Eugen Cojocaru is a serial entrepreneur (with over 20 years of experience as a technology expert) who, over the past 13 years, has built several companies in fields such as technology, marketing, investments, media, and business consulting.

His declared mission is to support, through everything he does, the development of a world shaped by authentic leaders who create environments where people grow together, excel, and prosper.

He is the organizer of the Transylvania Meets Business People event and has participated as both a speaker and moderator at numerous business and personal development events. In addition, Eugen supports entrepreneurs through one-on-one consulting, leadership courses, and business strategy programs.

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

Eugen: You’re inviting me to take a wonderful trip down memory lane. I’ll start with the moment when, after my first three months at university, I sought and received support from two professors to study beyond the curriculum and the standard coursework. Later, at the end of my first year, I decided to get a job so I could learn real things from the industry, complementing what I was studying at university. I didn’t care how much I would be paid—I was actually willing to pay for the opportunity to access environments where I could interact with professionals developing technology. I had the privilege of meeting people who trusted me, were patient with me, and guided me through my first steps in the field. That encouraged me to keep growing, realizing that personal development is a never-ending journey that I can enjoy throughout my entire life.

Another defining moment was the experience I gained while working as an employee in a multinational organization, where I came to understand the importance of systems and the fact that, within a company, people are a form of capital rather than merely a resource.

In 2013, together with an exceptional person who became my business partner, I founded my first company—a technology company. Over the next four to five years, we built a team of passionate professionals around us, all engaged in a continuous development process. However, I eventually realized that everything revolved around me. I was an excellent leader and a very good manager, but I also realized that business is about much more than that.

The next step involved educating myself in entrepreneurship while deepening my self-awareness. During that journey, I met extraordinary people who became true mentors. I enjoyed this growth process so much that I became involved far beyond simply learning concepts. The results quickly became visible in my business, and those who noticed the transformation began asking me for consulting. That is how both the desire and the personal fulfillment of helping others grow came into my life.

From there, things expanded further. I founded and developed other companies while simultaneously helping dozens of entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Yet, directly or indirectly, everything intersects with what will soon become as commonplace as electricity is today: technology and artificial intelligence.

I then became involved in business communities, created events designed to make a positive impact on society, and taught at university. I’ve managed to accomplish many of the things I once only dreamed about, and the story continues. Over time, I’ve learned that one of the most important abilities a person can develop is the ability to reinvent themselves, and that becomes possible by creating a vision with genuine purpose for the next stage of growth.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?

Eugen: I gave this question a lot of thought, and I realized it’s difficult for me to choose a specific moment simply because I don’t really perceive any experience as a burden. Early on, I understood that every challenge I encounter is an opportunity for growth and that, as long as I don’t give up searching for solutions, I will become stronger. I’ve learned to appreciate challenges when they arise and even to seek them out by placing myself in situations where they are inevitable. I’ve faced many challenges, and I’m certain there will be many more because I have no intention of stopping.

To answer your question more directly, I believe my greatest challenge was understanding that nobody owes me anything and that everything ultimately depends on me. That realization gave birth to a level of responsibility that freed me from expectations and empowered me to act with confidence.

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

Eugen: I don’t believe there’s a single thing that has had that effect, but it’s certainly not ambition—it’s commitment. Commitment to excellence. I want to dedicate myself to things that honor who I am because life is too short to play small. The difference between who I am today and who I can become lies in what I do every single day, and that occupies all of my time.

C&B: Which professional experiences shaped you the most before launching Universum?

Eugen: Beyond my career as an employee, where I learned a great deal about work ethic and professionalism, I also had the opportunity to build at least one company beforehand. That allowed me to approach consulting, media, and marketing with maturity and confidence, as they all became part of the Universum group.

Before developing this group of companies, I had recruited hundreds of people, built high-performing teams, worked with international clients, and understood that every successful business is built upon an inspiring vision, a strategy firmly rooted in market realities, exceptional people, and effective systems.

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

Eugen: Some time ago, I read something that completely changed the way I approach life. To paraphrase it, it goes something like this: “I don’t know the secret to success, but I certainly know the secret to failure: trying to please everyone.”

Some people might say that I turned them down, but it’s important to be selective about whom we dedicate our limited energy to and why. Others might say that I could have done better—and they would be right. That mindset pushes me to continuously learn from every experience and keep evolving. Perfection doesn’t exist, but I am fully committed to excellence.

The vast majority of my collaborators would probably say that I am a man of principles (although that doesn’t necessarily mean they always appreciate it! ). They would also say that whenever things don’t go according to plan, I’m there to look for solutions—and we always find them.

I’m a loyal person who values long-term relationships built on mutual trust and on the idea of creating situations where three parties benefit: myself, my collaborator, and society. We all need people we can rely on, and we all need to surround ourselves with individuals we trust. I constantly strive to choose such people to be around me while also being that kind of person for them.

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

Eugen: Choosing, with confidence and pragmatism, the right people to accompany me on a journey that would ultimately impact many others. Refusing to compromise just to keep close those who were unwilling to do what we had agreed upon.

In business, emotional attachments and excessive emotional involvement undermine performance and the ability to build something solid and scalable. I’ve concluded that true success requires harmony between the passion and spirit of a people-oriented culture and the pragmatism of systems focused on delivering excellent results.

