Cristiana Deca, CEO and co-founder of Decalex Digital, discusses leadership, information risk governance, and the challenges of AI in an increasingly complex business environment.
Cristiana Deca is the CEO and co-founder of Decalex Digital, a company specialized in information risk governance, data protection, cybersecurity, and AI governance, recognized for implementing compliance and digital leadership programs in over 1,000 organizations across Romania and Europe.
C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?
Cristiana Deca: Looking back, the narrative thread of my career is built around a constant concern for responsibility and decision-making clarity. A first defining moment was entering the field of data protection before GDPR became a central topic for the business environment. At that time, I realized that organizations do not lack goodwill, but rather structure and guidance.
A second key moment was the post-GDPR maturation period, when I observed that the real issue is not initial compliance, but maintaining control in an increasingly complex digital environment. This naturally led to expansion into cybersecurity, governance, and more recently, AI governance. Each stage was less about sudden change and more about logical evolution.
C&B: What was a key moment for the company—a strategic shift, a defining project, or a major expansion—and how did you adapt to that moment?
Cristiana Deca: A defining moment for Decalex was the transition from one-off compliance projects to recurring governance programs. It was the moment we understood that the real value for clients does not come from delivering documents, but from the ability to help them make better decisions consistently.
This shift required investments in methodology, internal processes, and the way we communicate the value of our services. We adapted through standardization, productization, and a clear repositioning: from a compliance provider to a strategic partner in information risk governance.
C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Cristiana Deca: Yes. My constant ambition has been to contribute to building a different way of doing things in these fields—one that is more mature, calmer, and oriented toward understanding rather than reaction. I wanted to demonstrate that data protection, cybersecurity, or AI governance should not be approached from fear or constraint, but from awareness and accountability.
It is a vision tied to the maturation of leadership in the digital economy: that decisions related to technology and risk are not made in haste or through blind delegation, but with discernment and responsibility.
If Decalex succeeds in being a catalyst for this change—helping organizations better understand what they do, why they do it, and what risks they assume—then I consider that my personal and professional ambition has been achieved.
C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you have transformed over time?
Cristiana Deca: At the beginning of my journey, I was much more execution-oriented and focused on direct control. I had the tendency to be involved in details, to personally ensure that every deliverable was flawless and that every project met the highest standards. This stage was important because it gave me a deep understanding of the core work and operational realities on the ground.
Over time, my role has transformed significantly. I learned to step away from micromanagement and to look at things from a broader perspective: strategy, structure, and decision-making. Today, I focus more on creating clear frameworks in which the team can perform, asking the right questions, and setting directions that enable the company’s healthy scaling. The transformation was not abrupt, but a gradual process of both professional and personal maturation.
C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Cristiana Deca: I believe they would say that I am a demanding but consistent person, who places a strong emphasis on clarity and coherence. I am the kind of leader who asks for explanations and reasoning, not just results, because I care that things are understood, not just done.
They would probably also say that I am oriented toward structure and logic, but that I support autonomy as long as there is accountability. I want the people I work with to take ownership of decisions, understand the impact of their work, and not be afraid to ask questions or flag risks.
In my relationships with collaborators, I believe I am perceived as an honest partner who respects expertise but does not compromise when it comes to rigor and professional integrity.
C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?
Cristiana Deca: The decision not to turn Decalex into a generalist services company, even when the market seemed to demand it. We chose to remain in a clearly defined space: governance, risk, compliance, and leadership.
This decision sometimes slowed our short-term growth, but it strengthened our positioning and credibility in the long term.
C&B: How did you build your leadership style or decision-making approach? Was it a natural or learned process?
Cristiana Deca: My leadership style is the result of a combination of natural predisposition and continuous learning. Some elements were there from the beginning: the need for structure, the desire to understand the broader context, and a concern for responsibility. Others were learned over time, often through difficult experiences or decisions that did not have the expected outcome.
For example, I learned that leadership is not about having all the answers, but about creating an environment where the right questions can be asked and informed decisions can be made. I also understood that trust and clarity are more effective than excessive control.
