Andrei Georgescu is a Romanian entrepreneur and digital marketing specialist, best known as the co-founder and Managing Partner of White Image, the first email marketing agency in Romania, launched nearly two decades ago. Over the years, he has contributed to the development of the direct marketing industry and to the professionalization of data-driven communication in the digital environment.

Under his leadership, White Image has evolved from a project that started almost as a hobby into a company recognized for its expertise in email marketing, loyalty solutions, and data-driven, personalized communication strategies. In recent years, the company has also integrated new communication channels, such as WhatsApp, into modern automated marketing ecosystems.

Andrei Georgescu is considered one of the few globally certified specialists in email deliverability, a field essential to the performance of digital marketing campaigns. His expertise is frequently sought by companies looking to optimize their customer relationships through relevant and efficient communication.

In addition to his entrepreneurial work, he has been involved for over a decade in educating new generations of marketing professionals. Within the International Advertising Association, through the IAA School program, he teaches email marketing courses and shares his industry experience.

He is also a frequent speaker at major e-commerce and digital marketing events, such as GPeC Summit, Trade Marketing Congress, or ZF Events, where he discusses customer loyalty, smart data usage, and the role of new technologies—including artificial intelligence—in transforming modern marketing.

C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?

Andrei: If I were to look at my career as a narrative thread, I think there are a few moments that defined the direction I took.

The first was the very beginning. After graduating from the first class of the Advertising Master’s program at SNSPA, I really wanted to work in the communications industry. The problem was that no one was hiring me. In that context, a former university colleague, who was more attentive to industry news, told me about something that was just starting to be mentioned at the time: email marketing. The idea seemed interesting to me and, in a way, it was the spark that led to the creation of White Image. It was more of an experimental beginning, without guarantees, but with a lot of enthusiasm and the desire to build something in a field that was almost unknown at the time.

A second important moment came a few years later, when we made a major shift in perspective. At first, our activity was very execution-oriented: we sent campaigns, optimized delivery, and implemented client requests. At some point, however, we started analyzing data much more closely—campaign results, user behavior, and real performance feedback. Integrating this data into the way we think about and execute campaigns fundamentally changed our approach.

This shift influenced not only how we work, but also how we relate to clients. It led to a transformation in our sales process: from a more technical or service-oriented approach to a much more consultative one. We began discussing clients’ business objectives, user behavior, and how data could be used to optimize communication and results. Over time, this consultative approach became an essential part of how we build client relationships.

Looking back, I believe these moments—the entrepreneurial beginning born from an unexpected opportunity and the transition to a data-driven culture that later evolved into a consultative approach—have most defined my professional journey.

C&B: What was the biggest obstacle in White Image’s early years and how did you overcome it?

Andrei: In the early years, the biggest obstacle wasn’t competition, but explanation.

In 2003, when we started White Image, email marketing was almost unknown in Romania. In many meetings with potential clients, when we told them we could send emails to their customers on behalf of their company, the reaction was sometimes very simple: “We also have Outlook.”

For many companies, it was difficult to understand the difference between manually sending a few emails and having a structured communication channel capable of reaching thousands of customers simultaneously, with relevant messages and measurable results. In addition, databases were rarely well organized, and the idea that customer relationships could be managed through digital communication was still in its early stages.

How did we overcome this obstacle? First of all, through a lot of market education. We explained, showed examples, ran pilot projects, and demonstrated through results that email could become an extremely effective communication channel.

Interestingly, a few years later, when the market began to understand email marketing, we faced a very similar challenge when introducing communication automation scenarios. This also required a shift in mindset: automation meant collecting and structuring data so that certain user actions or behaviors could trigger communication. Once again, it required explanations, examples, and proving the value in practice.

Looking back, I think an important part of White Image’s growth was precisely this role—not just as a service provider, but also as a market educator in a field that has evolved tremendously over the past 20 years.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?

Andrei: Yes, I think the ambition that has always guided me is very simple: to be the best in our field.

Not necessarily the biggest, but the best in the true sense of the word—to understand this channel better than anyone else, to use data intelligently, and to help clients achieve real results from their communication.

