From traditional advertising to Fractional CCO

For Cristina Diaconescu, the transition to the fractional model came naturally, as a seamless extension of the experience she accumulated over more than two decades in advertising and creative leadership. With a career that includes the role of Group Creative Director at Mercury 360 and the co-founding of Foodwise Marketing, Cristina evolved from building campaigns to building brand architectures.

Today, as a Fractional Chief Communications Officer, she works directly with founders, CEOs, and executive teams to define and implement end-to-end communication strategies: brand, PR, digital, and “signature” events.

Her education at the National University of Arts in Bucharest shapes her approach: a studio mindset. She conceives, sketches, develops, and delivers—either independently or alongside a senior team activated depending on the project’s complexity. Soon, this practice will be orchestrated under the umbrella of a dedicated communication, PR, and cultural stewardship office aimed at small and medium-sized businesses.

Autonomy, decision proximity and cultural meaning

What drew her to the fractional model was autonomy and proximity to decision-making. By working directly with founders and CEOs, she can intervene where strategic direction is defined, not just where it is executed.

The diversity of projects keeps creativity active, and the focus is not only on mass-market efficiency, but also on the brand’s cultural dimension: meaning, aesthetics, and coherence.

A past experience with burnout led her to build a rigorous working framework: clear prioritization processes, project governance, and a digitalized workflow augmented by AI. For Cristina, creative discipline and energy management are just as important as inspiration.

How she chooses the brands she builds with

Project selection is guided by three clear criteria: human resonance, cultural relevance, and long-term building potential.

Cristina looks for founders with whom she can build authentic relationships, brands capable of raising the standard in their category, and clients willing to invest in consistency—not just one-off campaigns.

A central principle of her philosophy is patience. Communication does not generate real results in the absence of continuity. In a context dominated by unrealistic expectations and limited budgets, consistency becomes the major differentiator.

Even though a fractional mandate is limited in time, Cristina always leaves behind a clear framework: brand architecture, toolkits, processes, and a strategic thread that the internal team can continue. She insists on respecting this framework, because a lack of coherence can damage a reputation built with effort.

Signature events as a positioning tool

A defining moment in her work was the organization, in 2023, of an anniversary event for the Bucharest-based restaurant Sciccheria, featuring special guest chef Giuseppe Raciti, awarded one Michelin star for the restaurant Zash in Sicily.

The event generated extensive media coverage in lifestyle and food press and paved the way for a long-term gastronomic consultancy partnership—the first of its kind in Romania. The collaboration resulted in recurring formats and a coherent identity system, from the territorial narrative (Etna/Sicily) to visual expressions and brand rituals integrated into the menu.

In recent years, Cristina has organized over 20 special events in Bucharest, collaborating with international chefs from Michelin-awarded restaurants. For her, signature events are not simple activations, but strategic instruments for positioning and reputation building.

CCO on demand Versus full-time executive

The major difference between a full-time executive and a fractional one lies in the time horizon and the nature of the mandate. The fractional role operates within precise windows of 90–360 days, with clear milestones and measurable objectives.

Cristina enters organizations quickly, diagnoses, sets the brand architecture, and activates the right network—creative, PR, digital, events—to accelerate implementation.

The value delivered to a skeptical CEO is translated into board-level terms: speed, seniority, and risk reduction. Within 30–45 days, she can deliver an audit, strategy, and an actionable implementation plan—without the costs and complexity of a permanent structure.

Common mistakes and market maturity

The most frequent mistakes in working with fractionals are unclear mandates, insufficient onboarding, confusion between strategy and execution, and unrealistic expectations.

Cristina often observes confusion between sales, marketing, communication, and branding, as well as the reduction of marketing to mere online presence. In her view, a brand is built through know-how, intellectual discipline, and consistency—not intuition alone.

The future of the Fractional model in communication

Cristina sees accelerated adoption of the model among SMEs and scale-ups, where rapid injections of seniority are needed, followed by knowledge transfer to internal teams.

The model will evolve toward Sprint + maintenance formats, Build–Operate–Transfer frameworks, and role specialization: fractional CCO, Brand, PR, Crisis, Verbal and Visual Content. Cross-border, remote-first collaborations will also become increasingly common.

For senior professionals considering this path, her recommendation is clear: define your mandate, structure your offer in stages, build a trusted circle of specialists, and learn to say “no” with elegance.

The role of a fractional CCO covers strategy and positioning, multi-channel creative execution, PR and media relations, signature events, cultural stewardship, and training for client teams.

Through creative discipline, clear governance, and consistency, Cristina Diaconescu demonstrates that a brand becomes relevant when strategy, culture, and execution work coherently over the long term.

This material is an original editorial feature, based on an interview previously published in our niche publication, Fractional. The full interview is available here.