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

Eugen: The answer is actually in your question—I built it.

From an early age, I paid close attention to the small details that make a difference, and I’ve always loved people. That naturally helped me do many things in ways that now feel instinctive. However, over time I realized that everything is actually the result of thorough preparation—initially unconscious and later intentional—which gave me the privilege of knowing how to choose valuable people to have by my side and how to filter those who had already passed the initial selection.

The easiest problems to solve are the ones we never have because we’ve anticipated them and elegantly avoided them.

From my perspective, every organization relies on two essential forms of capital without which it cannot perform: financial capital and human capital.

I genuinely love people, and it brings me great satisfaction to identify those with whom I can share different stages of our journey. Leadership has become one of the central areas of everything I do because, in reality, abstract leadership principles lie at the root of most of our successes and challenges, whether we’re talking about our professional or personal lives.

Over the years, I’ve learned that one of the most valuable abilities a person can develop is self-awareness. The better you know yourself, the better you are able to understand others.

For me, an authentic leader isn’t someone who has followers, but someone who creates other authentic leaders.

C&B: What differentiates Universum Media from other agencies or media projects on the market?

Eugen: We chose to enter the marketing and media industry because this is where we can create meaningful impact for both businesses and society. There are many aspects that make us different, but I’ll mention just a few.

We operate at the intersection of marketing expertise and business consulting—an essential combination that allows us to understand much more than traditional marketing expressed through social media posts, articles, or other execution-focused activities. We begin by understanding the company’s objectives and then reflect them in measurable strategies and implementation.

We’ve also developed our own proprietary framework, ValueDrive, which enables us to work in a structured and transparent way, starting from the real needs of the business and implementing concrete actions that generate equally concrete and measurable results.

The media landscape is essential for visibility and social impact. We live in a world that is becoming increasingly dependent on authentic and valuable information, and that comes with great responsibility.

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

Eugen: My day starts early, before sunrise, with exercise and time spent with my family. It continues with activities that provide direction and support for the companies I’m involved in, and it ends with quality family time, reading, and rest.

The moments that bring me the greatest satisfaction are those spent with my family and those in which the people I work with succeed. It’s easy to feel good when you’re surrounded by people who are doing well.

C&B: How do you manage the challenge of creating content that remains authentic while also delivering results for your clients?

Eugen: Authenticity is an essential ingredient of great content, but it’s amplified by the ability to truly understand clients’ real needs—beyond what they initially express during the first conversations.

It’s a process of discovery. Clients gradually open up, we explore together, and together we uncover deeper levels of need and the reasons behind them. Once we’ve reached that point, it becomes much easier to identify exactly what best fits each unique situation.

At the same time, we benefit from technology that enables us to significantly accelerate many stages of implementation and delivery. The real key lies at the intersection between the human element and technology.

C&B: How did the idea for Universum Media come about, and what motivated you to start your own business in the media industry?

Eugen: Universum Media emerged from a personal need that I identified within the other businesses I already owned: the need to approach brand exposure and promotion in a structured, measurable way, at the intersection of business and marketing.

We quickly realized that marketing and media are industries with tremendous future potential and a significant impact on both business and society. Our main motivation was to contribute to the evolution of this industry while also benefiting from that evolution ourselves.

C&B: What strategic directions will Universum Media explore over the next two to five years?

Eugen: Our focus will be on helping brands benefit from the intersection of promotion, visibility, and trust-building.

Additionally, we will continue to adapt to the constant changes taking place in this dynamic industry. We are currently developing an online platform that will allow not only us but also other agencies in the field to intelligently automate both marketing strategy development and implementation.

This will enable professionals to focus on what people will increasingly be expected to do in the future: build authentic relationships with clients, guide them through meaningful questions to uncover relevant answers, and master the ability to truly understand their needs so they can provide solutions that make a real difference.

It sounds great in theory, but putting it into practice is an art—and that’s exactly what we do every single day.

Eugen Cojocaru’s interview highlights how authentic leadership, innovation, technology, and continuous growth can transform both businesses and people. Drawing on his extensive experience in entrepreneurship, business consulting, and media, the founder of Universum Media shares valuable insights into the future of marketing, artificial intelligence, and building high-performing organizations founded on trust, strategy, and people.

The post Eugen Cojocaru, Universum Media: “Authentic leadership means creating other leaders, not just followers” appeared first on careers-business.com.

Graduate of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Ilie Preda, founder of AdeonaCamps, is an unconventional entrepreneur fascinated by mountains, karate, people, and the philosophy behind every kind of ascent. At just 19 years old, he founded the Ochiul Muntelui Mountain Tourism Student Club. He never practiced in the field he originally studied, choosing instead to build his own vision of mountain tourism from a young age while continuing to climb some of the world’s great mountain ranges: the Tatras, the Alps, the Andes, and the Himalayas. Yet the ascent that matters most is undoubtedly AdeonaCamps. Even today, after 25 years, he remains actively involved in organizing mountain camps and excursions for children, playing a significant role in the development of adventure tourism in Romania.

He believes entrepreneurship is much like high-altitude expeditions. There are no guaranteed recipes for success, no certainties—perhaps only the beauty of each unique story. Attitude determines altitude!

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence that would capture the attention of someone who doesn’t know you?

