Radu Manolescu is the Managing Partner of K.M.Trust & Partners, a company he co-founded in 2006. The company quickly became one of Romania’s leading executive search and executive development firms. K.M.Trust’s mission is to create a memorable and positive impact in people’s lives by aligning human energy, leadership quality, and long-term value creation.

A few years ago, together with other business professionals, Radu became one of the founders of an education-focused NGO – AVE. Its purpose is to involve the business environment and authorities in supporting the development of leaders in education, who can transform schools and the learning process for 1 million children by 2040.

He graduated from the Faculty of International Economic Relations at ASE Bucharest and attended executive programs at INSEAD, Harvard Business School, Singularity University, and École Hôtelière de Lausanne, where he also served as a Visiting Lecturer.

C&B: How do you concretely define the “memorable positive impact” that K.M.Trust & Partners aims to create within the organizations you work with?

Radu: Each of the services we provide is designed and built in this direction. I’ll take them one by one:

Executive search: we are extremely careful both about the projects we take on and who they come from: organizations/mission/values genuinely lived/impact/business activity (if we refer to multinationals), owners’ reputation if we are talking about entrepreneurial businesses, etc., while at the same time representing the executives we place on the shortlist, with criteria similar to those of the employer, so that in the end it becomes a success for all parties involved. We are as transparent as possible with both sides and we do not view career changes in a transactional way whatsoever. We believe that the employer initiates a recruitment process with the goal of performance and the right fit for the role, and because a job greatly influences people’s lives, we do everything possible to make this process meaningful and do everything within our power for the person to feel fulfilled in the role. This requires a very good understanding of the “assignment,” the organization and its context, the candidates and their context, through careful and relevant references, transition and integration support, etc.

If we are talking about executive development, the programs, modules, and interventions include components and KPIs/measurements directly related to performance, adaptability/resilience, moral values, team functionality and psychological safety, creating real value for stakeholders, etc.

If we are talking about the “Health and lifestyle optimization as a premise for sustainable performance” programs/interventions, their mission is to create “awareness & agency/awareness, understanding, and responsibility” as core premises for achieving systemic impact.

The modules are scientifically well documented and integrated (metabolic health, sports, movement, nutrition, sleep, stress management, burnout prevention, recovery, sustainable habits formation, mindsets, etc.) and are followed by personalization, supervision, and fine-tuning, while participants are simultaneously directed toward medical concierge services, tests (VO2Max, blood work, microbiome, etc.), and depending on their interest, introduced into an ecosystem that also includes wearables/devices/trackers, AI integration and recommendations, etc. They can be followed by both individuals and teams, but in their current form, unfortunately in terms of access and scalability, until we digitize them, they are more accessible to senior management.

In short, regardless of the scale at which we run the program, participants can become measurably healthier as a result of it, of course if they also address certain aspects. Although at first it may seem complex, along the way most people realize that the changes are actually quite easy to incorporate/address. An easy-to-understand example – if participants begin paying attention to avoiding ultra-processed foods and replacing them with “real food,” if they become slightly more attentive to movement, etc., by scaling the number of people involved, we can achieve systemic impact.

Separately from business, and referring to K.M.Trust Group’s involvement in society, everything related to performance, health, and moral values is something we try to transmit (together with specialists) into Romania’s educational system and beyond, so that over the years we may have healthier, higher-performing, and better adults, full of compassion, more ethical, etc.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment so far in the journey of K.M.Trust & Partners, and how did you overcome it?

Radu: There have been several difficult moments. Fortunately, our mindset regarding crises helped us, leading us to ask ourselves what opportunities might exist even in adversity.

The first example that comes to mind is related to the first major crisis we experienced, during the 2008–14 recession. Considering that the business model was built around creating a lot of value for clients and maintaining decent profit margins, we avoided lowering quality in order to reduce fees, as the market seemed to be doing. We opened another company, relocating part of the people and costs, a company focused on mid-management, which took over some of the fee pressure thanks to the greater accessibility of its services. Thanks to the team, the quality, and the transferred processes, the company grew beautifully despite the recession, while in parallel we tried to diversify K.M.Trust’s services into other directions with real value for our segment. It was a very tough experience, as the “parent” business contracted significantly because of the recession’s effects on our clients, but we emerged much stronger after this period, with a significantly improved portfolio, and today, everything we developed back then and beyond has become the majority of the business.

