Author Archives: ancavlad.com

Anca Vlad, President of Fildas-Catena, has been elected in the European Family Businesses Board

23.06.2021

Anca Vlad, President of the Fildas-Catena Group, was unanimously elected as member of the Executive Committee of the European Family Business Federation, an organization based in Brussels.

Anca Vlad, together with the family business representatives from the Family Business Network

The President of Fildas-Catena is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Family Business Network Romania, as the first representative of the Romanian entrepreneurs to be elected in the Board of a significant European lobbying organization in favor of entrepreneurship. Anca Vlad will hold the new position within the European Family Businesses until 2023, when a new term re-election is available.

“We are thrilled to announce that Anca Vlad is the newest member of our Executive Committee. Mrs. Vlad brings with her a rich experience and a valuable perspective in the business community, vital for the fight to raise awareness of the importance of family businesses and their position in Europe, especially in the difficult post-COVID pandemic period, said Udo Vetter, President of European Family Businesses.

“A first-generation owner, Mrs. Vlad founded her own pharmaceutical business, the Fildas-Catena Group, in 1991. A prominent personality in the Romanian business world, the entrepreneurial activity of Mrs. Anca Vlad was recognized and valued by awarding numerous prizes. In 2019 only, Mrs. Vlad was recognized as “The Most Powerful Businesswoman” in Romania at the Capital Gala, “The Most Influential Business Personality” in Romania at the Forbes Gala and ranked the 1st place in the Top 50 Women in Economics, awarded by the National Confederation for Female Entrepreneurs (CONAF), within the Gala Women in Economy”, mentions the European Family Businesses website

European Family Businesses is the leading networking and lobbying organization for entrepreneurs and comprises 15 national organizations representing the interests of the most important family-owned businesses in Europe before the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament.

Family Business Network Romania (FBN Romania), the representative association of large Romanian family businesses, founded in 2012 and member of European Family Businesses since 2015, includes 27 companies, with a total turnover of about 2.5 billion euros and over 18,000 employees.

Press release: Senso Gallery- Good Life Art World Award from Forbes

28.05.2021

Senso Art gallery received the Good Life Art World award from the prestigious magazine Forbes Romania, during the Forbes Life Awards Gala 2021, an event celebrating “beautiful life” and which enjoyed the presence of an audience after a very long time.

Within the same gala, Anca Vlad, founder and president of Fildas-Catena Group “a first rank personality of Romanian business and a legend of entrepreneurship” as the organizers introduced her, received the Good Life Personality distinction.

Anca Vlad, president of Fildas-Catena Group; Ana Andronic– Buzu, manager of Senso Gallery

“I am very gald to be here with you tonight. It is my first appearance in public since the pandemic started. I also had a revelation during this period: My God, what a beautiful planet we have! It was a 2-3 months period when I had the revelation of nature’s beauty. After it, obviously, the lack of a social life started to take its toll. It was a period during which I managed to reconnect with dear friends. Unfortunately, I also lost dear friends, I lost people with whom I had beautiful projects going. It is difficult to accept that this beautiful life, on this beautiful planet will eventually part ways with us. And this has surely created a different perspective on life: We must do much more good, we must grant more attention to things which seem unimportant, but which are in fact so important in our lives” stated Anca Vlad, when receiving the award.

According to Forbes Romania, the awards of this edition were dedicated to the brands, people and initiatives, that, during an extremely difficult year, created and honoured a good life, beutifully lived. Forbes Life aims to bring to the attention of Romanians the art of living beautifully, which does not necessarily means expensive things and luxury, but the joy of seeing the beautiful side of life, small pleasures, good deeds and all the ingredients which make up a life beautifully and usefully lived.

“Senso gallery aims and really manages to support Romanian artists and supply beauty, by innovative and creative programs”- this is how the organizers motivated their decision to give the Good Life Art World award, a celebration of art during a year when public access to museums, galleries and performance stages was possible almost exclusively online.