Ilie: In the autumn of 2016, I decided to share lesser-known aspects of my life with people. Four years later, after repeatedly revisiting and rewriting entire chapters, a book emerged about a man who is always climbing, searching for a summit that does not exist—a Sisyphean effort whose ending remains uncertain.

On the Other Side brings together the years spent in the karate dojo, the mountains I have climbed, the entrepreneurial projects I have built, and the people who, in one way or another, influenced my transformation.

Even today, I firmly believe these worlds complement one another naturally because, at their core, they all require hard work, humility, determination, and respect.

C&B: Looking back, what has been the “red thread” guiding your professional journey?

Ilie: Avoiding a theoretical answer, I would rather highlight five personal moments that significantly contributed to my professional path and likely shaped me into who I am today:

1. Founding a karate club for children at just 18 years old, together with a close friend who was equally fearless.
2. Deciding to establish the Ochiul Muntelui Mountain Tourism Student Club in Cluj. It was an extraordinary opportunity and my first encounter with what I would later understand as leadership.
3. Choosing to resign from what was then a very well-paid job after learning the basics of sales and deciding to follow my own dream.
4. Signing the first long-term contract and building the first dedicated location for AdeonaCamps camps.
5. Stepping away from the operational side of the business and delegating decision-making.

If I were to draw a common thread, I would say: vision, motivation, attitude, learning, values, and hard work.

Exactly in that order.

C&B: What was a difficult moment or failure that truly changed you?

Ilie: I believe people stubbornly refuse to learn much in the absence of pain.

Each of us evolves through the accumulation of experiences over time, but meaningful change only occurs when we are pushed beyond our limits.

For me, the critical moment came in 2021, immediately after the pandemic, when it became clear that my heart condition was far more complex than I had believed. Three medical interventions quickly pulled me into a new reality that was difficult to accept.

I was forced to understand that the mountains would remain the same without me and that the only true profit is life itself and my family. No one can stay at the summit forever.

C&B: What courageous—or counterintuitive—decision significantly influenced your trajectory?

Ilie: It happened in 2009, the year my daughter was born and also the year the global economic crisis was causing dramatic effects across every industry.

At that time, I signed a 15-year contract for a mountain lodge in the Retezat Mountains, a property requiring extensive renovations and a substantial budget.

It seemed crazy, but I took the risk and borrowed the money needed to start the investment, surprising everyone around me—including my own family.

It worked. From that year on, AdeonaCamps began a steadily upward journey.

There was very little time before the start of the summer season, and what followed felt worthy of a Hollywood movie. I described the episode in detail in the book I mentioned earlier. In short, our first guests had already left Timișoara while we were still landscaping the property.

Romania’s road infrastructure unexpectedly helped us. The group was delayed, and the extra two hours we gained before their arrival meant flowers throughout the courtyard and the smell of fresh paint everywhere.

Today, I remember those times fondly, especially since Lolaia remains part of the Adeona portfolio—a place very close to my heart.

C&B: How have you changed over time as a leader and professional?

Ilie: I believe the passing years and especially the health issues I mentioned earlier taught me to slow down.

Deadline-driven projects and an endless list of achievements—if I may put quotation marks around the word—come with a price, one paid first by the leader and later by the team.

I have come to the conclusion that the process is more important than the numbers, even if this somehow contradicts entrepreneurial thinking and is therefore difficult to accept.

It wasn’t easy for me, but I believe I eventually understood that in life—and therefore in business—everything should be measured, yet time is the most important resource. All other resources will naturally align afterward.

C&B: What do you think the people who work closely with you would say about you beyond your public image?

Ilie: I don’t have a professionally crafted public image. Some say that is not something to be proud of and that an entrepreneur or leader should embody the image of their business.

I don’t feel the need to be at the center of attention, although I have often found myself in that position and managed reasonably well.

In fact, I do not believe I deliver what is popular today—inflated numbers, clichés, and glitter—but rather a certain spirit of humility, perhaps even an excessive one, which I cultivated through mountain climbing and years spent in the dojo.

To answer the question, I would like to believe that I inspire the people around me, even if I am often challenging.

C&B: What truly differentiates the way you build or lead?

Ilie: I believe there have been two completely different stages in my evolution.

The first was before the age of 45, when deadline-driven projects were the norm. The second began with my health issues.

As I mentioned earlier, every action comes with a cost. When that cost is no longer measured in money but in days spent in a hospital, decisions become self-evident.

As for my leadership style, I genuinely believe organizational culture is what people do when the leader is not present—not what they say they do, but what they actually do.

For this reason, I have avoided controlling people and invested heavily in trust. The real battle was against inherited prejudices and my own fears.

Sometimes I was wrong. Sometimes I made poor choices. But that is part of the game.

I do not hide the fact that there were occasions—few, fortunately—when my perspective was completely mistaken and I treated valuable people unfairly. That too is part of my evolution, even if it is less comfortable to acknowledge.

C&B: How has the current context—technology, AI, and the economy—changed the way you work?

Ilie: A large part of AdeonaCamps’ activity takes place in nature, in the mountains, or on sports fields.

Apart from the inevitable business tools used for communication, promotion, and marketing, we are only minimally affected by technological transformations.

