Today on LearnShift: A student who organised Romania’s first capital markets conference after the fall of communism, because there was no knowledge in the room, so he brought the knowledge to the room. A finance leader who opened 107 Kaufland stores in 24 hours across Romania. A CFO who sold 15 Baumax stores in a crisis M&A, and was the only country in the group that found a buyer, keeping every employee in a job. A regional MD running 10 countries, Finance, HR, Logistics and IT. A chairman of a bilateral Romania–Austria business platform. A member of Austria’s national retail Präsidialrat — in a room with the CEOs of SPAR, IKEA Austria, and Hofer. And a current WU Executive Academy EMBA student. All at the same time.
Radu’s 5 insights you won’t hear anywhere else:
1️⃣ Going back to school at the peak of your career isn’t humility — it’s the sharpest strategic move you can make
2️⃣ The imposter syndrome is an invitation — it tells you exactly where your next investment in yourself should go
3️⃣ CEE is not a footnote — GDP growth of 2–4% per year while Western Europe flatlines. The opportunity is hiding in plain sight.
4️⃣ “Balkan” — in Turkish, it means honey and blood. That’s the most honest description of a market most executives never bother to understand
5️⃣ Frameworks from an MBA minimise the probability of error. Experience from the boardroom builds the instinct. You need both — and neither is optional.
💬 “I always hire alphas in their specific domain. And then I build a team around them. Hire for attitude. Train for skills.”
Real stories. Real transformations. Real insights. Hosted by David Fischanger & Ramona Bordea, eMBA