“We had many beautiful projects throughout the pandemic, which were successful and benefited from numerous audiences.” We also have plans for the future, such as creating a virtual gallery and a series of projects for youth and children. We shall continue to inspire, surprise, attract you into the art world by communication, creativity and dedication” stated the artist Ana Andronic-Buzu, manager of Senso Gallery.

Senso Gallery is supported by Fildas Art and Catena, by means of the program Catena for Art.

The “100 Most Powerful Women in Business Catalogue” – the 2021 edition. Women at the front of the line in business: Anca Vlad

05.04.2021

Anca Vlad, founder and president of Fildas Catena

* The most important lesson I have learned during the pandemic: The pandemic has shown us the fragility of the world we live in and it has demonstrated that, from now on, any healthcare crisis will be a problem of the world, rather than just of certain groups, that we have to learn to communicate and to accept the expertise.

* The most important decision I have made over the past year: The most important decision made by all the entrepreneurs I know was to put the lives and health of the teams first, the entire activity of the company being reorganized around this desideratum. Our colleagues’ safety has inspired confidence to the communities in which they carry out their activity, and people have come to understand the simple gestures which protect them.

* How I kept my colleagues motivated over the past year: Regarding my colleagues’ motivation, it has remained, just as in the case of the medical profession: the desire to help and to do their work better. Pharmacists, pharmacy assistants, all our colleagues understood that this is a time of great challenges, they supported and encouraged one another. My energy and my colleagues’ energy has come from this collective resoluteness, this determination of all of us not to surrender to the fear, to the unknown.

* Work-from-home or work-from-office? Work-from-home has been possible for a limited number of group employees, as most of them are in direct contact with the public, in warehouses or on the road, providing for the company’s logistics. The professional activity carried out from home is recommended when the profession allows it – thus the risk of contamination specific for closed premises is reduced – except that, in the services and healthcare sector, this is not possible.

* The person who most inspired me during this period: Persons whom I have greatly admired and respected, such as our great ladies of art criticism, Doina Păuleanu and Ruxandra Garofeanu, as well as journalist and caricaturist Octavian Andronic, have passed away in this period. It is a tremendous loss, and I have realized the extent to which these very optimistic people, who were so cultured and with whom I thought we would build numerous projects in the future, have inspired me.

* Power vs. femininity: I believe that there is no difference between women and men in terms of power and energy, the force to overcome the hard times. But I have greatly admired the women who have had so many additional tasks during this period, especially related to the “online school”, new issues related to family supplies, the care and safety of the home and of the family members, the provision of masks and disinfectants, all the new rules. Through all these, they have remained warm, smiling, fearless, practical-minded, and optimistic.

What has Anca Vlad, the woman who created one of the biggest businesses in Romania, Fildas – Catena Group, read during the first year of the pandemic?

21.03.2021

I highly recommend “My way”, “A promised Land” and “The Blind Assassin”. Currently, I am watching a series of interviews directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Fran Leibowitz, called “Pretend It’s a City”
Anca Vlad, the founder of the Fildas – Catena pharmaceutical group

“The pandemic was conducive to reading and I would start with the three volumes of the autobiography entitled “My way”, written by the entrepreneur Octavian Radu, which I devoured and which I recommend both to the ones who had the experience of the beginnings of Romanian entrepreneurship after the Revolution, but also to the young people who ask questions about what time was like. I also recommend “The Promised land” by Barak Obama, which I listened to read by Barak himself, from the heart, with an impeccable intonation and elocution. However, its Romanian translation may be similarly exciting.

As regards fiction, I am charmed by Margaret Atwood, by whom I recently finished “The Blind Assassin”, after reading “A handmaid’s Tale” “The Testaments” and “Alias Grace”. She writes in a profound, beautiful way, bringing about elements from dystopian worlds or science fiction fragments, which she inserts in tumultuous modern stories. An intellectual effort, which is worth the trouble. The fact that I rediscovered the joy of reading is wonderful.

