We’re excited to welcome Andreea as Head of Marketing and Communications to the Promus Ventures team. Andreea has an impressive background having held similar roles at several organizations and most recently at Payconiq International, a leading digital payment company in Europe.
Andreea, welcome, we’re very happy to have you with us. What brought you here?
What brought me here is the right set of circumstances. I have moved from journalism and public policy to Big Four and financial institutions, to eventually find a sweet spot in the dynamic world of start-ups/scale-ups.
I have a BA degree in Journalism, and I worked as a journalist for two years in Romania, reporting on education and the economy. After finishing my European Studies MA degree in Belgium, I spent some time as Policy Officer at Change Partnership, an environmental NGO. This is where I discovered the real inner workings of European institutions and the politics involved.
I decided, however, to go back to my first and foremost passion — writing and communications — and joined PwC Luxembourg’s Media Relations team. They were at a turning point in their communication strategy, which opened the door to several interesting projects for me, such as launching and managing their corporate blog, contributing to their first GRI-compliant annual report, participating in video projects as a scriptwriter and/or moderator. I also had the opportunity to build long-lasting relations with journalists from Luxembourg and the Greater Region.
“The corporate world taught me the importance of planning and processes.”
My next stop was the Luxembourg Stock Exchange (LuxSE), where I helped launch their corporate blog, managed thought leadership campaigns, and worked closely with the Executive Committee members to prepare them for public speaking engagements. I helped LuxSE build a solid presence on social media and other digital channels.
The corporate world taught me the importance of planning and processes, but the specialization that came with being part of large Marketing & Communications teams became, at some point, too rigid and constricting for me. That’s when I joined Payconiq International, a mobile payment fintech based in Luxembourg and active in Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. For over two years, I was in charge of setting up and executing the external and internal MarCom strategy, working with freelancers and PR agencies. I’ve dealt with international journalists and put together a crisis communication procedure and simulation process. My role was also to help position our executives as experts in their fields, building their personal brands and preparing them for public interventions. I was fortunate to experience a management and business strategy change. This gave me the opportunity to design and implement, together with the HR department, specific internal communications campaigns to ensure transparency and build awareness on the organizational changes.
The common thread to all my stories has always been my passion for communications and marketing — the desire to help people and businesses build trustworthy brands, tell authentic stories, and bring people together to form communities. Promus Ventures came at a point in my career where I needed to put all the experience I’ve accumulated to work and contribute to something that’s bigger than me, bigger than the company.
What are the three most important lessons you’ve learned so far during your journey?
Work hard, be kind, and speak up. I was born in a small village in Romania and my parents taught me perseverance at a very young age. You have to work hard and always aim higher. And so, I did, and I’m very grateful for that, there’s no bigger satisfaction than to look back and see how far you’ve come through your own efforts. I left my country when I was 22 and moved to Belgium for studies.
This is where the “be kind” lesson comes from — I didn’t know anyone, I didn’t speak French at the time, I was in desperate need of accommodation and a student job, and thanks to many kind people, it all worked out! I’ve had help when I needed it most and often from unexpected sources and I’m trying to give it back as much as I can. The third lesson comes from my professional background — I’m a firm believer in transparency and constructive feedback.
How do you spend your spare time?
I run, I hike, and I read. I’ve recently discovered and fallen in love with Grey’s Anatomy and I don’t know when I’ll watch all the 16–17 seasons. I also take Ballroom/Latino dance classes with my husband and I’m an avid traveler.
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