Hubs and Hub Managers

Monica Catana-Petraru

Hub Manager Romania (Cluj/Napoca)
 

Senior Management Consultant

Executive MBA Bucharest
 

Hey everyone, I'm Monica, and I'm thrilled to be part of the WU Executive Academy team. As a Hub Manager, I will work tirelessly to create exceptional events for you both on a national and international scale. The community is vital, and together as a team, we will achieve excellent results.

I bring over 15 years of hands-on experience in management and business consulting, and I'm committed to helping our alumni reach their full potential. I am deeply committed to leveraging pragmatic approaches and maintaining a results-oriented focus to explore inventive methods to enhance processes, facilitate change, and transform businesses. This includes focusing on digitalization and AI tools and delivering dedicated results.

With my strong interpersonal and communication skills, leadership and management expertise, and international experience, I aim to be a valuable asset to the WU Alumni Community. I am passionate about building communities and fostering engagement, which will be my primary focus in this role. My doors are always open for new ideas and discussions, so feel free to reach out. Let's start this adventure together!
 

Let’s connect

Adrian Pocola

Hub Manager Romania (Timisoara)
 

Chief Executive Officer, SCZ GROUP SRL; Deputy CEO, MDX RESEARCH

MBA Project Management
 

Let’s connect

Aleksandar Nedeljkovic

Hub Manager Adriatic Hub (Serbia)
 

Chief Business Officer, Mainstream

MBA Finance
 

Hello, my name is Aleksandar Nedeljkovic. I am a business & finance executive of a high growth cloud computing company from Serbia with more than 20 years of passionate engagement with various community-based organizations. As a Hub Manager my goal is to strengthen our regional WU EA community of more than 100 professionals by fostering our alma mater alumni network value beyond classroom experience.

If you have an idea how we can jointly approach this quest, let’s connect.

Andon Simeonov

Hub Manger Bulgaria
 

Vice President, Bulgaria Country Manager

SoftServe

Global Executive MBA
 

Let's connect

Andrea Lelovics

WU EA Female Leaders Network Hub Manager Czech Republic and Slovakia
 

CEO & Senior Consultant, DCI s.r.o., Program Manager, Forum Institute

MBA Entrepreneurship & Innovation
 

I am a 2012 Entrepreneurship & Innovation MBA class alumna with 24 years of experience in strategic, innovation and project management roles in social innovations. I have worked mostly in Central Europe, but through my international projects I also got to other EU and some East European countries.

I truly believe in the power of networks in our new complex world, where the only constant are changes. Being connected to people with diverse backgrounds helps us to become resilient and the variousness of thoughts, knowledge and experience in networks boosts creativity and success. This is why I am passionate about networking.

My MBA journey was one of the most exciting experiences in my life. Yes, I gained new knowledge, but even more, I got to know so many interesting people! I am grateful for the WU Executive Academy for doing such a wonderful job in keeping us connected and I am now supporting the team with leading the Slovak and Czech part of FLN. In my role as Hub Manager, I want to inspire female alumnae in the Czech Republic, in Slovakia, and maybe in Hungary, to become active members of the Female Leaders Network. Together we can form it and make use of all the opportunities it can provide.

An additional information: In September 2023 I am starting my PhD studies in Networking for Impact.

Please contact me if you have questions, comments, ideas, etc.

Let’s connect!

Angela Putylina

Hub Manager Russia
 

GILEAD Sciences Russia, Sales & Marketing Director

MBA Marketing & Sales
 

My 20+ experience in marketing and sales in the pharmaceutical industry allows me to create high performing teams to ensure access to modern medicines for the treatment of socially significant diseases.

My personal values are honesty, love of life and hard work. Family is my main value. Strengthen business connections is one of my life priorities, both for career development and inspiration from communicating with amazing people.

The Russian WU Executive Club brings together well-educated people, with similar values and promoting the introduction of innovations, new technologies for outstanding results. It is not only about pleasant meetings with classmates and the WU EA team. We also try to continue our training, to educate in different aspects of professional life, to analyze trends in order to be in demand and competitive in the labor market. Being a part of the community I am very happy to continue business education, share experience and enjoy communicating with people on the same wave from different countries.

Let’s connect.

Damir Matrljan

Hub Manager Switzerland
 

SBS Swiss Business School, Senior Lecturer & Researcher

MBA Project Management
 

About me:

I am a 36 year old Croatian, I work as a PMO Manager in Zürich and I am currently finishing my doctorate program in PMOs, Strategy and Leadership.

I have devoted almost 30 years of my life to handball as a player, coach and referee. I like to spend my free time scuba diving, dancing ballroom and Latin dances, playing darts and spending time in nature. 

My "superpower":

My career path, education and professional experience have always been closely connected to the project management world. My experience and expertise empower me to look at situations from many different angles and to understand how everything is connected even in the most challenging projects. This also helps me to influence key stakeholders and the dynamics within the team to ensure the highest chances for the successful project completion. In a way it makes me a business generalist with great expertise in managing people, projects and organisations. 

WUEA CH:

Our WUEA community consists of passionate individuals who create an outstanding network of experts willing to help, support and connect each other. Our Swiss Hub organises networking meetings and lectures held by experts working in Switzerland. Often our reach includes the entire DACH region and we work very closely with the WUEA community engagement team.

Why am I a hub manager:

I have become a Swiss hub manager as my wish is to help other alumni members to expand their networks and find the right contacts to boost their business, to access important learning and development materials, to change their career path or find another opportunity.