I also had time to watch some series, such as Vikings, Borgen, Marseille, and some documentaries: The Family, Trump, Franca. Now I am watching a series of interviews directed by Martin Scorsese, with Fran Leibowitz, called “Pretend It’s a City” – a captivating exercise of humor and intellect. As regards vacations, the Romanian mountain scenery remains a constant joy, but last year, I had the chance of rediscovering my small garden. I watched first the lilac, then the magnolia, then the roses bloom, in turn, things which practically I never noticed before.

I ordered food quite often, I even went on a diet with rawdia products. I also tried their recipes, less successfully. It was a year of changing rhythms, of adapting to a new and unexpected situation, with concerns and losses of dear friends. But it was also a year of resilience, tenacity, a year of reconsidering values, friendship remaining the most important”.

Article published in “Ziarul Financiar“.

Anca Vlad, founder of the Fildas Catena group: My personal and professional achievements has also started to develop in a strong crisis period, i.e. in the 1990s, when the inflation had reached 270%, banks were going bankrupt one after the other, state-owned companies were disappearing

22.02.2021

“The situation back then is so different from the living conditions of today’s young people that I am always happy that the great change has taken place, with Romania coming out of an inhuman regime. My personal and professional achievements has also started to develop in a strong crisis period, i.e. in the 1990s, when the inflation had reached 270%, banks were going bankrupt one after the other, state-owned companies were disappearing”

The 1980s were characterized by cold and hunger – and I stoically endured them both. By the time I was finished with work, the stores were already empty. In the morning it was impossible for me to wait in line, so I was fasting without actually wanting to do so. Much has been said about the political situation at the time. We young people were immunized – we no longer read newspapers, we didn’t watch TV, we tried to create a parallel reality, like a bubble of normalcy in an otherwise absurd world. We used to talk about the books we read, about the good movies playing at the cinema. It was during this time that I met our great painter, Margareta Sterian. I began by translating her prose into English and gradually became an avid collector of her work. I had to pay installments to Margareta for many years.”

“At the age of 22, I had finished my studies and I really wanted an apartment of my own. And so, I worked three jobs: the official one, where I worked as an economist, but I also did translations and offered English language private classes. I was constantly on the move, from 7 in the morning until 9 in the evening, but I didn’t feel tired. Parties were usually held on Saturday nights during that period – because the work week was six days long – but they were the most important event of the week. Some former college classmate organized various tea parties, and I was the cocktail specialist. I remember that on the radio – on the 3rd program of the national station – the international pop music chart was broadcast every Friday, at 9 o’clock. I would record it on tape without ever missing a beat and I would listen to it every day, until the next Friday. My passion for cinema would be quenched with a “James Bond” movie from the Roger Moore series, but Meryl Streep had already appeared on screens in ”Kramer vs. Kramer” or ”Sophie’s Choice”.

“This period of great change and insecurity we are experiencing now requires maximum attention and an innovative spirit. Following the international markets, but also the evolution of Romania, I notice that, at GDP-level, we are experiencing a smaller decrease when compared to other European states. Romanian companies have quickly adapted to new needs – with the exception of suffering economic sectors everywhere. I believe that this crisis is an opportunity for young Romanian specialists to propose new business models, technologies and software that could help us skip some stages and reach our rightful spot in Europe and in the world much faster.”

This article was published on Ziarul Financiar

How was the Catena brand chosen, which has become the leader in the pharmacy market?

The entrepreneur, Anca Vlad, the owner of Catena chain of pharmacies, as well as the owner of Fildas medicine distributor remembers how she chose more than two decades ago a name which, in the meantime, has become a brand.

Today, 800 pharmacies which operate under Catena brand (as per the latest information) have accumulated business if approximately one billion EUR in 2019 (latest year for which there are published data). The company is a market leader on its segment.

“21 years ago, when I approached the pharmaceutical retail area, I wanted a resounding brand name, however, warm and simple. The words “Catena” came to my mind as it had all these qualities. Additionally, it means two things: In Romanian it refers to chemical bound, which brings to mind the pharmaceutical product and in Latin and Italian it means “chain”, which created a nice development perspective”, says the entrepreneur.

She added that, in general, the words have the power to oblige. In parallel to the selected name, the logo needed to inspire warmth, proximity, care.