I could say that the current context dramatically influences the behavior of our customers, and that behavior, in turn, transforms us and the way we operate. However, that is a much broader discussion than the space here allows.

C&B: Is there a habit or routine that has significantly influenced your performance?

Ilie: First of all, I believe I should define what performance means to me in business: I managed to build a model organization in a niche field without resources, relevant information, or established examples to follow.

Today, Adeona’s impact is significant, confirmed by the tens of thousands of students who have participated in our programs over the years. For most entrepreneurs, performance is measured through revenue, number of employees, or profit.

My main routine is organization. I do not start projects until I know exactly what steps need to be taken and what scenarios might arise.

At the beginning of each year, I create a rigorous plan that includes personal goals, new projects, ongoing projects, development initiatives, and investments.

All of these are anchored in a calendar and supported by separate budgets.

This does not mean such planning guarantees success, but it certainly provides a mirror that accurately reflects reality.

It helps that I can break down long-term objectives into smaller ones and track their achievement in detail without excessive effort.

I believe we should make a habit of taking one small step every day toward the summit we are trying to reach.

Long-term results do not come from spectacular leaps but from small, consistent, repeated achievements that accumulate quietly until they become a difficult-to-match advantage.

Real progress appears when you do those “small things” even on the days when you don’t feel like it.

Rhythm beats intensity, and consistency becomes a multiplier of results.

This is the formula through which strong careers, resilient businesses, and highly capable people are built.

C&B: What principles guide your most important decisions?

Ilie: It is a complex question with many possible answers. I will try to limit myself to five principles derived from five questions that I consider essential:

1. Why am I doing this? Is it important for me or for the business? How clear is the objective?
2. What resources does the project require? Time, energy, and money—in that order.
3. What are the possible scenarios? What is the downside risk for me or for potential partners?
4. Who are the partners and people involved? Do we share the same values, standards, and expectations?
5. Have enough days passed since I formulated my answers? Are those answers still valid? If yes, the project is probably viable.

I can honestly say that whenever I failed to answer one of these questions rationally and allowed emotions to dominate the analysis process—or avoided or vaguely answered one of them—I encountered problems in managing the project, some of them quite serious.

C&B: How do you see your industry evolving over the next three to five years?

Ilie: I believe there will be substantial transformations.

I expect a restructuring and resizing of the market, a clearer specialization by activity type—mountain camps, seaside camps, educational camps, sports camps, and so on—and, not least, a forced professionalization of the sector.

By that, I mean well-defined processes and standards established by the key players in the market.

C&B: What role do you intend to play in that evolution?

Ilie: AdeonaCamps is approaching the end of a stage marked by numerous organizational transformations.

It is time to consolidate the final conclusions and balance the elements that still do not function exactly as we would like within the systems we have built.

Once this process is completed, we will move toward an accelerated franchising strategy.

Franchising itself requires professionalism, processes, standards, evaluation methods, and more.

C&B: What practical advice would you give someone who wants to build something meaningful today?

Ilie: I will be as concise as possible and limit myself to five essential questions:

1. Are you sure your dream or project is not just a passing trend or temporary whim? What will it look like years from now?
2. Can you create transformation, progress, or meaningful impact in your chosen field?
3. Do you have the necessary resources? What is their source?
4. Who will accompany you on this journey?
5. Who do you want to become by the end of it?

If the answers satisfy you, it is time to act.

If, after many years, you remain relevant, you probably answered those questions correctly.

If you need to constantly praise yourself on social media, you may be making money—I cannot say—but it is certain that you have not built anything truly meaningful.

C&B: What is an uncomfortable truth about your industry that few people talk about?

Ilie: Unfortunately, the children’s camp market—the market in which we also operate—is undergoing continuous transformation, and not necessarily in a positive direction. This is only my personal opinion and should be treated as such.

Behavioral patterns are changing at an astonishing speed from one generation to the next.

Social media and the isolation of young people are part of this irreversible process. The confusion between reality and the virtual world seems to be becoming acceptable.

Mountains, nature, and sports of any kind all require a certain level of physical effort.

What is sad is that fewer and fewer children are willing to make the effort necessary to experience the joy of a hike in nature or a ball game with friends. Instant gratification is only one click away.

The real issue is this: parents are part of this transformation as well.

The mountains are a way of life, and I believe each of us has a responsibility to bring them, in one form or another, into our children’s lives.

But perhaps that is a conversation for another time.

Ilie Preda’s story proves that authentic performance is built over time through discipline, patience, and the ability to remain true to one’s values. From mountain expeditions to the development of AdeonaCamps, every stage of his journey reflects the power of consistency and trust-based leadership.

The post Ilie Preda, AdeonaCamps: “Attitude determines altitude. In business, just like in the mountains, every summit has its lessons” appeared first on careers-business.com.

Adriana Preda is a social innovator, strategist, and entrepreneur with over a decade of experience at the intersection of social impact, business, and systemic innovation, known for building and scaling programs and platforms that create real opportunities for young people and vulnerable communities in Romania, Central and Eastern Europe, and more recently in the United States, working across both the non-profit sector and the areas of strategic consulting and initiatives with integrated social value. She is currently a Board Member of The Social Incubator Association, a strategy, impact, and ESG consultant at Nimble Minds, and is developing a startup in the impact-driven advertising space, focused on models through which marketing budgets can support concrete social change.