In a field that has evolved so rapidly, this goal has actually meant a continuous process of learning and adaptation. From the early days of email marketing, when the market was just discovering this channel, to complex automation and data-driven communication, the ambition has remained the same: to better understand how it works and how it can create value for clients.

I believe this desire to do things as well as possible—not just to do them—has guided us through all stages of White Image’s development.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you’ve transformed over time?

Andrei: At the beginning, like many entrepreneurs, I was in an exploratory phase. I didn’t have all the answers and, honestly, many things started from a simple question: “Let’s see what happens if we try this too.”

We tested ideas, implemented them, then analyzed the results. If it worked, we moved forward and developed it further. If not, we tried to understand what we could learn from that experiment and restarted the process from a different angle.

Over time, I realized that this approach is very similar to what Adam Grant describes in his book Think Again: the idea of thinking more like a scientist than like a defender of your own ideas. That is, treating beliefs as hypotheses to be tested, not as absolute truths.

Today, we may be more structured and more mature as an organization, but the core philosophy has remained the same: to experiment, analyze results, and always be willing to rethink our own conclusions when data points us in a better direction.

C&B: If we met your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Andrei: If you asked my colleagues or collaborators, the first thing they would probably say is that I can be quite stubborn when I believe in an idea. I often challenge them to do things we haven’t done before, which isn’t always comfortable for everyone.

They would probably also say that sometimes I can seem impatient or that I get frustrated quickly when things don’t go in the direction I believe is right. But I think they would also add that I’ve always tried to be fair in my relationships with the team and partners, and to stand by the ideas I believe in.

And looking back, I think they would also say one more thing: that we’ve often done certain things long before they became industry trends. Sometimes it was difficult at the beginning because it felt like we were moving in a direction few people saw at the time. But over time, many of those ideas became standard in the market.

So, if I were to summarize what they might say about me, it would probably be this: that I’m stubborn, that I push people out of their comfort zones, and that ideas that seem unusual at first often become standard a few years later.

C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve made that changed your trajectory?

Andrei: I wouldn’t say there was a single decision that suddenly changed my trajectory overnight. For me, changes have been more gradual and almost unnoticeable, built step by step through what I chose to do every day.

Each decision—whether it was about which projects to take on, how to approach a client, or how to introduce a new way of working—gradually contributed to the direction we followed. And looking back, I realize that these small decisions, accumulated over time, are what defined our evolution as an organization.

I think the lesson here is that major transformations don’t always come from a single moment of inspiration; sometimes, they are the result of consistent choices, experimentation, and the desire to continuously learn.

C&B: How did you build your leadership style or decision-making approach? Was it natural or learned?

Andrei: I think my leadership style developed more as a natural process. As I grew alongside White Image, I learned from experiences, challenges, and interactions with the team.

At the same time, I always try to learn new things—whether through reading, observation, or conversations with people in the industry. I believe a good leader is not just someone who makes decisions, but someone who can motivate people to do what needs to be done and inspire them to give their best.

For me, leadership is not about imposing, but about creating the context in which the team can perform, experiment, and grow, even when the path is not clear from the beginning.

C&B: What differentiates White Image from other agencies in Romania?

Andrei: I think the first differentiator is experience. White Image was the first email marketing agency in Romania and, over nearly 20 years, we’ve had the opportunity to see how this channel evolves and how the relationship between brands and customers transforms. This experience helps us deeply understand not just the technology, but also user behavior.

Another important element is specialization. While many agencies treat email marketing as a complementary service, for us it has always been a core pillar. We have invested heavily in data, personalization, automation, and especially deliverability—an essential factor for campaign performance.

In recent years, we’ve expanded our approach beyond email, integrating channels like WhatsApp and other messaging solutions into communication and loyalty strategies. Essentially, we aim to build communication ecosystems that use data intelligently and maintain long-term relationships between brands and customers.

And perhaps most importantly: we enjoy working very closely with our clients. We don’t see projects as simple campaign executions, but as partnerships where we constantly test, optimize, and find more effective ways to communicate.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and what moments bring you the most satisfaction?

Andrei: A typical workday for me almost always starts at 9:30—never earlier.

There’s no fixed end time, though: the day ends only when all important things are done. And honestly, that’s one of the aspects that makes the job both challenging and rewarding.