“We started with orange and green. Most remedies come from nature, so I felt that a leaf would be the perfect choice to express that. However, something was missing. When we added yellow we felt joy – it depicted light and hope, exactly what we wanted to express. As any job done from the heart, the brand lasted well throughout the years”, she added.

The Catena brand is operated by several companies, unlike Fildas Trading, the medicine distributor, which operates on a single entity.

Catena entered the market more than 20 years ago, when the entrepreneur, Anca Vlad, at that time, the owner of Fildas Trading- the medicine distributor- bought 30 pharmacies in Pitesti- the Agresfarm network.

Subsequently, the company had a direct development and it continued the acquisitions, which led the brand to have 800 units country-wide.

Whereas in pharma distribution the brand is less important, in pharma retail it is very important. How important is it for the customer that the pharmacy he goes to should have a Romanian brand?

‘The fact that we are a Romanian brand matters for the team, we feel proud of our creation. Customers, however, need quality services, this is important for them and this is what we strive to offer them, every day”, says Anca Vlad.

From the perspective of the business she created, this woman entrepreneur is the most powerful woman in the local business environment.

Article from Ziarul Financiar

The most influential women in Romania have been awarded during the Forbes Woman Gala in 2020

18.09.2020

Forbes Romania hosted on Thursday, September 17, 2020, the ninth edition of the Forbes Woman Gala, held at Bragadiru Palace. The Gala has been dedicated to the success of Romanian women, who represent authentic and powerful models of the Romanian society in the business, philanthropy and education environments.

After the third edition of the Forbes Woman Summit, the most important summit in Romania, during which we gathered on the virtual scene of the ZOOM platform the most important female voices from the business environment and the Romanian society, Forbes Romania has applauded and awarded the women that had the know-how to assert themselves in the highest environments, in the upper part of the artistic and creative areas, with other words – those women that managed during this difficult year to become models of the Romanian society.

The Forbes Romania Gala does not only represent the method in which Forbes Romania recognizes the involvement of women and their active role in a constantly developing business environment, but as well the preface of the eight edition of the Top 50 Most Influential Women in Romania, published by Forbes Romania.

The winners of the Forbes Woman Gala are examples of inspiration, perseverance, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

In 2020, Anca Vlad, the President of Fildas-Catena, has been designated the most influential woman in Business.

“Forbes Woman – Top 50 Most Influential” has become one of the most important projects of Forbes in Romania, a project that raises each time the interest of the readers, even more so as it represents the pretext to offer inspirational models in a society that oftentimes has uncertain values.

The full list of the winners is available here.

Anca Vlad, the creator of the largest pharmaceutical group in Romania

15.09.2020

“During the pandemic, Fildas has made donations of more than 2.6 million euros. We have received heartfelt thanks from the beneficiaries, and this translated into a huge professional and personal satisfaction, at the same time.”

ANCA VLAD

In 1991, on the freshly capitalist market of Romania, Fildas Trading SRL was born, with seven employees and a turnover of 1.5 million dollars after the first year. The founder is Anca Vlad, who tells us which are the most important things when you manage such a big company in such an important industry. “In any field, the biggest challenge is represented by understanding it, not only from a managerial and economic point of view, but also from a technical one”, has declared Anca Vlad for Capital magazine. She improved her chemistry and anatomy knowledge, has read entire volumes of pharmacologyin order to be up-to-date with the information essential for a distributor of medicines. For this reason, she recommends young entrepreneurs to constantly perfect themselves, including from a technical point of view. In her vision, this condition is the path towards success, because every business partner is extremely observant of who knows and who understands profoundly the field in which it operates.

The biggest challenge of her career was the crisis in 2009, when it was confirmed for her that a sudden increase of a business, based on loans, can always be annulled by an economical recession. On the other hand, a solid business, correctly organized, is the one that survives numerous challenges that a company goes through over time.

For the Fildas-Catena group, the recipe for success was and it seriousness and continuous development. For this reason, the patients know the moment they enter any Catena pharmacy that they will receive a professional advice and a solution offered with a sense of responsibility.