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

Adriana Preda: If I were to look at my career as a narrative thread, I wouldn’t say it was built on spectacular moments, but rather on a few decisions that changed its direction and proved to be lasting.

The first important moment came from the legal field, directly tied to my education. At the beginning, law seemed to me a powerful tool to correct injustices. I have always been moved by situations of abuse, helplessness, and people who lack the language or resources to defend themselves. I believed the law could be a real vehicle for balance and protection. The experience shaped me, but it also awakened me. I quickly understood that formal justice does not automatically reach those who need it most, and that systems, no matter how well-intentioned, have their limits.

Then came television. I entered that space with the sincere desire to be the voice of stories that were not being told and of people who were not being heard. I believed in the power of visibility and in the role of public exposure as a form of change. It was an intense and deeply clarifying stage. I saw how easily nuance gets lost, how complex realities are compressed into formats that demand quick impact. I learned that telling a story is not enough if there is no responsibility after the spotlight fades. A voice, without continuity, sometimes remains just noise.

The Social Incubator, however, was the place where all these threads came together. That’s where the need for justice, the desire to give voice, and especially the need to build something lasting met. I moved from signaling problems to working, day by day, on solutions. From reaction to structure. From emotion to systems that can support real people over the long term. It was the space where I learned what leadership responsibility means, the pressure of decision-making, and the invisible work behind real impact. Looking back, this beginning was more of a search than a plan. I was searching for the right tool. Law gave me the framework. Television gave me the voice. Civil society gave me the place where the two could be put to work, with meaning, patience, and real consequences.

Now I am at the intersection of all these worlds. I work between civil society, business, and consulting, with the same question in mind, but with much clearer tools. I build bridges between impact and economy, between good intentions and systems that can function at scale, between real needs on the ground and resources that exist but are often poorly connected.

After years of working directly with young people, organizations, and communities, I understood that sustainable change does not come from a single sector. It comes from the ability to hold them together. To translate between them. To create models where doing good does not depend only on grants or favorable contexts, but is integrated into how organizations, companies, and markets function.

C&B: What is the biggest challenge you have faced as a leader of a non-profit organization, and how did you overcome it?

Adriana Preda: The biggest challenge was keeping the organization whole in moments when nothing was certain. Unstable funding, constant pressure for results, tired teams, and people looking to leadership for direction, even when I myself had few clear answers.

In the non-profit world, crises don’t come one at a time. They overlap. And the temptation is to accelerate, to compensate through control, to promise more than you know you can deliver. There was a moment when I understood that the biggest mistake would be to perform certainty. I chose the opposite—I was explicit about what we knew and what we didn’t, I set clear boundaries, and I slowed down decisions driven by fear, moving them back into reason.

Another real challenge was balancing mission and people. The desire to help can quickly become a form of collective burnout. I learned to protect the team, even when external needs seemed more urgent. I held the pressure at the leadership level and refused to let it cascade downward. It wasn’t always a popular decision, but it was a necessary one.

I overcame these moments by changing how I defined success. Not only through delivered impact, but through the organization’s ability to remain healthy, coherent, and dignified in difficult conditions. With clearer processes, accountable decisions, and a lot of presence—without spectacular solutions. Just constant, honest, human building.

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

Adriana Preda: The ambition that has consistently guided me has been to build contexts in which people have real chances, not just inspirational success stories. From the very beginning, I was less interested in the idea of saving and much more in the idea of building fair conditions. Access, reference points, people who see you at the right time, and systems that don’t exclude you from the start.

Along the way, the shape of this dream has changed. At first, it was about being on the side of those who were wronged. Then about giving them a voice. Today, it is about changing the rules of the game that produce the same inequalities, generation after generation, through structures that function even when enthusiasm fades.

What has remained constant is the refusal to accept that some destinies are “natural.” I don’t believe that. I believe many trajectories are the result of context, not personal value. My ambition is to work exactly where context can be redesigned. Even if it’s slower, even if it’s harder to explain. For me, true success is when change no longer depends on me, but can continue without me.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you have transformed up to now?

Adriana Preda: At the beginning, I was very determined, but also very rushed. I had a lot of energy, a lot of frustration with injustice, and a strong need to prove that things could be done differently. I believed that if you worked hard enough and spoke clearly, change would follow almost naturally. I was involved everywhere, present in every detail, with the feeling that responsibility always rested on my shoulders.

Over time, I have transformed more than I planned. I learned to slow down without losing direction. To choose the battles that truly matter. Not to confuse urgency with importance. I learned that leadership means creating clarity, space, and trust for others—not being visible all the time.

Perhaps the biggest change has been how I relate to myself. I moved from defining myself through effort and sacrifice to defining myself through judgment, consistency, and healthy boundaries. Today, I no longer feel the need to constantly prove myself. I care more about what remains than what is seen. And, perhaps paradoxically, this grounding has made the work stronger and more sustainable.

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

Adriana Preda: They would probably say that I am demanding and results-oriented, but also fair and consistent. I place a strong emphasis on clarity, responsibility, and meaning. I believe in autonomy, but also in accountability, and I try to create a space where people can express themselves and grow, even when things are difficult.