The post Cristina Diaconescu and the architecture of sustainable communication: Why Fractional Leadership is redefining the role of the CCO in SMEs and Scale-Ups appeared first on careers-business.com.

Ioana Arsenie is a business strategist with expertise in financial, tax, and management consulting. Since 2015, Ioana has decided to make top-level expertise available to SMEs through integrated financial strategy and accounting services, within her own firm, Trusted Advisor Strategy & Finance.

She is focused on innovation and has already created two digital products that facilitate performance at the level of Romanian companies.

Trusted App is the proprietary application that digitizes financial reporting and budgeting for SMEs.

Ioana is the founder of the From Accountant to CFO Program, dedicated to professionals in the financial-accounting field as well as entrepreneurs—an innovative career development product that includes an e-learning platform.

Ioana Arsenie holds roles as a board member or external CFO and is the author of numerous studies, analyses, and opinions mainly dedicated to SMEs.

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

Ioana Arsenie: There were certainly turning-point decisions that marked my progress. I am referring here to my beginnings in consulting, top roles in a multinational company, and the decision to start my own business. However, I would rather emphasize two more important elements, which are present in my life every day and create the context for growth and fulfillment. First of all, there are the valuable people who accompany me, reflect me, and sometimes challenge me—and to whom I am grateful. Just as important are my vision, values, and life principles. I believe that these things—what we do every day—determine our evolution and our responses in key moments.

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

Ioana Arsenie: Beginnings are always full of challenges, and that was the case both in the early years of the multinational we were opening in Romania in 2006 and at my own company, Trusted Advisor. I am a builder by nature and I constantly seek new projects, trends that help companies prepare strategically for what comes next, and people who want to grow and have the courage to push beyond their limits. I offer what I know has impact at different stages of development, based on my own experience.

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

Ioana Arsenie: I live through what I do; I am a person of work done well, with soul, and with impact for those around me. All my energy is channeled toward results achieved with optimal effort and a structure that supports their multiplication.

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

Ioana Arsenie: I was a very ambitious young woman and I sacrificed a great deal for my career. I went through some difficult moments that showed me I also needed to work on myself, to take care of myself and my development as an individual, emotionally and spiritually. Not having this component in my education, which was largely oriented toward work principles and effort, I had to learn to make room for these new directions of growth, which are just as important for anyone, as a whole, in their evolution. It is a very vast area, full of satisfaction, and I believe it is good to be more open to this type of communication in business as well.

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

Ioana Arsenie: Certainly, the people in my teams would emphasize the fact that they have learned a great deal from me. What I want now is to help them discover what is relevant and impactful for them and to make an individual effort toward learning and development at the same time, with greater long-term benefits. It is very important for us to understand that collective and individual results are permanently interconnected.

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

Ioana Arsenie: It is a decision in my personal life, which also has an impact on the business side. A few years ago, I decided to place my personal life first. Even if imbalances still exist, I have the great joy of prioritizing my personal agenda—activities that, once planned, actually happen and take place despite all existing constraints.

C&B: How do you build a relationship of trust with entrepreneurs, considering that you work with one of the most sensitive areas of business—finances?

Ioana Arsenie: Expertise is undoubtedly the key that opens any partnership relationship based on trust. Equally important is delivering on what you promise and being consistent in the results you provide. You also need to “be there” in special situations, often at a personal level, but with business impact. Firmness is another appreciated aspect, as entrepreneurs want a partner who can guide them strategically and financially, and who has an equal level of positioning.

C&B: How do you manage to adapt Trusted Advisor’s services both for start-ups and for companies already in advanced stages of development?

Ioana Arsenie: For us, different client categories have different objectives and needs, equally important, with different deliverables, and we engage the appropriate resources accordingly. Within my team, there is a continuous transfer of knowledge and a process of maximum transparency, which helps us all evolve and respond to demands in a rather complex economic environment.

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

Ioana Arsenie: Every ordinary day is a good day, with maximum involvement and connection to people and projects. For me, a normal day brings the pleasure of contributing through what we do and of creating well-being within the team and in our relationships with partners.

C&B: Tell us about a defining moment in the evolution of Trusted Advisor—a bold decision or a client who confirmed that you were heading in the right direction.

Ioana Arsenie: The first years were difficult in building a portfolio, followed by other years marked by high standards and the creation of benchmarks that helped us attract the right people to the team, then a period in which we worked extensively on processes and internal optimization. These mechanisms help us operate without stress and dedicate the necessary energy to atypical situations. I believe the strongest proof that we are where we need to be is the way clients recommend us and the fact that they turn to us in moments of crossroads for their businesses.

C&B: How did the Contabil CFO story begin, and what need did you observe among finance professionals that led you to start this project?

