Dragos Stanescu

CEO

Mr. Dragos Stanescu, a Romanian citizen, Educated at the Academy for Economic Studies in Bucharest, Mr. Stanescu graduated magna cum laudae in 1988.

Mr. Stanescu further improved his education by getting his Ph.D. degree in 1998 and by attending a variety of courses and internships with the World Bank, the Bank of England, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Chase Manhattan Bank, Merrill Lynch.

Mugur Stancu

Mugur Stancu. Educated at the Medical University Carol Davilla in Bucharest, Mr. Stancu also holds an MBA degree with ASSEBU. With a very solid background in business development and project implementation. Mr. Stancu is a top member of the business community in Romania.

0-Day Capital

0-Day Capital is a venture firm focused on helping very early-stage innovative startups build successful businesses. By providing pre-seed funding and support at every stage of the journey, 0-Day Capital is engaged from initial idea to long-term success. As a startup catalyst, 0 Day Capital provides core resources via its powerful network of experts and investors. O-Day Capital teams-up closely with innovative startups, providing the hands-on expertise and access to capital needed to accelerate growth, as well as with investors, performing the due diligence necessary to make strategic investment decisions.

Lucian Despoiu

Currently Founder & CEO of Majoritas, leading political technology and communication consortium of companies, and Managing Partner of Kondiment, international digital agency, Lucian Despoiu is a serial entrepreneur with over 18 years of experience in the digital marketing industry and over 25 digital political campaigns all around the world.

A result driven specialist, Lucian is one of the key innovators of the Political and Institutional Communication industries, with a vision of making research, data, technology and paid media work together for politicians and Governments all around the world. Under his leadership Majoritas Global has been influencing elections in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe.

To the group of companies in Majoritas Global, Lucian has added Majoritas Insights, a real-time research company, and Majoritas Academy, an educational initiative, and is currently working on developing a solution addressed to citizens willing to get involved in how decisions are being made in their society.

RICHARD SHIRLEY

COO

Richard has a solid background in establishing and directing businesses and brand direction for companies from start-up/scratch, and years of experience in planning and overseeing day-to-day business operations to increase operational efficiency and effectiveness. Skilled at transforming a low-performing business into a profitable endeavour through strategic planning and management with repeated success in improving business and brand outcomes within Sport, Automotive, FMCG, Property, Licensing and Charitable sectors Richard, supervises all operations at Woodford and wider PNN Group of companies.

Mihai Coman

Chief of Operations

Mr. Coman is a serial entrepreneur, with 6 years years of experience in Venture Capital markets. He was a Co-Founder of DealMatrix (dedicated SaaS screening & matching services for Venture Capital markets). With a lot of exposure into various industries globally, he holds a vast knowledge of business strategies and investment management experience internationally. Currently he is the Founder & Managing Partner of CTD Group and Rocklogic GmbH with activities in Private Equity & Venture Capital markets and CyberSecurity & Blockchain Technologies.

Daniel Bugarin

Daniel Bugarin - “Hertz”, at only 26, has over a decade of experience working in both software development and information security. He led a world-famous security contest team, penthackon, finishing 5th in the world in 2014. He’s been ranked as a top 10 ‘Best hackers and challenge solvers in the world’ on WeChall consistently for the past 10 years. He led the security efforts of eMag, one of the largest e-commerce companies in Eastern Europe.

Robert Gealapu

Robert Gealapu is a seasoned technology executive with over 5 years of experience leading technical teams and driving innovation. Currently serving as the Chief Architect at Katastic, Robert Gealapu is responsible for overseeing the company's technological strategy and ensuring that it aligns with the organization's overall goals and objectives. Throughout Robert’s career, they have demonstrated a deep understanding of the technology landscape, leveraging emerging technologies to drive business growth and improve operational efficiencies. He is passionate about creating and leading high-performing teams and has a track record of delivering successful projects and products. Prior to Katastic, Robert Gealapu held various leadership positions at WTZ Technologies, where he developed a strong reputation as a thought leader in the industry.

Alexandru Neata

CTO, has 10 year experience in cyber-security and banking solutions design and implementation. His main jobs were Senior Developer and Full Solution Architect. In 2017 he received an excellence award for best Archiving Application from Raiffeisen Bank. He led one of the best teams in Cyber Security in Romania. Some of his most important clients were: Deutsche Bank, Unicredit Bank, Garanti Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, the Government of Romania. When he is not glued to a computer screen, he spends time working on his muscle-cars.

Sorin Alexa

Educated at the Titu Maiorescu University in Bucharest, major in Finance & Banking. Mr. Alexa further improved his education by getting an MBA degree at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa in Canada. Aside from his finance background, he successfully assumed project manager roles in medical and commercial IT applications on both client and provider side focusing on business processes mapping and design for integration with various IT business automation systems, seamless integration of features and functionalities.

Rachel Stevens

Mrs. Stevens brings 15 years of experience starting in virtual private networks leading a successful career in several industries globally. most recently advising the blockchain start up TaTaTu which was the third largest ICO to date at 575m private raise behind Telegram and EOS. She is a high performing executive with expertise in building/optimizing organizational processes, measurement systems to maximize business results and service operations worldwide. Member of NAPW National Association of Professional Women New York, NY.

Marius Stefanescu

Marius Stefanescu. Has more than 15 years of passion for helping businesses grow. Co-founder of multiple companies, Marius is the driver in modelling strategies and coaching teams. Marius was partner and senior associate in top investment banking and financial companies such as Colliers International, Feelters Systems, Alcom Corporate Finance He is currently growing a diverse group of companies to include 4 Flying, Stratos, Eco Synergy, International Work Finder with sales of over $50 million. Mr. Stefanescu is also the Honorary Counsel of Sri Lanka in Romania.