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

Adriana Preda: The most important decision was to let go of the idea that I had to choose a single direction and stick to it at all costs. For a long time, I felt the pressure to fit into a clearly defined role—lawyer, journalist, NGO leader. At some point, I consciously chose to stop separating these identities and to build exactly at their intersection.

This decision meant stepping out of comfortable zones and easy-to-explain labels. It meant accepting a path that is harder to read from the outside, but much more coherent on the inside. It also meant the risk of being perceived as “too much” or “too different” for some contexts—and I embraced that.

From that moment on, my trajectory changed. I started thinking long-term, building bridges between worlds that don’t naturally speak to each other, and making decisions not for the next step, but for the architecture of the entire journey. It was the moment I truly moved from execution to building.

C&B: How did you build your leadership style or your way of making decisions? Was it a natural or learned process?

Adriana Preda: My leadership style did not emerge from a single moment or role—it was built over time, from reality, pressure, and deliberate choices. It has been a deeply learned process, but also a very personal one. I invested a lot in learning, in mentors, in coaching, and in reflection spaces where I could understand not just what I do, but how and why I do it.

At some point, I realized that if I wanted to build something that lasts, I couldn’t lead purely “by instinct” forever. So I chose to treat leadership as a competency, just like strategy or finance. I approached the non-profit organization with the same rigor as a business—clear structure, functional processes, defined responsibilities, data-driven decisions. At the same time, I knew that the human dimension is not a “soft skill,” but the invisible infrastructure that holds everything together.

I worked a lot with the idea of transfer. What can be taken from business and adapted into social impact, what principles are universal, how do you build sustainability without losing meaning? This cross-sector thinking completely changed how I make decisions. It helped me move from reaction to architecture—not just solving today’s problems, but preventing tomorrow’s.

In the beginning, I was very present in all the details. I believed leadership meant being everywhere, carrying everything, compensating. Over time, I learned something more difficult but essential—that true authority comes from clarity, and that sometimes the best decision is to step back, create space, and trust.

Today, my leadership style is calmer, more strategic, and more human. I make decisions with people, consequences, and time in mind. I care just as much about how a result is achieved as about the result itself. And perhaps the most important thing I’ve learned is this—leadership never ends. It evolves, it refines itself, and it always requires honesty with yourself and with those who walk alongside you.

C&B: What is the fundamental mission of the organization and how has it evolved since its launch?

Adriana Preda: The organization’s mission has been, from the beginning, to create real opportunities for young people who start with a significant contextual disadvantage, in a concrete way. Access to relevant education, to people who see them, to experiences that can change their trajectory before the system locks them into a label.

At launch, the mission was very focused on direct intervention. We worked with young people leaving the protection system who urgently needed guidance, skills, and support to integrate professionally. It was about being there, close to them, and filling obvious gaps—basic education, orientation, first contact with the labor market.

Over time, the mission matured. We realized it wasn’t enough to work only with end beneficiaries, no matter how well we did it. So we expanded our intervention to the ecosystem—companies, schools, institutions, decision-makers. We began building programs that not only help young people, but change how organizations work with them. We shifted the focus from “how do we support one young person” to “how do we change the system that excludes them.”

Today, the mission is broader and clearer. We build models that can be replicated, partnerships that sustain long-term impact, and real bridges between the social and economic sectors. We are no longer just talking about integration, but about equity of opportunity and the collective responsibility not to waste potential.

The evolution has been natural—from reaction to architecture, from solutions for individual cases to interventions that can change the rules of the game. The mission remained the same in essence; only the tools became more mature.

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

Adriana Preda: Honestly, there is no truly typical day. My days are a mix of strategic work, decisions that require clarity, and many conversations that don’t appear on the agenda but matter immensely. I might start the morning in a strategy call or a board discussion and end it in a meeting where the stakes are purely human.

A significant part of my time is dedicated to thinking—analyzing, structuring, connecting dots between projects, people, and different contexts. I work with teams and partners from very different areas, so a large part of my day is about translation—between languages, expectations, and rhythms.

But there are also days that completely break the rhythm. Days when one of our young people walks in or calls just to say they got into university. Or that they’ve completed their first month at their first job and their voice still trembles a little when they talk about it. Or that, for the first time, they feel like they belong. These moments are not planned and don’t show up in reports, but they give meaning to everything else.

Equally important are the simple moments with the team—the laughter between meetings, a story shared in passing, a joke that releases the tension of a hard day. These small things hold people together and make long-term work possible.

The greatest satisfaction comes from this mix—from being able to work on systems while also seeing real people going through real change. When strategy and life meet, that’s when I know I’m exactly where I need to be.

C&B: What concrete changes has The Social Incubator brought to the communities you work with?

Adriana Preda: The changes brought by The Social Incubator are most visible in transformed trajectories—and we don’t look only at numbers. In the communities we work with, we have helped many young people move from a space of risk and uncertainty to one of stability, autonomy, and perspective. Young people who entered programs without clear direction and who today are employed, students, mentors, or even leaders in their own communities.

Concretely, we have created real bridges between vulnerable youth and the labor market through direct exposure, practical experiences, and long-term relationships with employers. We have changed how companies relate to these young people—from distrust to responsibility, from “they are not ready” to “what can we do differently so they are.”