Continuous and carefully planned development

Among the most important projects of the Group, in the last period, we can name the expansion and modernization of the storage spaces in Bucharest, but also the construction of new warehouses in Craiova, Constanta and Satu-Mare. The increase of the distribution capacity, improvement of technology and digitalization are the main directions of development of the company. The President of Fildas-Catena is proud of the team she leads, because it showed responsibility and involvement in helping people during these trying times. When the pandemic started, it was necessary to rapidly find sanitizers and protection masks, even if their prices increased ten or more times. The Group has auctioned for protection masks, being in competition with companies from other countries, these being essential both for the patients of Catena and the members of the Fildas-Catena team.

One of the main worries were the safety and health of employees, whom had to be protected of a potential contact with infected persons and whom where exposed to the new coronavirus. “With all difficulties, our colleagues stayed put, encouraged each other and overcame an unprecedented situations”, has declared Anca Vlad.

During the pandemic, Fildas Trading has made donation of more than 2.6 million euros destined for the sanitary personnel, directly in the front line and for the most vulnerable social categories. The anti-COVID-19 protection materials, such as masks, equipment or sanitizers have reached more than 150 hospitals in the country, and the rest 113 other institutions engaged in the fight against the pandemic.

In her free time, her main hobby is her involvement in promoting art. She is very proud that she managed to fulfill an older dream this year: printing 200.000 copies of coloring books, through which the works of Luchian and Grigorescu may reach the children. The most powerful business woman from Romania considers that a creation, regardless if it is business or art, must be made with love and passion. In her vision, a successful woman is fulfilled when she manages to balance the professional life with the personal life. Then she will become more powerful, more confident and more organized.

Alina Marinescu, the General Manager of Catena and the story of a succesful woman

Each and every one of us surely heard of the brand Catena, either due to the very popular pharmacies next to our homes or even for the ads we all know by now. However, besides the image of the company, in the back there is a devoted team, among which Alina Marinescu, the General Manager of the Catena chain for more than 20 years.

In 1999, she was managing the production lab of Farmaceutica Argeşfarm, when Fildas took over the majority share package of the company from Pitești. That was the moment when the brand Catena was born, and Alina Marinescu’s path was 100% devoted to the “Pharmacy of the Heart”.

The human capital is the most important resource

“Recognizing the Catena brand when it comes to patients and partners was possible because of an exceptional team”, said the General Manager of Catena. Devotion, professionalism, involvement and teamwork are the factors that made the Catena brand reach the hearts of Romanian people. With more than 850 pharmacies at national level, Catena aims for a constant growth and is ready to overcome any challenges. “Catena is not only a pharmacy, but an entire system – complete, functional, available for Romanian people”, adds Alina Marinescu.

Balance is key to permanent development

In the context of a competitive market, more and more developed, and of increasingly sophisticated requirements of patients, Catena aims to be in the front-line of new treatments, offering the best solutions when it comes to health.

“All the remarkable results of our brand were achieved together with a great time, amazing colleagues, without whom we couldn’t have had these impressive achievements. I’ve learned during these years, at Catena”, says Alina Marinescu, “the need of balance from a professional and personal point of view.” For a successful woman, this balance is key for a permanent development”.

The biggest pride, professionally, is the 20th anniversary of Catena, last year, a recognition of the hard work done for the growth of this 100% Romanian brand. Personally, her daughter, Anastasia, is her biggest pride. She is interested in a career in Architecture, and Alina Marinescu says she is by her side all along this path she chose.

During her free time, in order to relax, she is passionate of traveling and photography. The believes that a successful woman must be well-organized, to rapidly adapt and to find the best solutions, even when facing the hardest challenges. Ambition, determination and understanding certain situations and people are essential features of a successful woman.

Alina Marinescu is the winner of the Management category of the 2020 edition of the Capital Top 100 successful women.