The greatest satisfaction comes when a happy client gives us feedback like:

“Fast and good—it’s something rare in the agency world, but with you, it really happens.”

These moments show that the team’s work truly matters and that the effort translates into concrete results.

C&B: What lessons have you learned about leading a creative team and managing complex projects?

Andrei: I’ve learned that in a creative team, it’s very important to give every idea a chance to develop. Often, ideas that seem unusual or even crazy at first end up generating the best results—either in client relationships or in how messages reach the audience.

At the same time, I don’t think it’s healthy to classify or reject ideas too quickly without truly analyzing them. The key is to remain open and willing to rethink our own assumptions.

When it comes to projects, I’ve come to the conclusion that there aren’t necessarily “complex” projects, but rather projects that haven’t yet been analyzed clearly enough. When you break a project down into stages and clarify all aspects, it becomes much easier to manage. Sometimes implementation may take longer or require more resources, but that doesn’t mean the project is inherently complicated—it just needs more careful planning.

C&B: Was there a difficult project or period that tested your patience and resilience? How did you overcome it?

Andrei: Yes, there have definitely been moments that tested my patience. Working with multiple corporate clients, I’ve noticed that many things move more slowly because they involve numerous discussions and approval stages. It’s a normal process, but it can sometimes become frustrating—especially when you come up with new ideas you’re excited about, and their approval takes much longer than you’d like. Still, the satisfaction is much greater when the idea is finally approved and implemented.

There have also been situations where certain tenders lasted more than two years. It’s the kind of process where you’re told multiple times that “this is the final set of questions,” and then another one comes… and another one.

In such situations, what helped me most was maintaining a positive mindset and a bit of humor. Energy often comes from other projects that are moving forward in parallel and, especially, from the reactions of satisfied clients when they see the results of your work.

Andrei Georgescu’s story is, at its core, about the courage to start in an unknown field, the patience to build step by step, and the discipline to keep learning.

The post Andrei Georgescu & White Image: The story of pioneering email marketing in Romania appeared first on careers-business.com.

Dan Ciorăscu is the co-founder of Clara AI and serves as Chief Operating Officer (COO), playing a central role in defining and executing the company’s operational strategy. With a career built entirely within the technology startup ecosystem and now in his second entrepreneurial venture, he has held roles ranging from product manager and product architect to executive leadership positions. Currently, he oversees the commercial operations of Clara AI, contributing directly to the scaling of AI-based automation solutions for the transportation and logistics industry.

In the following, Dan Ciorăscu will share, among other things, insights into the challenges of developing Clara AI, how Clara AI differentiates itself from the rest of the market, and how it came into being.

C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career, which were the key moments that defined you?

Dan Ciorăscu: Looking back, the narrative thread of my career can be distilled into one defining moment: the decision to transition from a family business in road transportation to the technology startup ecosystem. My professional formation began early in this sector, where, starting at the age of 14, I was directly involved in operational and technical activities—from hands-on work in automotive mechanics, a constant passion of mine, to coordination and management roles in transportation. This early exposure gave me a deep understanding of on-the-ground realities, operational discipline, and the responsibilities that define a functional business.

The turning point came with my entry into the tech startup environment, facilitated by Cristian Pîrvan, a colleague and partner who became a close friend. It was a profoundly different professional context, with a much faster pace and considerably more complex challenges. The transition was, first and foremost, a shift in perspective: from a traditional business built within a local logic to the ambition of creating a technology product with global relevance, moving from local competition to direct confrontation with international—especially American—startups that were far better funded.

C&B: What are the biggest challenges in developing and scaling an AI-based product?

Dan Ciorăscu: The biggest challenge in developing and scaling an AI-based product is, in reality, creating added value, not simply using the technology. Today, many solutions stop at the level of an “LLM wrapper,” meaning an application that places a language model behind it but does not truly build a product, a business logic, or a clear advantage for the user.

A simple analogy is to think of an LLM as a shovel. It is a very powerful tool, but on its own, it produces nothing. Value only appears when there is a “mining company” behind it—meaning a well-built application layer that knows where to dig, what to look for, and what to do next with what it extracts. The added value is not in the tool itself, but in how it is used.