At the community level, we introduced working models that did not previously exist—integrated programs combining education, career guidance, emotional support, and mentorship. We professionalized social intervention and brought rigor where often there was only good intention. This increased not only impact, but also trust from local partners and institutions.

Perhaps one of the most important changes is cultural. We contributed to shifting the narrative about young people from vulnerable backgrounds—from “beneficiaries” to people with potential, from exceptions to resources. This shift in perspective created effects that go beyond the organization and are felt in communities, schools, companies, and families.

C&B: How was The Social Incubator Association born and what was the initial inspiration behind this project?

Adriana Preda: The Social Incubator Association was born from a very simple and very harsh reality. There was (and still is) a huge gap between young people who had access to education, networks, and opportunities, and those leaving the protection system or vulnerable environments without any safety net.

The initial inspiration came from a very concrete question asked by the founding members—people who had been volunteering for many years in foster care centers and were witnessing this critical moment from the inside: what happens to these young people after they are no longer “anyone’s responsibility”?

At the beginning, the idea was to build a transition space—a place where young people are not treated as beneficiaries, but as individuals at the start of their journey, with real potential. A place that offers not just skills, but also confidence, exposure, and meaningful relationships. That is also where the name comes from—an incubator does not artificially accelerate growth, but creates the conditions for something fragile to take root.

Over time, the project grew far beyond its initial form. We quickly understood that it is not enough to work only with young people, no matter how well we do it. So we began building partnerships with companies, mentors, institutions, and local communities. We brought together actors who do not normally collaborate and connected them through a shared responsibility.

The inspiration remains the same to this day—the belief that talent is equally distributed, but opportunities are not. The Social Incubator was created to reduce this gap and continues to exist to demonstrate that when context changes, destinies can change too.

C&B: How would you describe your leadership style in an NGO and how does it differ from a similar role in a traditional business?

Adriana Preda: In an NGO, my leadership is deeply anchored in people and purpose. Decisions are never purely operational, because almost every choice has a direct impact on real lives. That requires attention, clarity, and constant presence, because you cannot lead only through results. You have to account for context, different rhythms, and vulnerabilities that don’t show up in a P&L but deeply influence the work.

At the same time, I have led an NGO with the rigor of a business—clear structure, measurable objectives, well-defined responsibilities, and accountable decisions. I strongly believe that lack of professionalization does more harm than lack of resources. The difference is that in an NGO, performance is measured in trust, stability, and the organization’s ability to remain healthy in the long term.

In a traditional business, things are more direct—decisions can be faster, accountability chains clearer, and performance pressure explicit. In an NGO, the pressure is more diffuse, but often heavier. It comes from moral expectations, social urgency, and responsibility toward communities that have no alternatives.

The major difference, however, is not technical, but about stakes. In business, mistakes cost money. In an NGO, mistakes can cost trust, lost time, or real opportunities for people. That’s why my leadership style in the non-profit space is more deliberate, more attentive, and more oriented toward long-term building—less about speed and more about direction.

Adriana Preda’s story is one of long-term building, intentional leadership, and the ability to connect different worlds to create real change. At the intersection of social impact, business, and strategy, she is redefining how opportunities can be created and scaled for young people and vulnerable communities.

The post Adriana Preda, social innovator and strategist: Leadership, social impact, and ESG in building sustainable systems appeared first on careers-business.com.

Cristian Chirnogeanu is, first and foremost, a full-time father and husband; only after that, an entrepreneur. He is married to the woman he knew he would marry since he was 10 years old and has a “cool” kid, exactly how a Chirnogeanu should be. He loves his family life and treats it as his most important investment.

He is the co-founder of CORNiCO Snack Food. He has made many mistakes—some he didn’t learn much from, but others taught him how to learn from them. His flaw? He works a lot. Just kidding. He works a lot, but sometimes he also gets bored of work. He draws energy from people, and if the work doesn’t involve interaction or isn’t useful to others, he no longer finds meaning in it. He is a social liberal. He enjoys entrepreneurship, but equally cares about people and the idea that things should work well for everyone.

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

Cristian Chirnogeanu: What defines me is more related to my family life than to my business life. However, if I were to identify a few key moments that influenced my professional path, they would be:

2015 – In a martial arts gym, I met the general manager of one of our main competitors today.

2019 – We opened the CORNiCO Snack Food Services branch in Romania.

2020 – The pandemic gave us the time and context needed to position ourselves in a market that had been largely monopolized until then—the Fan Food industry.
Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying: for us, the pandemic was an opportunity.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment so far in your journey and how did you overcome it?

Cristian Chirnogeanu: It depends on what we mean by difficult moments.
The most difficult moments were actually the ones I caused myself.

I’ll choose this one: in 2020, without formal entrepreneurial training, in a context where many of our clients were completely blocked, I decided to rent a larger warehouse—even though we didn’t have an immediate real need for it.

I did it based on a principle I had read in books: “in times of crisis, you must invest.”
Without a concrete plan and without a clear structure, that decision brought us very close to shutting down.

Looking back, it was one of the most valuable lessons: courage without strategy is not entrepreneurship, it is pure risk.

Here, the advice would be not to read books anymore. Just kidding. The real advice is not to apply mechanically what you read, without context, without numbers, and without a plan adapted to your reality. Books provide direction, not ready-made decisions. Entrepreneurship begins where you filter information through your own market, your own cash flow, and your own risk.