I am also happy to help in any other way that I can, so please be free to reach out :-)

Let's connect

Laura Morareanu

Hub Manager Benelux
 

Director Digital Impulse Management Consulting, DEVOTEAM S.A. Luxembourg

Executive MBA Bucharest
 

Canadian-Romanian, living in Belgium and working in Luxembourg, I have over 16 years of global IT consulting experience working with SAP and Cloud technologies in various industries ranging from Banking, Oil & Gas, Pharma, Retail, Public Institutions, Professional Services, and a few others. I am truly honored to have the opportunity to serve in this role and work alongside such a talented and accomplished group of individuals. 

Having been a part of the MBA program myself, I understand the immense value of our alumni network. Our shared experiences, diverse backgrounds, and collective knowledge are invaluable resources that continue to shape the success of our alumni association and its members. 

My interest in this role goes beyond the professional sphere. It's about fostering connections and facilitating growth within our alumni community. I've seen how alumni networks can be powerful platforms for collaboration, mentorship, and support. As someone who believes in the strength of our shared experiences, I'm committed to creating an environment where we can all thrive. I am eager to channel my energy and enthusiasm into building a regional hub that not only connects us but also elevates each member of our MBA family.

As the Regional Hub Alumni Manager, I will be dedicated to enhancing the impact of our alumni association within our region. My goal is to create a dynamic and engaging hub that serves as a platform for networking, professional development, and collaboration among our local alumni. Whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, I am here to support you in your journey, provide resources, and ensure that our regional hub thrives.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any thoughts, suggestions, or questions you may have.

Let’s connect

Markus Kirchschlager

Hub Manager Germany
 

PANTARHEI Corporate Advisors, Managing Director

MBA Finance
 

Let’s connect

Smaranda Streanga

WU EA Female Leaders Network Hub Manager Romania
 

Cascada Investments, Chief Financial Officer

Executive MBA Bucharest
 

My personal and professional experience in finance of almost 20 years, with different companies in different industries, in roles from junior auditor to CFO, taught me the importance of working together, promoting and inspiring one another.

Being part of WU's alumnae community is a privilege and an opportunity. Building a strong ladies community in Romania, where we can find inspiration, care and networking may be an important step on our continuous growth path. I am happy to be part of the WU EA Female Leaders Network and to develop the Romanian Hub.

Let’s connect and create opportunities!

Together we are stronger!

Stefan Popescu

Hub Manager Romania (Bucharest)
 

Red Bull Romania, On Premise Manager Romania and Moldavia

Executive MBA Bucharest

First, best thoughts to all WU community! I know  you are winning in keeping the ballance right with full time job, family, entrepreneurship or academic studies!

Allow me to keep it very simple: I am a natural socializing person acting in the hospitality sector, so WU community members should find this very easy to contact me and answear their needs. Cohesion and trust, built during formal and informal gatherings - proud I did that as Class President 2011-2013, WU EMBA Bucharest!

Right after being appointed as Hub Manager for RO/Bucharest area  and with full participation of my colleagues, I managed to organize multiple International Alumni Reunions in Bucharest during 2018 and 2019, as well as an online intervention in front of 33 new students of 6 nationalities of the Executive MBA Bucharest 2020 cohort.

So, should the need be, to get in contact with another colleague, to foster a kick-off meeting, or to scout and find together new business opportunities – please contact me! It is very important that we keep the WU spirit alive and this is my mission as Hub Manager: Interconnected, Consistent, Unified, Eager to Succeed, Empathic, Strong, Diligent

Looking forward to see you in person, hopefully very soon and in a safe environment!

Let’s connect.

Svetlana Prodanova–Valcheva

Hub Manager Bulgaria
 

National Director BNI Bulgaria

Executive MBA Bucharest
 

Svetlana is passionate about growth and leadership. She has dedicated 25 years of professional life to marketing. After more than a decade of a successful career in global FMCG companies, working for brands Gillette, Braun, and NIVEA, she joined WU Executive MBA Bucharest. During her MBA studies, she got inspired to jump from the comfort of a corporate job to running her own company.

In 2015, Svetlana rolled out the concept of BNI to Bulgaria – a global referral marketing and networking organization with more than 300,000 members worldwide and billions of dollars generated by referrals. She helps hundreds of SME owners achieve growth using a proven business-generating system.

Being aware of the value structured networks and long-term relationships can bring to people, Svetlana is highly motivated to further disseminate the knowledge, contacts, and support available in the WU community via FLN in Bulgaria and beyond.
 

Let’s connect

Velimir Smetko

Hub Manager Adriatic Hub (Croatia)
 

LUSINI HRVATSKA, Managing Director

MBA Marketing & Sales
 

Let’s connect

Vitaly Berezka

Hub Manager Middle East North Africa (MENA) Region
 

Regional Head Central Asia, MENA & APAC, PlanRadar

Global Executive MBA
 

Hello, dear fellow WU EA Alumni!

My name is Vitaly, and I had the honor of joining the GEMBA class in 2012-2013. A decade ago, I embarked on an incredible global learning journey with a group of brilliant individuals. Since then, we have maintained a close friendship as a class.

Throughout my career, I have managed real estate development projects, entities of global companies, and tech startups in Russia and Central Asia. In addition to being an experienced manager and businessman, I am also a mentor and researcher. As of now, I am responsible for business development across Central Asia, MENA, and APAC regions for PlanRadar, a prominent Austrian PropTech startup.

In addition to lecturing on digitalization topics at universities, I am also the author of several scientific publications and co-author of four books: "Real Estate Development", "Economics of Real Estate", "Surveying in Real Estate" and “Smart Construction: a case book”.

I am a member of the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) in the United Arab Emirates.

Let’s connect

Vladimir Vano

Hub Manager Slovakia
 

GLOBSEC, Chief Economist

Global Executive MBA
 

Let’s connect