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Ziarul Financiar: A change in the leadership at the forefront of medicines distribution. Fildas Trading, controlled by entrepreneur Anca Vlad, climbs to the first place in distribution, with a turnover of RON 4.2 billion in 2019

09.06.2020

Starting with 2017, when it entered for the first time in the top three players on the medicine distribution market, Fildas Trading continued its consolidation. The distributor ranked first, overtaking Mediplus, leader in recent years. Fildas Trading operates 15 warehouses at national level.

Fildas Trading, the medicine distributor founded by entrepreneur Anca Vlad, posted a turnover of RON 4.2 billion, up 16% compared to the previous year, according to data submitted by company representatives for ZF.

Last year’s result takes the company on the first place on the distribution market, overtaking Mediplus, leader in recent years, which reported a turnover of RON 4 billion in 2019, up 5%, according to ZF calculations.

Fildas Trading’s profit was RON 134 million in 2019, representing an increase of 23%, and the distributor employed over 1,200 persons.

Since 2017, Fildas started a stronger market consolidation, when it ranked for the first time among the top three medicine distributors, overtaking Farmexim. Subsequently, in 2019, it ranked second, after outpacing Farmexpert (currently Alliance Healthcare) in terms of turnover.

According to the latest data, distributor Fildas supplies products to the over 800 Catena pharmacies in the country, as well as other over 1,000 clients with about 3,500 places of business, which means half of the total number of pharmacies at national level. The company holds a fleet consisting of about 130 vans and 12 heavy trucks, having over 1,100 employees.

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The company’s portfolio increased year after year, currently Fildas Trading distributing over 11,000 products, from around 150 producers.

In total, Fildas has 15 warehouses in some of the largest cities of the country, after last year it opened a new warehouse in Craiova, with an area of 10,000sqm, an investment of EUR 1.5 million.

Source: Ziarul Financiar

The Catena pharmacy chain reached a turnover of 1 billion euros in 2019, an increase of 17%, with a network of 800 unities.

03.03.2020

Catena becomes the second Romanian venture to reach a turnover of 1 billion euros, after bricolage retailer Dedeman, managed by the Pavăl brothers. During the last five years, the pharmacy chain managed by entrepreneur Anca Vlad has increased in sales by three times.

The Catena pharmacy chain reached RON 4.7 billion in 2019, an increase of 17% compared to the previous year. This number brings the brand, founded over 20 years ago by entrepreneur Anca Vlad, in the “league” of ventures reaching the 1 billion euros threshold.

Anca Vlad, founder of the Catena brand and pharmaceutical products distributor Fildas Trading, has led the Group she has been managing for over 30 years towards a cumulative turnover of RON 8.9 billion in 2019, increasing by 16%.

Catena’s net profit was of RON 190 billion in 2019, a 5% increase compared to the previous year, according to the data offered by the company’s representatives. On the national level, 800 pharmacies function under the Catena brand name, leading a pharmacy’s average revenue to RON 5.8 million per unit, according to the calculations made by Ziarul Financiar. The revenue, however, varies from unit to unit.

From 30 pharmacies to the top ranking

Entrepreneur Anca Vlad, an ASE graduate of the International Business faculty, started working ever since graduation as a translator and guide. For her first job, in 1980, Anca Vlad obtained a place in Silvarom, a company in the wood industry.

After the Revolution, in 1991, the entrepreneur set the basis of Fildas Trading, which, 30 years later, became one of the most important names in the distribution of pharmaceutical products, with 14 logistical centers across the country.

The Catena brand made its appearance in 1998, after Anca Vlad purchased a network of 30 pharmacies, which also owned a warehouse, in Pitești, Argeș county. The entrepreneur consolidated the business on a permanent basis, through openings and aquisitions, turning the regional network into a national one, counting 800 units. The entrepreneur did not cumulate the company’s business on a single legal entity.

Following the market request, other satellite brands emerged from Catena, such as Catena Pas cu Pas – seven stores that sell medical equipment, but also the Naturalis brand, created in 2005, consisting of cosmetic and nutrition products made of natural ingredients, sold exclusively in Catena pharmacies.

