NRCC GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2024

On Wednesday, March 20 at 16:30, the NRCC holds its annual General Assembly of Members, at the InterContinental Athénée Palace in Bucharest. The General Assembly is followed directly by the Monthly Network Drink in the same location, at the English Bar.

On this occasion, five positions on the Board of Directors will be up for voting. All interested member companies are invited to delegate their candidates.
 

The agenda will include a Q&A session, so all members are invited to send relevant questions regarding the chamber's activity at info@nrcc.ro to the NRCC President, Serge Offers and Executive Director, Maurits Dohmen.

KINDLY NOTE!

• Only NRCC members who renewed their 2024 membership can delegate candidates and vote.
• Online voting will be available. Only votes sent and confirmed on email until March 20 at 12:00 o'clock will be taken into consideration.
• Companies can attend the event with more representatives but vote only once.

MEET THE CANDIDATES:

AURA ICODIN

Founder & CEO of A_BEST Foreign Language Center

With a managerial experience of over 15 years in the field of education and more than 20 years of learning and teaching foreign languages in both public and private institutions, AURA ICODIN’s career can be put „in a nutshell” using two words: education and entrepreneurship.

In 2008, Aura started on the road to entrepreneurship, with the purpose of offering services in the field of education at high standards. For this purpose, Aura founded A_BEST Foreign Language Center, which at present is one of the top independent language centers providing foreign language courses for Romanians and expats.

“Throughout my career, I have dedicated myself to breaking down barriers through language education. I am deeply passionate about fostering international relations and promoting cross-cultural understanding, which aligns perfectly with the mission and vision of the NRCC. In my position as a Board member of this powerful business community, whether through trade missions, networking events or advocacy initiatives, I would be eager to contribute to the NRCC's efforts in driving bilateral cooperation and fostering mutual prosperity. Moreover, I am deeply committed to the principles of transparency, integrity and inclusivity. I believe in the importance of open dialogue and collaboration in achieving our shared objectives.”

EDWIN WARMERDAM

Partner, Head of Tax at Mazars in Romania

As a Partner and Head of Tax at Mazars in Romania, Edwin uses his extensive tax experience and deep understanding of a wide range of industries to assist his clients in achieving their corporate goals.
With over 30 years of experience in finance and taxation, including 23 years as a tax and financial adviser in Romania, he developed his competencies and expertise in professional advisory services, focusing on corporate income tax, individual income tax, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, and international taxation.

After a two-year gap, I am enthusiastic about re-engaging with the NRCC and leveraging my experience and skills towards advancing its mission. My primary objective is to continue the momentum we've built, ensuring sustained progress and growth.

Furthermore, in addition to maintaining our commitment to supporting investors in Romania, I aim to expand our scope to facilitate investment opportunities for Romanian companies in the Netherlands. This two-way investment stream can foster economic development and bilateral partnerships between the two nations.

GERARD KOOLEN

Group Managing Partner at Lugera & Makler

Gerard was born in 1961 in Amsterdam, the city where he graduated from the Business School (HEAO). After holding many senior roles in several businesses, he established Lugera in 1996 together with Lubos Kovac and Rastislav Grznar in Trencin, Slovakia. The idea was to build a great staffing agency. To help as many people as possible with a better job. And this went dynamite. The bigger they are, the more people they’re helping.

“Through the NRCC, I hope to be a source of encouragement and engagement for Romanian entrepreneurs and professionals, to be able to connect people within our network, to assist interested members in locating clients and/or suppliers in the Netherlands, to share my knowledge of HR, recruitment, and all the latest developments in HR, to be a valuable source in this respect, and to set up a best-practices exchange.

In addition, I intend to develop contacts, find amazing business partners, and also provide as much assistance to the NRCC as possible."

JACQUES DE BOER

CEO of Printmasters and Board member of the XD Connects

In the last 10 years in Romania, Jacques has been responsible for setting up and developing one of the largest personalization fulfilment centres for the promotional industry in Europe. As CEO of Printmasters and Board Member of XD Connects, he has been active for years in executive positions within the production, supply chain and service industries in Europe.

In the last 2 years, Jacques has been active on the board of the NRCC, with the focus on maximizing attention and increasing visibility in the north-east area of Romania. By extending the activities this year and in the coming one in 2025, he believes NRCC can become an important pole in the north-east, with Cluj as the center of this construction.

Jacques has extensive knowledge of Romania's cultural, political, and economic dynamics from his years of professional activity in the country, as well as his active participation in regional and national organizations such as Romanian Business Leaders.

