Daniela Croitoru
Head of CEE Private Banking
Unicredit S.p.A., Zweigniederlassung Wien
My role is to coordinate CEE Private Banking business across several countries within Central & Eastern Europe. The biggest challenges which I encounter in my position are: steering results produced in very different environments while motivating and inspiring extremely diverse teams (different mentalities, cultures) to adopt specific (centrally driven) projects and business initiatives that would lead to expected longer term results.
I have been knowing Raluca for many years when both of us were negotiating financing transactions on behalf of our employer at that time, a major bank. Back then I was managing the bank’s corporate business while Raluca was heading the legal team. Not only that she was knowledgeable in respect of the legal part (and she really was an expert !). She also displayed this particular and rare ability to quickly sense what was driving our negotiating counterparty and to address these drivers with great ability. I was always surprised to witness how she was able to establish a basis of understanding that made it easier to us to place our requirements during the negotiations. In my view this often helped to finally get a better trade-off as I had assumed before entering the negotiations. Consequently, she became my preferred partner for difficult negotiations with our clients at that time.
Therefore, when I heard about Raluca’ s acting as an independent negotiator, I knew that she is the right person to assist one in reaching a very high level of negotiation and persuasion skills, crucial in onboarding all stakeholders into projects and hence produce long term results impacting local banks from various countries.
My primary purpose in working with Raluca was to focus on the techniques that suit my leadership profile and refine the way I’m delivering the structured argumentation in supporting the targeted goals. She helped me better understand how to make use of different perspectives and I practiced role play among various situations in the context of different cultures and business practices.
I have appreciated very much the effectiveness of the wide range of tools used, despite the big number of business variables we had to work with. At the same time it helped me keep the balance to people’s emotions, experiences and specific interests. This is especially important when it comes to the young generation that has different expectations both professional and personal.
I recommend Raluca to anyone who is working in a highly competitive area, especially in an international business environment, while also generation shift becomes more of a challenge for a business leader.