press and
live audience inform,
persuade, entertain

I was invited to moderate a panel at Digital Marketing Forum, guiding a discussion with senior industry professionals on real-time strategies for smarter digital campaigns, balancing a clear discussion framework with the flexibility to follow the most relevant insights as the conversation evolved on stage.

For more than a decade, the MIXX Awards Europe have recognised and celebrated the campaigns shaping the future of digital advertising.
At the heart of this year’s Awards is Andrei Dragu, IAB Europe’s Awards Event Director, who is leading the organisation and delivery of the programme. From managing entries and guiding participants through the process to working closely with the Jury and ensuring every detail runs smoothly, Andrei plays a pivotal role in bringing the MIXX Awards to life.

I was invited as one of the industry professionals to deliver a masterclass focused on how brands stay relevant in an age of infinite choice where “digital” is no longer a differentiator, but a baseline. The session combined strategic frameworks with practical examples and discussion, covering audience clarity, emotional value creation, and the brand–consumer value exchange, with the goal of helping participants build sharper positioning and more effective communication from concept to impact.

“We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Andrei Dragu for the organization of the MIXX Awards. As a long-standing jury member, Andrei’s expertise and passion for digital excellence make him the ideal choice to take on the role of Event Director. His hands-on involvement across all areas of the event will ensure that MIXX Awards Europe continues to recognize and celebrate the most innovative and impactful achievements in digital marketing. With Andrei at the helm, we are confident the festival will reach new heights, further strengthening its reputation as the industry’s benchmark for recognition.” - Helen Mussard, Chief Marketing Officer, IAB Europe

GRF+ appointed me as Chief Integration Officer. With 18 years in marketing communications, I support the agency’s mission to create impact through an integrated communications offering and a truly collaborative culture, bringing strategic guidance across the full journey, from concept to execution to impact measurement.

The 2022 Romanian MIXX Awards Gala was the last local edition I produced. It was one that reflected the competition’s maturity and brought together more than just award recipients. We added discussion panels with leading industry professionals, in a market that went on to rank among the top three countries at the IAB MIXX Europe Awards in 2023.

Last year brought a double validation: not just the quality of the work and the credibility of the jury, but the outcome of a sustained four-year effort by the team I led, an effort that took MIXX Romania from almost invisible locally to a competition capable of producing and recognizing work that performs at the highest level in Europe.
The results in Madrid (Grand Prix, 2 Gold and 1 Silver at the IAB MIXX Awards Europe) raised the bar and put real pressure on everyone involved locally. That pressure is a good sign: it’s what a mature market looks like when it learns to respect competition, align around shared objectives, and show up on a European stage with confidence.

One of my first strategic priorities was simplifying and automating processes. It’s a medium to long-term effort, because it reshapes multiple parts of the business and because I’m focused on building custom solutions that don’t just remove friction, but create a real competitive edge.
Why these two? Because simplicity creates clarity. Clarity drives efficiency and gives everyone involved the same reference point. And automation lets us respond fast using the best available information whenever the context shifts.

After five years as Business Development Director, I stepped into the Chief Operations Officer role at v8. Building on 15 years across business, marcomm, and advertising, I took ownership of shaping and running operations, while also helping grow the culture and bring the company vision to life, with creativity and efficiency as the core standards.

In 2020, I was invited to join the IAB MIXX Europe jury, following the momentum and visibility built by the Romanian edition.
That same year, two Romanian-winning campaigns from 2019 went on to secure four awards at European level (1 Gold, 3 Bronze), a result that validated both the local work and the competition’s standards.

In 2019, we scaled the bold platform launched in 2018 under “Unfold the Bold. GO MIXX or GO HOME.” It delivered impact first, then proof, positioning MIXX as the only international digital competition on the local market.
We upgraded the full experience: a strong venue, international speakers, and high-profile hosts. Outcome: record attendance and entries, on par with the biggest local festival, despite a fraction of the categories.

MIXX Awards had international credibility, but limited local visibility. We rebuilt its presence with a tailored communication platform anchored in a distinctive category: “The Never Made Campaigns.”
To reinforce authority, we launched the first standalone gala, brought in jurors from IABs across Europe, and upgraded the trophies from plastic to heavy metal, raising the event’s perceived value and industry weight.

A succinct and transparent interview about the annual industry landscape.

Wall-Street 2GROW conference series is a space for debates between trainers, coaching and mentoring specialists, on the one hand, and human resources specialists and entrepreneurs, on the other.

A short discussion about human resources management and recruitment challenges in an era where work structure, dynamics and incentives are being reinvented.

A brief overview into regional expansion built on a long-term partnership and fluid product centric business strategy.

Young Professionals Evening is an umbrella project designed to encourage debate, transfer of know-how and follow trends in marcomm. The project is structured in thematic workshops, with special guests and big names from the marketing and communication industry.
The conference manifested itself in the form of a debate on topics such as: the role and importance of influencer marketing, examples of good practices, trends and tendencies.

A one-to-one interview about best practices and efficient ways to advertise your business and products on Facebook.

A short but insightful presentation about how the tech landscape shapes business strategy and how marketing objectives can enhance results in this context.

Tackling a controversial topic gender-centric communication (men, in this case) always generates interesting and polarising discussions.