Partner – Zamfirescu Racoți Vasile & Partners
This debate will be offering to the audience a helicopter view on the new normality we are living today, from the of perspective of: workplace, human and legal relationships.
2 PM – 3:30 PM | What accountants think the future will bring? [ACCA]
In these times of uncertainty we think accountants are one of the most reliable professionals to look to – they are used to making predictions based on historic data, they are equipped to go through a crisis and they are trained to explain their reasoning to the public and have the public scrutinize that reasoning. Find out from representatives of the largest international association in finance and accounting, ACCA, how do they think the economy and their profession will change and how it can provide value added to everyone.
Speakers:
- Andreia Stanciu, Head of ACCA – South-Eastern Europe
- Clive Webb, Senior Insights Manager | ACCA
- Mihaela Robu, Business Developer and Members Relationships Manager | ACCA – South-Eastern Europe
- Vikas Aggarwal, Regional Head of Policy – Emerging Markets | ACCA
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PwC is active for over 25 years on the Romanian market, for about 20 years on the Republic of Moldova [...]
Regina Maria health network is leader in the quality of medical services in Romania, being the only operator that owns [...]
Skanska Romania is an innovative developer and constructor of green office buildings creating a friendly environment for business growth. We [...]
Steelcase Inc. is the global leader in office furniture, interior architecture and space solutions for offices, hospitals and classrooms. Our [...]
Zamfirescu Racoți Vasile & Partners is one of the leading law firms in Romania, established more than 25 years ago [...]