Chris Houghtaling

With global experience across multiple industries now impacting all levels of the innovation ecosystem and promoting the Southern Tier’s rich innovation history.

Serban
Tanasescu

Serban Tanasescu, a major in banking and finance and MBA from the Titu Maiorescu University in Bucharest, Serban further improved his professional skills by getting a variety of international certifications (investment banking certification from Deutsche Bank; FX Operations, Derivatives and FI Securities from JP Morgan; Fixed Income and Foreign Exchange & Equities from JP Morgan) and following post graduating major in Global Financial Policies with Harvard University JFK School of Government. Serban is also an FSA certified financial analyst. Serban’s professional experience include senior management positions with important banking institutions in Europe such as UniCredit Bank, Deutsche Bank and as well, public financial institutions such as the National Bank of Romania, the Ministry of Finance in Romania and the Romanian Insurance Supervisory Comission.

ROCHUS SCHREIBER

Woodford Director, International Operations

Rochus is a seasoned executive in the telecommunications and high-tech industries, with a career defined by his ability to turn around underperforming companies and thrive in challenging environments. His career began in strategic consulting at Accenture, where he gained a broad perspective across various sectors, laying the groundwork for his entrepreneurial ventures. Rochus's startup journey is highlighted by founding and leading GlobalCell Mobile, demonstrating his capacity to build successful businesses from the ground up. As CEO of Belize Telemedia Limited, he led a remarkable transformation, revitalizing the company’s brand and operations with innovative fiber network infrastructure, resulting in substantial business growth.

FRANZ JOSEF

Woodford Director, Technical Operations

Franz Josef, an experienced executive in the dynamic realm of product and technical operations, boasts a 15-year career at the forefront of guiding both product and development teams. His expertise spans diverse industries, marked by impactful roles in renowned companies including Betsson, Ladbrokes Coral, Symphony Solutions, Scientific Games, and OpenBet. With a background in Computing and Information System at Goldsmith University of London, and Electronics from Malta College of Science & Technology, Franz Josef is instrumental in leading strategic programs to support and facilitate aggressive growth. His portfolio includes successfully managing platform migrations and spearheading the development of new frontend platforms for distinguished brands such as Coral and Ladbrokes. Notably, he has overseen a key technology consolidation project in Scientific Games and played a pivotal role in launching and optimizing one of the industry's leading sports trading and pricing engines.

SIR STEPHEN HILLIER

SIR STEPHEN HILLIER Sir Stephen Hillier is a strategic advisor to Woodford Finance advising on selected projects, whilst playing a proactive role in the development of the Woodford Foundation, the charitable arm. He is currently the Chair of the Civil Aviation Authority, the UK's independent aviation and space regulator, responsible for the safety, security and consumer interests of those who fly and those affected on the ground below. He previously had a long career in the Royal Air Force, becoming the Chief of the Air Staff, the Head of the Service, from 2016 to 2019. He has extensive experience in strategic leadership, risk and portfolio delivery and also acts variously as a nonexecutive, trustee or advisor to a number of other organisations and charities.

NASIB PIRIYEV

NASIB PIRIYEV Nasib Piriyev is a London-based Azerbaijani entrepreneur and philanthropist with a proven track record in delivering business growth and success across multiple industry sectors. Having grown up in Soviet Azerbaijan’s capital City of Baku, Nasib moved to the UK in 1998, where he studied at St.Edward’s Boarding School in Oxford. After achieving a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Nasib extended his studies in Moscow before joining the family business, PNN Group, in 2002. Over the last 20+ years, Nasib has played a fundamental role as COO of PNN Group, expanding the firm’s business interests in core markets like Energy, Investments, The Arts and Sports, while driving its philanthropic endeavours.

ERNEST LYLES III

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The HiGro Group, Mr. Lyles is also one of the most prominent bankers on Wall Street with almost 20 years of experience in executive positions in leading banking institutions such as UBS US and FIAC.

VLADIMIR TADIC

Lyned Representative for Serbia and the West Balkans

Vladimir Tadic, an accomplished graduate from a university in Novi Sad, Serbia, possesses an extensive amount of expertise within the payment processing industry. Embarking on his professional journey in the United States twelve years ago, Vladimir swiftly extended his experience into the European region. His specialization encompasses the intricate domains of banking, credit cards, compliance, and diverse alternative payment methods.As the proprietor of numerous Electronic Money Institutions in Europe and the UK, Vladimir stands out on the landscape of financial services. Currently overseeing a diverse portfolio, he has successfully acquired and managed fourteen businesses across multiple countries. His entrepreneurial endeavors span Serbia, Croatia, various EU nations, Canada, the United States, and Africa, with a particular emphasis on the dynamic Technology and Payments sector.Beyond his entrepreneurial pursuits, Vladimir Tadic plays a pivotal role in the advisory landscape, providing counsel to government ministers in the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia.

NARAYAN BAJAJ

Lyned Representative for South Asia

Lyned Representative for South Asia A chartered accountant and an investment advisor with more than 30years of experience in South Asia. Mr. Narayan Bajaj is the main partner of Narayan Bajaj & Associates, Chartered Accountants in Kathmandu, Nepal, a company that was auditing and advising banks and central banks around South Asia. Mr. Narayan Bajaj is also the chief of Global Reach Nepal, the pioneer of overseas education consulting in India and Nepal.

Ciprian
Paltineanu

Banker and investor with 20+ years of experience in corporate finance, investment management, private equity and corporate & investment banking in Romania, CEE, USA and the UK. An MBA of Tulane University – A.B. Freeman School of Business. Ciprian Paltineanu work experience included managerial position with solid international financial institutions such as ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Lehamn Brothers, Credit Suisse, UniCredit Bank. He also serves as a Board member of the Romanian Fintech Association and a member of TechAngels.