A solid AI product almost always starts with clear specialization: a well-defined niche, a precise use case, and a real, concrete problem. This value is not built quickly. Even with significant capital available, it takes time to understand the domain, the underlying processes, and the real needs of users. The maturity of such a product comes from years of iteration, testing, and continuous adjustment in direct contact with reality.

From this perspective, AI is not the product itself, but a function of the product, integrated into a broader system. The major challenge is building that application layer: the architecture, rules, and business logic that make the model useful, predictable, and relevant in users’ day-to-day lives. Without this layer, AI remains generic, easy to copy, and difficult to turn into a real advantage.

Ultimately, building and scaling an AI product is not about having the best “shovels,” but about knowing exactly which problem you want to solve and how to use technology to generate real value for people and for businesses.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?

Dan Ciorăscu: If I were to identify a constant that has guided me regardless of context or obstacles, it would be the desire to continuously learn. More than a clearly formulated objective or a “dream” in the classic sense, it has always been the need to expose myself to new things, to situations that take me out of my comfort zone and force me to understand, adapt, and grow. I have consistently sought contexts in which I do not have all the answers from the start, because that is precisely where real progress happens.

This approach pushed me to change fields, accept difficult transitions, and enter professional environments with a high level of uncertainty, where learning is not optional but a condition for survival. Each stage brought with it a new set of problems, different people, and perspectives that expanded the way I think. Over time, I came to see obstacles not as something to avoid, but as a necessary mechanism for development.

In essence, the ambition that guided me was less about a final destination and more about the process: to keep learning, remain curious, and constantly place myself in situations that force me to evolve.

C&B: What was the most difficult decision you made in the early stages of Clara AI?

Dan Ciorăscu: The most difficult decision in the early stages of Clara AI was related to the direction of development: whether to scale horizontally or to build depth vertically. At the beginning, the company started with a single product—automating the recruitment process for professional drivers using AI Voice Agents. Essentially, instead of a human answering calls generated by recruitment campaigns, there was a voice agent that speaks multiple languages fluently, is available at all times, understands role requirements at the level of a human recruiter, and can conduct pre-screening interviews, filtering candidates and directing them toward hiring when appropriate.

From this point, we had two clear options. The first was horizontal development: to take the same recruitment product into as many blue-collar domains as possible, from warehouse handling to equipment operation or similar roles. The second option was vertical development: to use the technology already built to mature the product and extend automation to other critical processes within transportation companies, such as training and dispatch.

We chose the second option, guided by the belief that deep specialization creates real value and long-term differentiation. At the time, the decision was difficult because it meant giving up an apparently faster and broader expansion. Looking back, however, this choice proved to be the right one: it allowed us to build a much more mature product, anchored in the realities of the transportation industry, and to develop a coherent platform rather than just a point solution.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Dan Ciorăscu: I think that if you spoke with my team or collaborators, they would tell you that, at first, I can be hard to read. It is not always clear whether I am speaking seriously or using my rather dry sense of humor. I ask a lot of questions, I am fairly reserved, and at times I can seem tougher than I actually am.

As we work together, things settle. The sarcasm becomes easier to understand, intentions clearer, and my focus on solutions and results starts to stand out. I do not try to impress or be the “character” in the room; I prefer to be useful and coherent. They would probably say, with a smile, that I am a bit atypical and sometimes uncomfortable, but that beyond the style, they can rely on me when things get complicated and direction and decision-making are needed.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made that changed your trajectory?

Dan Ciorăscu: The most important decision that changed my trajectory was choosing long-term construction over short-term comfort. More specifically, I decided to remain in a space of continuous uncertainty, where almost nothing is guaranteed, instead of optimizing an already functional and predictable setup. This choice meant taking on constant risks, giving up quick solutions, and accepting that real progress comes from slow, sometimes frustrating, but cumulative iterations. The decision was not spectacular at the time, but it had a profound effect: it completely recalibrated the way I think, make decisions, and relate to failure, transforming uncertainty from an obstacle into a permanent working environment.

C&B: Which mistake offered you the most valuable lesson so far?