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

Cristian Chirnogeanu: My goal is to live long, live well, and be free.

And if along the way I can help other people do the same, then the journey becomes truly fulfilling for me.

C&B: Cornico.ro covers a very diverse range of products, from popcorn machines and nacho accessories to packaging and ingredients. How do you decide which products enter your portfolio?

Cristian Chirnogeanu: I’d like to know the answer to that myself.

A client who is used to a certain product in a cinema or stadium is very hard to convince to try something else. There are many people who tell us:
“I go to the movies just to eat nachos, especially for that cheese.”
Try convincing that kind of client to choose something else.

What we bring to the market are not just products, but indulgence moments—what we might commonly call “cheating moments.” People don’t come to eat differently; they come to reward themselves.

For this reason, the selection process is very rigorous. We receive many samples, we test a huge number of products, and without exact statistics, I can say that under 10% of them make it to real market testing, in commercial conditions.

I constantly attend industry fairs, where we discover new products that can naturally align with what we already have in the portfolio, without forcing changes in consumer behavior.

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

Cristian Chirnogeanu: Usually, people say that we seem like a very relaxed company.

However, when they look at the numbers and our evolution, they are often pleasantly surprised. That is actually the direction we want to reach. I would like CORNiCO Snack Food to be described like this: “It’s a relaxed company that handles any situation calmly, objectively, and with maturity.”

I know we’re not fully there yet, but this is the standard we set for ourselves and build toward every day.

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

Cristian Chirnogeanu: AIKIDO

Going to Aikido classes was by far the best thing I’ve done for myself.

It taught me to stay calm under pressure, not to force confrontation, and to use the energy of the context in my favor—lessons that apply just as well in life as in business.

C&B: What differentiates the equipment and raw materials you offer from other solutions on the market?

Cristian Chirnogeanu: Clients appreciate our openness in teaching them how to use our products so that it benefits them commercially, not just selling to them.

Our main differentiator is price. We are positioned above the market average, but the value clients receive is directly proportional to what we ask. We don’t just sell products, but also know-how, stability, and predictability.

Our clients are those who want to build a premium segment in the market, who also take care of their end customers. And when we talk about individuals, they are people who want the best for their families.

This should not be seen as positioning against competitors—on the contrary. We have different categories of clients, even if at first glance we operate in the same market. Our competitors do a very good job for the segment they serve.

There are situations where we send clients to competitors when we cannot deliver exactly what they need. We see this as a sign of maturity and respect for the market.

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

Cristian Chirnogeanu: My day starts around 6:30. I don’t use an alarm; although it may seem counterintuitive, alarms make me sleep poorly because I’m afraid I won’t hear them. So I wake up when my body tells me it’s the right time.

After 9:00, things get busy. If this were a video game, we’d say the characters are loading.
At that point, I paradoxically become less productive, but I’m immediately activated by a client who needs advice, help, anything. I really enjoy being of service to people.

It’s office work, but often also warehouse work. I like staying connected to what actually happens in our warehouse, not just what’s on paper.

Then comes my favorite moment: when I get home to Felix, our little boy. I tell him “The Jungle Book” story and we read from “Doctor Aumădoare.” These are, without a doubt, the most beautiful moments of the day.

Sometimes I go shopping before getting home, but more occasionally, usually weekly.

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

Cristian Chirnogeanu: My main value is freedom—my freedom and the freedom of the people around me. That’s when I know I’m on the right path.

C&B: What trends do you observe in the food service and fast food industry, and how do you adapt your offering to stay relevant?

Cristian Chirnogeanu: It’s important to mention that we only marginally touch the fast food segment. Our real market is Fan Food—places where people go to have fun and where our products complement the experience: cinemas, stadiums, events, entertainment spaces.

Even though I said there are people who come “for nachos and cheese sauce,” the reality is that our products are an added benefit in a context where people primarily come for the experience and entertainment.

Market trends are well known: healthier food, fewer calories, less sugar, less processing. We are not in conflict with these trends.
For example, popcorn is undoubtedly one of the healthiest classic snacks when we’re talking about fresh snacks, prepared correctly and consumed in the right context.

C&B: What are the strategic plans for Cornico in the next 3–5 years? Portfolio expansion, internationalization, or new services?

Cristian Chirnogeanu: CORNiCO Snack Food’s plans are not designed for 3–5 years, but for a much longer horizon.
We don’t constantly change direction or reinvent our strategy year after year. We have the same plan, consistently applied over time: to educate the market and bring cool products, regardless of context or market.

Yes, we are constantly looking at expansion into other countries. We have branches in several states and distribute to even more. For example, from Romania we consistently deliver to Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova. If we include occasional deliveries, we have long surpassed Europe’s borders.

For us, however, the rule is clear: existing clients have the highest priority.
New plans only appear when we are sure they do not affect relationships and the level of service offered to current clients.

Growth, in our vision, does not mean expansion at any cost, but continuity, trust, and long-term building.

For Cristian Chirnogeanu, entrepreneurship is not about rapid growth or spectacular decisions, but about balance, clarity, and consistency.

The post Cristian Chirnogeanu, CORNiCO Snack Food: Business doesn’t start with ideas, but with assumed decisions appeared first on careers-business.com.