Today, I build my leadership around the idea of framework: clear rules, well-defined objectives, and space for initiative. I believe this type of leadership is essential in an industry undergoing continuous change, where adaptability and responsibility must go hand in hand.
C&B: The compliance and digital security industry is evolving rapidly, especially in the context of artificial intelligence. What are the biggest challenges you face in adapting your services to these changes?
Cristiana Deca: The biggest challenge is the speed at which technology is adopted compared to the speed at which it is governed. Artificial intelligence is already integrated into critical business processes, often without a clear assessment of risks, responsibilities, or legal and reputational impact.
A second major challenge is fragmentation. Organizations implement different solutions for security, compliance, AI, or IT without a unified framework to connect them. The result is an ecosystem that is difficult to control, where risks are addressed in isolation rather than systemically, and management ends up reacting instead of deciding.
In this context, Decalex’s positioning is deliberately different. We do not aim to be a company that sells technology or competes on “all-in-one solution” promises. We have built our expertise precisely in the area where organizations face the greatest difficulties: translating technological risk into business decision-making.
We operate at the intersection of regulation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and executive leadership—where decisions are made about which risks are accepted, which investments are justified, and who assumes ultimate responsibility. For our clients, value does not lie in the number of tools implemented, but in the clarity they gain in front of boards, authorities, and their own teams.
We believe that the next decade will belong to organizations that understand that security is not a technical cost, but an exercise in governance and organizational maturity. This is exactly the space where Decalex assumes its role as a strategic partner.
C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?
Cristiana Deca: My days are very diverse, ranging between strategic decisions, discussions with the team, clients, and partners. The greatest satisfaction comes when we manage to simplify a complex context and bring clarity where there was previously confusion.
C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them daily?
Cristiana Deca: The main value that guides me is clarity. I believe that in a world dominated by technological complexity and regulatory pressure, the lack of clarity is one of the greatest risks for leadership. That is why I constantly seek to simplify without trivializing and to explain without diluting the essence of the issues.
A second essential value is responsibility. Both at a personal and organizational level, I believe that decisions must be assumed, not outsourced. Compliance, security, or governance cannot be fully delegated; they must be understood and supported at the management level.
Last but not least, I am guided by respect for the impact of our work. I know that the recommendations and structures we build influence not only processes, but also people, organizational cultures, and decisions with long-term effects. This obliges us to rigor, honesty, and balance in everything we do.
C&B: How do you ensure that Decalex’s services bring real added value to businesses?
Cristiana Deca: For us, real value is not measured in the number of documents delivered or controls implemented, but in the quality of decisions that management can make as a result of our work. That is why every service is designed as part of a governance framework, not as an isolated intervention.
In practice, this means three things. First, we translate technical and compliance risks into a language relevant for business: financial impact, operational continuity, legal and reputational responsibility. Second, we work based on continuity, not one-off projects, so that organizations have visibility and control over time, not just a “snapshot.”
Third, we constantly measure maturity and progress so that clients can clearly see where they stand, what has improved, and where there are still accepted or uncovered risks. Value appears when the organization no longer reacts to crises but anticipates and governs risk—and this is the criterion by which we evaluate our own success.
C&B: You recently expanded internationally (to London, UK). What lessons have you learned in the process of “exporting” compliance services, and what competitive advantage have you identified?
Cristiana Deca: The London office is a strategic step, not a volume-driven one. We wanted to be closer to a much more mature market in terms of governance, risk, and compliance, as well as to an international ecosystem connected to regulatory developments and global best practices.
The activity there is focused on projects with a cross-border component and clients operating in multiple jurisdictions, where alignment between European requirements—GDPR, NIS2, DORA, or the AI Act—and international practices is essential.
At the same time, London provides us with a valuable benchmark for what we are building in Romania and the region: a testing and refinement framework for our governance models, in a competitive and sophisticated environment that directly contributes to the maturation of Decalex’s strategy.
Cristiana Deca’s journey reflects the evolution of a leader who chose clarity, responsibility, and rigor in a constantly changing field.
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