Dan Ciorăscu: The most valuable lesson came from a mistake that Cristian and I made before Clara AI, within a previous project called Clevgo Driver. It was another company, another product, but the same founding team. Although at that time we had early signs of traction, we later realized that much of it was artificially built, because it was based on a flawed premise.

The major mistake was distancing ourselves from customers. Instead of staying close to them, understanding their real problems, and seeing what their workday actually looks like, we chose to remain “closed” in the office and imagine the market’s needs. Both Cristi and I have vivid imaginations, but experience showed us very clearly that imagination cannot replace on-the-ground reality.

The lesson was simple but fundamental and profoundly influenced our subsequent way of working: stay close to customers. Assume nothing. Let them guide your product, because only that way can you build something that solves a real problem and deserves to exist.

C&B: What differentiates Clara AI from other existing AI solutions, and what is its main value for users?

Dan Ciorăscu: Clara AI’s differentiation does not start from a classic comparison with other existing solutions, because the market we operate in is still very young, both in terms of use cases and competition. Rather than entering a “better than” logic, we prefer to talk about being “different in approach.” What we are building is not a point AI functionality, but an operational layer that embeds deeply into the infrastructure of transportation companies and automates processes that, until now, have depended almost exclusively on people.

The main value for users is extremely pragmatic and easy to understand: being able to operate more trucks with the same number of people. Clara AI takes over repetitive and time-consuming interactions with drivers—whether in recruitment, training, or daily operations—and turns them into scalable, always-available, and fully traceable processes. In this way, existing teams are not replaced, but relieved of operational pressure and can focus on decisions and situations that truly require human intervention.

In essence, Clara AI does not promise abstract efficiency or “AI for the sake of AI,” but a very concrete outcome: operational growth without proportional growth in headcount, in an industry where the shortage of people is already a structural problem.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments bring you the greatest satisfaction?

Dan Ciorăscu: Honestly, I could not say that there is a “typical day” in the true sense of the word. Since I started working in technology startups, every day looks different, and the agenda is constantly influenced by rapidly changing priorities, new contexts, and problems that cannot be anticipated. If a clear routine ever appears, I promise to come back with a more structured answer to this question.

What is constant, however, are the moments that bring me the greatest satisfaction. They are almost exclusively related to growth: when we add a new client, when we launch a feature that moves the product forward, or when we manage to visibly improve the quality of the services we offer. These are concrete signs that the work put in translates into real progress, and they are the moments that give meaning to the intense rhythm of each day.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them day to day?

Dan Ciorăscu: The principle that guides me the most is continuous learning. I constantly try to expose myself to new things, to contexts I do not yet master, and to people I can learn from, because that is where real progress appears. In practice, this means not starting from assumptions, accepting feedback, treating mistakes as sources of information, and being willing to adjust my direction whenever reality demands it.

C&B: How did the idea for Clara AI emerge, and what real market problem pushed you to build this product?

Dan Ciorăscu: The idea for Clara AI emerged naturally from the experience accumulated during Clevgo Driver, a recruitment platform for professional drivers. Working closely with clients’ recruitment departments, we began to observe the real operational difficulties they were facing. One concrete example was a client who, after publishing a job ad, received around 80 calls in a single day. While, in theory, this should have been a success, in practice it revealed the real problem: teams’ inability to efficiently handle, process, and filter such a large volume of calls.

From this operational bottleneck, the idea for Clara AI’s recruitment product was born—as a solution that could take over repetitive and time-consuming interactions and turn them into a scalable process. Subsequently, the rest of the products emerged organically, following the same logic: starting from real problems signaled by customers and building solutions directly based on their needs, not on assumptions.

C&B: How is the market reacting to Clara AI, and what feedback confirmed that you are on the right track?

Dan Ciorăscu: The market reaction has been very positive, and the clearest signal in this regard is a simple but extremely relevant indicator: zero churn. It may sound hard to believe, but so far we have not had a single client give up on Clara AI. For us, this is the strongest possible feedback, because it does not come from statements or initial enthusiasm, but from consistent usage and from clients’ decision to continue.

Dan Ciorăscu’s story is one of long-term building, discipline, and continuous learning. From hands-on experience in transportation to creating an AI product deeply rooted in industry realities, his journey reflects a pragmatic, value-driven approach focused on real impact.

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