Jacques believes that with his professional and personal experience, he can continue to contribute to the goals of the NRCC and further develop the connections and the impact the NRCC can make in Romania for the business communities and society.

LAURENTIU GIOROC

Head of Customer Supply Chain at FrieslandCampina Romania

Laurentiu Gioroc joined FrieslandCampina Romania 11 years ago and was part of the Commercial Department in the first 5 years, then part of the Supply Chain Department in the last 6 years, fulfilling his dairy industry expertise from both perspectives: consumer and customer.

With extensive professional experience in different industries of FMCG, Laurentiu is now leading the Supply Chain Department of FrieslandCampina Romania, ensuring demand and supply planning, milk intake, logistics and customer service. Also, the development of Romanian farmers is one of his focuses, as FrieslandCampina Romania is part of Royal FrieslandCampina, a Dutch company owned by 15.000 milk farmers.

Laurentiu also serves as the leader of the NRCC Agri Task Force. The two booklets, The Milk Farmers’ Guide and The Orchard Farmers’ Guide, are the task force's last three-year outcome.

The Task Force's main goal for 2024–2025 is to contribute to Agri Education.

NICOLETA ORLEA

Director of Fundraising at Autism Voice

Nicoleta is a fundraising specialist and trainer, TEDx & Keynote Speaker, and currently the Director of Fundraising and Communication for Autism Voice. Professional networker since 2016, active for more than 15 years in the NGO/CSR sector, certified in philanthropic psychology from The Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy, and a Professional Fellow in the GLCAP program of the US Department of State for Education and Culture.
She has authored two books for the cause she supports, and she is currently the moderator of the only NGO podcast in the field of mental health and parenting, "Eu și copilul meu”. 

"I believe I can be of plus value to members of the NRCC chamber because I bring a different business perspective, one centered on human impact, long-term strategic plans and the multilayered development of a venture using diverse instruments such as investments, transatlantic funding, crowd funding and the circular economy. Also, I can bring different know-hows from the side of a Romanian partner with business from other countries (US, Netherlands, France, Norway, Germany). My goals as a board member are to bring new members from diverse industries together, to collaborate and start new businesses together, to bring more professional education opportunities to all current members, and to help NRCC in Bucharest be a model of good practices in the context of a bilateral chamber of commerce."

PAUL RENAUD

Leadership Team Coach (PCC), Networking specialist, TEDx Speaker, and author

Driven to help people perform above expectations, he coaches leadership teams and executives. At the intersection of doing what he enjoys and what he’s destined to do, he facilitates complete client transformation while embracing change.
With a career that spans 38+ years in business, Paul has worked as an executive and coached multinationals such as Adobe, BIC, Bitdefender, Coca-Cola, Endava, FintechOS, Google, ING Bank, ORTEC, Philips, Toyota and UPS. He has lived and worked in Asia, South America, North America, Europe, and Africa.
"The NRCC is always looking for new members to maintain an optimal base. The size of its membership benefits all members because it provides a wide variety of industries and interaction with many players within an industry. I’ve been an avid brand ambassador of the NRCC by encouraging colleagues to join the NRCC, and I will help prospect members bring it back to a level of 200 members!
As a board member, I will engage with a unique way of greeting members and guests while connecting members to foster a sense of engagement during NRCC events! This should help increase the rate of participation and sponsorships."

PERRY ZIZZI

Managing Partner and leader of the Corporate/M&A practice at Dentons

Perry Zizzi is currently serving his second mandate as a board member of the NRCC. He is also the managing partner and leader of the Corporate/M&A practice of Dentons Law Firm in Romania. As Managing Partner, he has significantly expanded the practices and sector coverage, all the while working closely with the firm’s Amsterdam office on key transactions.

Resident in Romania since 2003, Perry has some 3 decades of experience practicing law in the emerging markets of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Western Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere. He has served several terms on the Board of Directors of the Romania Green Building Council, the ASEBUSS Advisory Board, the Verita International School Advisory Board, and the Romanian Diversity Chamber of Commerce, and he was a founding board member of United Way Romania.

“As I seek your support for a third and likely final term on the Board of the NRCC, I am motivated by the rapidly evolving landscape of global business, the imperative of innovation, and the deepening of Netherlands-Romania relations, as evidenced by Dutch support for Romania’s entry into Schengen. The world today faces unprecedented challenges and opportunities, from navigating economic recovery post-pandemic to addressing the urgent demands of climate crises and digital transformation, as well as a major war on our doorstep. These areas present fertile ground for collaboration between Dutch and Romanian businesses, leveraging our shared strengths to achieve sustainable growth and resilience."