From Outdoor Passion to Corporate Impact: The Ecoxtrem Journey with Dragoș Saioc

Interview with Dragoș Saioc, General Manager of Ecoxtrem, about courage, adaptability, and the future of teambuilding and team engagement.

Dragoș Saioc is the General Manager of the engagement and teambuilding agency Ecoxtrem. In 2006, while he was Marketing Specialist & Deputy Manager at Porsche Finance Group Romania, he followed his passion for nature and his interest in ecology, laying the foundation of the Ecoxtrem mountain club.
What started as an outdoor initiative, inspired by the desire to bring people closer to nature, quickly attracted interest and turned into a teambuilding agency, with a name inspired by the extreme spirit of its beginnings.
Although the name and spirit have remained unchanged, Ecoxtrem today offers much more complex services, tailored to the current development needs of teams: one of the largest portfolios of teambuilding concepts developed in-house worldwide, complemented by expertise in corporate events, training, assessment, and internal communication solutions.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in one sentence, to spark the curiosity of those who don’t know you yet?
Dragoș Saioc: It’s hard for me to describe myself, but my colleagues would characterize me by courage and adaptability. In the 18 years of the agency, many things have changed – from the evolution of the market to challenges like the pandemic – and what has always kept us moving forward was the ability to reinvent ourselves and keep going.

C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?
Dragoș Saioc: The first pivotal moment was my departure from Porsche and the desire to try, together with a group of friends without entrepreneurial experience, to build a teambuilding agency. Here we are, 18 years later, still here.
Another defining moment was the pandemic, when, like all event agencies, we suddenly found ourselves without activity. We quickly adapted and were among the first to bring and develop a portfolio of online experiences.
In addition, we realized that people managers need more, and the needs of teams are becoming increasingly complex. That’s why we made the natural step from a simple teambuilding agency to an engagement agency.

C&B: What were the first challenges when you introduced the concept to the market?
Dragoș Saioc: In 2006, when we started on this path, Romania didn’t really have a culture of teambuilding or human-level team development, so the demand was modest. It took a lot of education on our part, as well as patience, to show companies the benefits of these experiences. Today, however, the need for connection is evident and widely embraced.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Dragoș Saioc: I wouldn’t say it was a particular dream, but rather a mindset: that of succeeding, of continuously developing, and of contributing to the well-being of the workplace environment. We have always been guided by the desire to adapt and to communicate effectively with new generations so that what we do remains relevant and truly impactful.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of the road, and how do you feel you have transformed over time?
Dragoș Saioc: At the beginning, we were bold and creative – and we still are today. The difference is that, along the way, we developed as a multidisciplinary team, and the volume of projects forced us to become much more procedural. Even though it may not seem so at first glance, today we function like an agile corporation with an adventurous spirit.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Dragoș Saioc: I think the team and collaborators would describe me as having the courage to try, regardless of challenges. For me, adversity is not an obstacle but a driver that motivates me, and the idea of standing still doesn’t suit me at all.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?
Dragoș Saioc: The most important decision I made was a few years before the pandemic, when I realized we had to diversify our services. We broadened our horizons into training and assessment, and from there things took an upward trajectory. We expanded our portfolio and internal capabilities, developing in-house products that strengthened our position and impact in the market. That was the moment when we shifted our mindset from an entrepreneurial approach to a corporate, procedural one.

C&B: How did you see changes in the teams you worked with after the Ecoxtrem experiences?
Dragoș Saioc: We can only quantify changes in teams that work consistently and sustainably in this direction.
When team experiences are treated as one-time activations, it’s much harder to measure the real impact.
However, we do have teams that have been working with us for over 7 years, and with them it’s clear how a unified personality and a healthy organizational culture based on connection and shared values have formed. Moreover, by supporting them in marking other important moments – March 1st and 8th, Children’s Day, sustainability events – we see how these initiatives become internal traditions. In such cases, teams begin to behave like true families, and employee retention is noticeably higher.
Another relevant aspect is the growing appetite of companies for assessment and objective evaluation of progress. At the same time, we observe the adoption of a Never Ending Teambuilding attitude – as a continuous style of development, whether through teambuilding programs, trainings, events, or internal activations.

C&B: What makes Ecoxtrem different from other teambuilding companies?
Dragoș Saioc: We may believe many things about who we are, but the most important thing is what clients and the market say about us. From the feedback we’ve received, we learned that we are perceived as extremely adaptable and highly customizable, because we develop everything in-house. In addition, what truly sets us apart is our implementation team, connected to the communication styles and needs of all generations in the labor market – something that makes our experiences relevant and memorable.
Another essential attribute is constant innovation, combined with a deep understanding of clients’ needs and objectives. This way, we can deliver personalized solutions with a high level of customization.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and what moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?
Dragoș Saioc: Besides my role as a manager, I am actively part of the consulting team, which means I spend a good part of my day talking to clients, understanding their needs and challenges, and building solutions together. If you were to visit our office, you’d most likely find me on an exploratory call with a people manager concerned about their team and eager to create a better environment. These moments, when I feel we can add real value, are the ones that bring me the greatest satisfaction.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them daily?
Dragoș Saioc: Adaptability, courage, and the conviction that a solution can never be one size fits all.

C&B: How did the idea of launching Ecoxtrem Teambuilding come about, and what inspired you to take this path?
Dragoș Saioc: Ecoxtrem started as a mountain club, built on values that naturally belong to a team – trust, mutual support, overcoming limits together. At some point, we realized there was demand, there was a need, and there was space for such experiences in the corporate world. That’s how we started and turned our passion into what is today the Ecoxtrem Teambuilding agency.

C&B: What has been the most memorable teambuilding experience organized so far?
Dragoș Saioc: There are many memorable experiences, and each of us has our own favorite. For me, I think the defining moment was the first event organized for 1,000 participants. That’s when I realized that we could handle any challenge and that we had all the resources needed to deliver at the highest level.

C&B: Where do you see Ecoxtrem Teambuilding in 5 years?
Dragoș Saioc: We couldn’t say exactly what the plans are, because they’re part of our competitive advantage. What we can say, however, is that we will remain attentive to the market, ready to adapt and grow alongside the needs of teams. In 5 years, Ecoxtrem will deliver solutions to problems that clients today are only just beginning to define.

Ecoxtrem has proven that business success is not only measured in numbers but also in the ability to build strong, motivated teams ready to overcome any challenge.