Ioana Arsenie: The Trusted CFO Program is the first experiential program in Romania that provides the necessary resources for progress in a financial career, with a 360-degree approach: facilitation and mentoring, soft skills development, finance training (e-learning), and networking and experience exchange.

Throughout my journey and in my interactions with financial departments, I observed the need for rigorous support for the individual career project of finance professionals who, constantly caught between the priorities of shareholders or CEOs and those of their teams, tend to neglect their own agenda.

Among consultancy firm owners, I noticed the challenge of managing their portfolio and team as priorities, without constantly reverting by reflex to the role of consultant or expert.

This is a broad issue that we address through the Trusted CFO Program, in which participants train for an entire year with concrete objectives and continuous feedback.

C&B: What is your long-term vision for Trusted Advisor—how do you see the company evolving in the coming years?

Ioana Arsenie: In our 10 years of activity, we have consolidated a portfolio of over 150 SMEs and large companies from fields such as e-commerce, hospitality, medical services, agribusiness, transportation, as well as NGOs with diverse activities, from Bucharest-Ilfov and other cities—Craiova, Tulcea, Focșani, Timișoara, and others.

Our priorities remain quality and the impact produced in clients’ results, both through core tax and accounting recommendations and through real support for organizational development—of professionals in financial-accounting departments and beyond, as well as the tools they operate with. In this way, we maintain our motivation and develop our own team. We see in the SME environment a growing concern for personalized consulting, cost optimization, and controlled business development, as well as digitalization and agility in operational and financial reporting.

Ioana Arsenie’s journey clearly demonstrates that sustainable financial performance begins with people, vision, and the courage to build for the long term.

The post Ioana Arsenie: Financial Strategy, Leadership, and Sustainable Growth for IMMs appeared first on careers-business.com.

Lorand Soares Szasz is a reference name in entrepreneurial education in Romania, with over 17 years of experience in entrepreneurship, consulting, and SME development.

Lorand is an expert in business acceleration, who has inspired and educated over 200,000 participants through his in-person courses and hundreds of thousands more online.

Throughout his career, he has transformed countless lives and businesses, becoming one of the most-followed Romanian entrepreneurs on social media.

Lorand is known for his practical, results-driven approach and for his bold mission to grow entire nations by growing entrepreneurs.

C&B: How would you describe yourself in a single sentence, in a way that sparks curiosity for those who don’t know you yet?
Lorand Soares: I am the man who teaches entrepreneurs how to escape daily chaos, increase sales and profit, and take their business to the next level—so that the company can run even without their constant intervention.

C&B: If we were to look at a narrative thread of your career or business, what were the key moments that defined you?
Lorand Soares: My professional life has had several turning points. The first was when I left Portugal, where I was working as a gardener. The physical work was tough, but that’s where I realized I didn’t want to spend my whole life at the edge of survival. I was blessed to be hired by the largest business coaching company in the world and to witness how small businesses around the globe were growing using the same system and methodology. That’s when I felt like I was born a second time.

The second moment was the first training I held in Romania. I saw how what I taught helped entrepreneurs completely change their way of working and achieve results. That’s when I understood I had found what I was meant to do. I felt I had discovered my purpose and calling.

And the third moment was more recent when I created in-person Immersions for entrepreneurs. There, I saw that it wasn’t just about inspiration and education anymore, but about real, measurable transformations in people’s businesses. That’s where I saw the greatest impact of our work on entrepreneurs’ lives, on their companies, and on society.

C&B: What were the main challenges in the early stages of building your company?
Lorand Soares: Like any entrepreneur at the beginning, I hit many walls. One of the biggest challenges was the lack of a system. Everything depended on me—from sales to delivery, to invoicing, and even solving clients’ problems. I was a one-man show. Everything revolved around me, and I was involved in everything. At the ego level, it felt great—I felt important and valuable—but at the level of profit, scaling, and health, I was headed straight into a ditch.

Then came the challenges with people. I hired too quickly, didn’t fire when I should have, put people in the wrong positions, and paid the price. I built teams, lost people, promoted the wrong ones, had to go back into operations, and rebuild everything from scratch, only better.

And of course, there was the cashflow problem—sustaining an entrepreneurial education company in Romania is not exactly the easiest thing. Less than 1% of Romania’s active population is involved in lifelong learning. We are not a people who are very hungry for education; we’re more attracted to gossip and entertainment.

Building a successful, profitable company without loans, investors, or debt was a real challenge.

But the hardest lesson was learning that I don’t have to do everything myself. That if I want to build something serious, I need a strong team—not just personal “superpowers.”

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of obstacles?
Lorand Soares: Yes. To create a global educational ecosystem for entrepreneurs. A place where entrepreneurs can learn how to become free—to have money, time, and energy. I dream that one day, whether in Romania, Portugal, or Indonesia, entrepreneurs will know there is a place where they can learn to take their business from survival to excellence.