C&B: In a context where performance is often separated from human sustainability, how does the company manage to integrate them into a coherent and scalable model?

Radu: The decisions we make, time, and clients will determine how scalable it is. Based on the feedback so far from those who have gone through and continue to go through the programs, it seems fairly coherent and easy to apply/incorporate.

To return to the question – over time, through my own experience and through the people I interacted with, I realized that both professional and personal performance, as well as our plans and dreams, are closely linked to how healthy we are and the lifestyle we choose.

Although I was fortunate enough to have someone advise me to train my mind as early as 2009 (despite my initial reluctance), and although I had practiced sports since childhood, I did not understand the interconnectedness and importance of metabolic and mitochondrial health, quality sleep, a healthy and personalized diet, personalized physical training, etc., nor the fact that genetics are not everything. I also didn’t realize how simple it can be and how few sacrifices are actually needed if we truly understand. I seriously started studying genetics, nutrition, the microbiome, sports, sleep, cellular biology, etc. I applied everything to myself and measured my evolution for years through various tests: genetic tests, blood work, microbiome testing, biological age, and more. It felt natural to introduce this program/this journey as the foundation of sustainable performance, in the simplest and easiest-to-understand way possible for the client segments we address. It is a program that, judging both by demand and by the measurable impact on participants and the feedback received, is gaining increasing interest and traction. Separately, we also bring an angle that adds pleasure and naturalness once people understand and personalize the proportions in which they choose to “step out into décor” from time to time, preferably in moderation, with dessert, wine, etc.

We are now also building the surrounding ecosystem that can create the right context and support those engaged in this journey to live healthier, more consciously, and enjoy life as much as possible.

C&B: What are the most visible changes you notice within organizations after implementing your programs (in terms of culture, decision-making, and results)?

Radu: Beyond the individual impact related to significantly improved blood tests, increased vitality, etc. (personally, I achieved test results I never imagined in the mindset I had before understanding the interconnectedness between nutrition-sleep-sports-movement-emotional health-genetics, etc.), some of the organizations we work with have already started measuring recovery-related metrics more carefully, implementing approaches to prevent burnout, encouraging sports and movement, etc. Some are considering allocating spaces for “stress management/mental training rooms,” etc., but above all, people understand and discover how easy and impactful changing small habits can be (e.g., parking slightly farther from the office, walking faster, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, measuring HRV and RHR and correlating them with breathing-related habits, getting up frequently from the chair, shorter meetings, digital detox weekends, changing light bulbs and home lighting types, paying attention to water quality, understanding the importance of fiber and quality protein in nutrition, treadmill desks, etc.), alongside the fact that a significant segment of women are in pre/menopause and understanding aspects related to nutrition, specific training, bone mineral density, is essential.

Across all “verticals,” we also work with scientists/professors, doctors, etc. from Harvard Medical School, UCSF, Stanford, etc., so that what we address is well documented and highly focused on prevention, habit-building, and mindset.

C&B: What role does the “behavioral change” component play in differentiating you from other firms in this field?

Radu: It is essential. We cannot learn football by watching football on TV or from books. We absolutely need to try, win, fail, learn, and start again, playing as much and as consistently as possible. Our interventions are designed to create contexts that support desirable habits and discourage undesirable ones. We also discuss and implement metrics that support this direction and that are aligned with performance-related ones. And we take everyone’s context into account. Small steps, support, partners, enjoyable activities – these are some of the ingredients that can lead to consistency, which is essential in neuroplasticity and habit formation.

C&B: Why do you believe health optimization is one of the most underestimated strategic factors in leadership performance?

Radu: Relevant studies show that in today’s society, the gap between lifespan and healthspan is around 10–15 years, meaning that many of us spend the last 10–15 years of our lives, on average, in a suboptimal state of health.

Beyond that, burnout, lack of sleep quantity and quality, chronic stress, poor and low-quality eating habits (irregular eating, eating late, added sugar, pesticides, etc.), air quality, water quantity/quality, sedentary behavior, exposure to natural light and temperature variations, etc. greatly affect energy, health, and optimal performance.

