According to the PwC CEO Survey 2024 report, which will be released on March 19 at the conference, Romanian company leaders expect more pressure in the next three years from technology, artificial intelligence, climate change and other megatrends that will affect the global economy. to which together with Dinu Bumbecea, managing partner of PwC in Romania, are invited: Mihaela Bitu, CEO of ING Romania and Bohdan Putinica, regional manager of Microsoft in Romania. Therefore, managers are ready to take steps to rethink business models.

What will this rethink mean and how do they see the biggest challenges and opportunities? What do you think about the impact of AI? The PwC CEO Survey report reflects the main opinions, but to understand how they are prepared, it is complemented by a series of interviews with: Michael BituCEO of ING Bank, Khrystyna VerchereCEO of OMV Petrom, Omer TetikCEO of Banca Transilvania, Sergey ManyaCEO of BCR, Lacramioara Deaconu Pințeacountry manager Romania, OX2, Adrian ArizziuCEO of METRO Romania, Ela MoraruCEO of Google Romania, Jovan RadosavlevichGM Coca-Cola HBC Romania, Raphael WalkerCEO of E.ON Romania and Katalin Radugeneral manager of Bristol Myers Squibb.

Read the full interviews here: https://blog.pwc.ro/category/features/inside-the-mind-of-a-ceo/

Dinu Bumbeca, managing partner of PwC in Romania

“As inflation moderates in all states and macroeconomic volatility is no longer perceived as an immediate threat to business, business leaders have become more optimistic. We see that the main concern now is the long-term viability of the business, and many do not believe that the current model will still be relevant to the market decades from now. New technologies, climate change and other factors are forcing companies to rethink themselves.”

Christina Vercere, CEO of OMV Petrom

“In terms of closing the talent gap with artificial intelligence, we are only at the beginning of this technology, and its impact on many aspects of professional and personal life remains to be seen. Within our organization, we have several ongoing initiatives to explore the opportunities provided by GenAI by evaluating its potential to transform our business processes, improve our customers’ experience, and drive departmental innovation. We are developing prototypes in predictive analytics, sentiment analysis, intelligent chatbots and metadata analysis.”

Omer Tetic, CEO of Banca Transilvania

“For us, renewal means that we want to be proactive in adapting to customer and shareholder expectations so that we offer the best products to customers and above-average market performance for shareholders. Opportunities and risks in the market must be anticipated in order to benefit from them. That is, we look with one eye on the present and one eye on the future, we allocate resources ambiguously, observing both horizons. BT has seen several rethinks over the years.”

Mihaela Bitu, CEO of ING Romania

“Building a better and more sustainable future for generations to come is important, and the efforts of every company and every individual matter. We no longer have the luxury of looking at sustainable practices, especially climate-focused ones, as a long-term aspiration, but they should be at the top of our agenda every day. Last year was marked for us by a consistent increase in the amount of financing, which contributes to the transition to a greener economy. In this way, we have mobilized more than €1 billion through sustainable financing, which includes both lending and green bond brokerage.”

Serhiy Manya, CEO of BCR

“When we talk about artificial intelligence, as about any other new technology – from the metaverse to peripheral and quantum computing, it is necessary to take into account human capital. Any company that strives to work, and any society that strives for well-being, cannot exist without people who remain outside the workforce. Or Gen AI is not the solution to the talent shortage, which, moreover, could become acute if there is not a general reform of the education system and if we do not constantly invest in skills and retraining.”

Adrian Arizziu, CEO of Metro

“Without rethinking, you can’t stay competitive. For our company, this process involves a deep reassessment of how we create value for our customers, employees and society as a whole. Rethinking means looking at our company’s strategy through a forward-looking lens, identifying how megatrends can affect and shape demand in our industry, and proactively adapting our business model to stay relevant and competitive. And for us, it can be described in one word: multi-channel.”

Ela Moraru, Regional Manager of Google in Romania

“The past three years have reaffirmed to us that technology plays a vital role in enabling adaptation, connectivity and productivity, supporting the economy. To thrive in this challenging economic climate, companies must continuously integrate intelligent work models and cost-effective digital tools. We must be vigilant about maintaining a long-term strategic vision. Addressing pressing challenges should not prevent us from addressing the fundamental issues of sustainability and inclusion – the pillars of building a stronger and more just future.”

Jovan Radosavlevic, CEO of Coca-Cola HBC Romania

“As participants in the beverage industry, a sector that has been hit by successive discriminatory measures over the past two years, we hope to have a more predictable environment, especially from a tax perspective, this year and in the years to come. to come This is what all industries need to continue to make investments that drive growth. The increase in the VAT rate from 9% to 19% for soft drinks, introduced at the beginning of 2023, led to a 10% drop in volumes in our sector last year. From January 1, 2024, we face a brand new tax that will only apply to our sector – the sugar tax on soft drinks, which will have an additional impact not only on our business but also on the entire value chain, mainly affecting small traders and customers who are already facing a decline in purchasing power.

Lacramioara Diaconu Pințea, Regional Manager in Romania, OX2

“The concern, in my opinion, is related to the whole context, which remains complex from a macroeconomic, political and geopolitical point of view. 2024 is a super-election year in Romania, with four series of elections that could disrupt some aspects that are important to us energy investors. I am referring to the project authorization process and how the business plans of private investors intersect with the plans of the authorities. The cost of financing remains high, there are elements of uncertainty in the field of long-term contracts – PPA, the contract for difference (CfD) mechanism, the process of connecting to the national grid.”

Raffel Walker, CEO of EON Romania

“The future cannot be other than sustainable, green and digital. Our future projects will be based on a thorough analysis of customer needs and expectations, market trends and energy innovations. Of greatest concern is the current distribution regulatory framework, which does not support the necessary investment in the network. Grids should now be the absolute priority of energy investments. We want to invest in the network even more than the record amounts we have already invested in recent years. “

Katelyn Radu, CEO, Bristol Myers Squibb

“As far as the pharmaceutical industry is concerned, the combination of technology with our drug treatments can significantly improve their quality and improve the survival of patients with diseases such as cancer or multiple sclerosis, or save the lives of heart patients. problems Technology has already made significant progress in the discovery and modeling of new drugs and molecules with therapeutic potential. What in the past required years of basic research can now be done in much less time thanks to the use of technology platforms.”

Article supported by PwC Romania