Every time I’ve faced challenges in business or tough times, I’ve reconnected with this dream.

C&B: What were you like at the beginning of your journey, and how do you feel you have transformed until now?
Lorand Soares: Full of enthusiasm, convinced that I was going to change Romania and later the world. Extremely confident in my own abilities. Sometimes even arrogant. I had no real business experience, and what I learned in theory sounded great, but when I faced the market, I got a big slap that woke me up to reality.

After six months in business, I hadn’t signed a single contract, couldn’t convince any client to work with me, and lost all the money I had. It wasn’t much, but it was everything I had.

Life and business taught me to be more humble and to rely more on the strength of my team, not just my own abilities. I learned that alone, I can move fast, but together with them, I can go far.

I learned to accept that I’m not perfect and that being vulnerable doesn’t mean I’m not worthy of teaching others. On the contrary, I can offer more useful lessons from blows, mistakes, and failures than from success.

C&B: If we were to meet your team or collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?
Lorand Soares: It depends on who. I know I have people on my team who admire me, and for them, it’s an honor to work with me. They are often blinded by this admiration.

I also have colleagues who see me with both my strengths and weaknesses. They accept me as I am and push me to become better.

And I have colleagues who see more of the negative than the positive in me and still stay in my company because the negative isn’t painful enough to drive them away.

I’m not a perfect leader or an exceptional manager. I try to respect my colleagues, but I admit that not all the time does my behavior reflect the appreciation I truly have for them.

C&B: What is the most important decision you’ve made that changed your trajectory?
Lorand Soares: To do what I want, not what others want for me.

C&B: What are the medium- and long-term development and expansion plans for Upriserz?
Lorand Soares: Our dream is to become a global platform for entrepreneurs and to contribute to the growth of economies in the countries we enter. We want to see more entrepreneurs running profitable businesses that also offer them greater freedom.

As for plans, we’d rather show them than talk about them.

C&B: What is Upriserz’s mission, and what sets the company apart from other digital projects in Romania and internationally?
Lorand Soares: Our mission is to grow entire nations by growing entrepreneurs. We believe that the prosperity of an entire country depends on how well small and medium businesses perform.

Upriserz stands out through personalized, practical learning that can be applied immediately in business, through its strong entrepreneur community, and through the credibility of demonstrated results. We don’t sell theory—we provide tools and processes that transform businesses step by step.

C&B: What does a typical day look like for you now, and which moments bring you the greatest satisfaction?
Lorand Soares: I usually wake up at 5:40. Until 6:00 is time for love—that means I stay in bed with my wife, and sometimes we just hold each other for minutes. It’s a way I recharge.

From 6:00 to 7:00 I read, study scripture, pray, and write a short message for my clients who follow me on my channels.

At 7:00 I wake up our daughter, and we have breakfast together. At 7:30 she gets ready for school, and my wife and I get ready to go to the gym.

From 8:00 to 9:00 gym time—we train the body so it can carry the mind.

From 9:00 to 10:00 hygiene and preparation for the workday. By 10:00 I’m at the office, and until 12:30 I have meetings, reply to messages and emails, make decisions, get involved in operations, and work on business growth.

Then I have lunch with my wife, and in the afternoon from 14:00 to 18:00 I work again. Often I create free content for courses; other times, I work with clients and the team. I split my time between roles as entrepreneur, salesperson, marketer, educator, and author.

My greatest satisfaction comes from interacting with my audience through social media and courses.

C&B: How did Upriserz come to life, and what inspired you to found this company?
Lorand Soares: Upriserz was born out of both a desire and a frustration. The desire to help more entrepreneurs and the frustration that I no longer had time for my family. I was traveling across the country, holding dozens of conferences every year, and sleeping 160 nights a year in hotels.

I realized that if I wanted to reach more entrepreneurs, I couldn’t do it through this system and business model.

That’s how the idea was born to create an online platform that could serve more entrepreneurs worldwide, not just in Romania.

C&B: What advice would you give to young digital entrepreneurs who want to build scalable and innovative companies?
Lorand Soares: First piece of advice: don’t fall in love with your idea, but with the client’s problem. If the problem is real and important, your solution will have a market.

Second: build a system, not just a product. A good product can die quickly, but a good system lasts and grows.

Third: don’t chase shortcuts. Entrepreneurship isn’t a sprint—it’s a marathon. Discipline and consistency beat short-term enthusiasm.

And last but not least, get yourself a mentor! It will help you save time, money, and energy.

Lorand Soares Szasz remains a benchmark in entrepreneurial education, a leader who has proven that success comes from discipline, vision, and courage.

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