There are countless peer-reviewed studies showing this, yet we live in a society that makes a lot of money from medication and repair rather than prevention. If you look around, almost everything surrounding us (from ultra-processed food, added sugar, social media, medical and insurance systems largely still oriented toward “sickcare” more than healthcare, etc.) creates an environment favorable to health and lifestyle dysfunctions.

We are not just talking about longevity, but about years lived with reduced cognitive and energetic capacity, which directly impacts decision-making, energy, and leadership.

And it’s not only about performance in leadership, but about sustainable performance, whether professional or personal.

Lifestyle is not just wellbeing; it is performance infrastructure. Paradoxically, from my point of view, too many organizations optimize processes in an unbalanced way, focusing on the person executing them – the human being – while leaving it entirely up to that individual to take care of themselves. Yet, as everywhere else, context (in this case, organizational environment and culture) generates behaviors/habits. Just as obesity and burnout are not individual weaknesses but systemic imbalances, in my opinion companies also have the responsibility to create contexts in which people remain emotionally, cognitively, physically healthy, etc.

C&B: How do you define the responsibility of a Managing Partner in an executive search and organizational consulting firm?

Radu: It is a responsibility similar to that of any manager leading an activity/team toward stakeholders and society: to perform while living the declared values and mission (both the company’s and personal ones). I do not see it as different from the responsibility of other company leaders.

C&B: What does the transition from “burnout cycles” to a sustainable performance model truly mean for an organization?

Radu: Attention right from recruitment to human profiles, attention to who gets promoted, autonomy and psychological safety, recognition of merit/fairness, integrity, encouraging non-toxic relationships, alignment with mission and values, recovery, energy management, etc.

The result – healthier people (visible in analyses and beyond), more engaged employees, improved results, higher-quality decisions, psychological safety, employer branding, meaning, etc.

For example:

A meta-analysis of 7,939 business units across 36 companies found strong relationships between employee engagement and

• Profitability

• Productivity

• NPS

• Reduced absenteeism and turnover

Harter JK, Schmidt FL, Hayes TL.
Business-Unit-Level Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, and Business Outcomes.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 2002. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12002955/ ; https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11367971_Business-Unit-Level_Relationship_Between_Employee_Satisfaction_Employee_Engagement_and_Business_Outcomes_A_Meta-Analysis?utm_source=chatgpt.com

C&B: You talk about moving from individual impact to systemic impact. What does this process look like and which actors need to be involved for it to become reality?

Radu: Systemic impact requires a critical mass of people behaving in a relatively unified way that determines the “system” itself to produce/behave in a healthier manner.

In this case, we start with analysis/diagnosis/awareness and taking responsibility regarding health (avoiding “life simply happening to us,” especially since genetics specialists argue that genetics account for only 7–20%, while the rest is covered by personal choices and lifestyle). We created and are still developing an ecosystem that supports this journey (from health and stress metric measurements, etc. to medical and longevity clinics, trackers, etc.; coaches, mentors, etc.), followed later by digitization and a well-designed platform for scalability and systemic impact.

As an example, referring only to nutrition: if through understanding risks and changing eating-related behaviors, people stop buying food products that harm them in the medium and long term (excess pesticides, ultra-processed foods, harmful ingredients, etc.), over time the entire chain may become more attentive to the quality of products sold, focusing increasingly on natural/whole foods and their responsible treatment.

C&B: How do collaborations with institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, or Singularity University contribute to the credibility and impact of your programs?

Radu: Through the relevant scientific documentation of interventions; through the credibility/reputation of the representatives we work with directly and who can also become part of our programs, etc. I am honored and happy to say that the entire “course” material was reviewed in 2025/2026 and corrected by one of these scientists (whom I deeply admire for what he does, for his courage, and for the impact he has on society), and fortunately the interventions were minimal. That gives us confidence that we are on the right path.

C&B: What are the strategic directions for K.M. Trust & Partners in the coming years?

Radu: For now, I will limit myself to “continuing to do good while doing what we do, inspiring others to do the same, and learning from mistakes.”

This interview with Radu offers valuable insight into how leadership, health, and sustainable performance can transform organizations and society. Through the vision of K.M.Trust & Partners, executive search and executive development become tools for creating real value, systemic impact and building high-performing organizational cultures.

The post Radu Manolescu, Managing Partner of K.M.Trust & Partners – on sustainable leadership, executive search, and health as performance infrastructure appeared first on careers-business.com.