The growth recipe – connected businesses

The Catena and Fildas Trading cumulative turnovers reached RON 8.9 billion in 2019, an increase of 17% compared to the previous year. In 2018, the Fildas – Catena Group reached the top position in the ranking of the biggest pharmaceutical groups, outpacing the A&D Pharma group (Mediplus distributor and Sensiblu pharmacies).

At the end of 2019, the Fildas-Catena Group had over 7,300 employees, a number higher by 1,000 compared to the previous year. The business model followed by entrepreneurs from the pharmaceutical retail and distribution consisted of connecting the two activity fields, diminishing losses and ensuring a permanent flow of products within their own network.

Over the RON 4 billion threshold

Distributor Fildas Trading, which, in 2018, earned the second spot in the pharmaceuticals distribution ranking, reached RON 4.2 billion in 2019, an increase of 16% compared to the previous year, according to the calculations made by Ziarul Financiar, based on the data provided by the company.

Fildas Trading increased its profit by 19% in 2019, up till RON 130 million.

In 2019, the company opened a new pharmaceuticals warehouse in Craiova, with an area of 10,000 sqm, after an investment of 1.5 million euros. The company owns a car park consisting of around 130 utility vans and 12 high capacity trucks, counting over 1,100 employees. The company’s portfolio has been growing year after year, at this moment Fildas Training distributing over 11,000 products from approximately 150 producers.

An article published in the printed version of Ziarul Financiar on March 2, 2020.

Anca Vlad, on entrepreneurship: I have lived each day to the full, and I was not bored for a minute!

12.02.2020

Within Romania’s Entrepreneurship Gala, an event held at the Sheraton Bucharest Hotel, the business portal banii.net, which is part of the Brand Media Production portfolio, and the Business Review publication launched the second edition of the “Top 100 Entrepreneurs” yearbook. Numerous Romanian top entrepreneurs, leaders on their respective markets, participated in the launch event.

The entrepreneurs were assessed according to five criteria, each of them being graded between 1 and 5. Notoriety was taken into account, both the notoriety of the entrepreneur, and that of the developed business, the value of the business, as well as its evolution in terms of profit and turnover. At the same time, the number of employees, as well as social involvement, were considered.

What the classification looks like

The first place, with 22 points, is held by Daniel Dines, UiPath founder and CEO, the first Romanian unicorn, which came to be assessed at no less than 7 billion dollars last year.

The next three places, all having the same score (21), are held by Mrs Anca Vlad, founder and CEO of Fildas-Catena, Dragoș and Adrian Pavăl, who control Dedeman, the leader of the DIY market and one of the most valuable entrepreneurial companies on the local market, and Iulian Stanciu, the entrepreneur who revolutionized online commerce in Romania.

The 5th place, with 19 points, belongs to the entrepreneurs Gruia Stoica and Vasile Didilă, who developed the Grampet – GFR group, one of the most important carriers in rail freight transport in the region.

Totaling 18 points, the next three places are held by Florin and Măriuca Talpeș, the founders of Bitdefender, one of the top brands on the worldwide technology market, Adrian and Neculai Mihai and Felix Pătrășcanu, who own FAN Courier, the leader of the fast courier market in Romania, and Nawaf Salameh, founder and CEO of Alexandrion group, the largest producer of spirits on the local market.

The 9th and 10th places among top entrepreneurs are held by Dan Șucu, the founder of Mobexpert, and Dan Ostahie, who owns the Altex and Media Galaxy brands.

Anca Vlad, on entrepreneurship: I have lived each day to the full, and I was not bored for a minute!

Anca Vlad, the founder of the Fildas-Catena group, was awarded the title of “Best Entrepreneur in Healthcare”, within Romania’s Entrepreneurship Gala, an event organized by the business portal Banii.net and the publication Business Review.

In the speech that followed the presentation of the award, Anca Vlad was keen on encouraging the women who took to entrepreneurship and her wish for them was to come to the point where they conduct relevant businesses.

“Right now I am glad that the word “entrepreneur” cannot be inflected. I really like to play in the boys’ league. I am proud to have succeeded! I would like to see an increasing number of ladies – by the way, 47% of us are female entrepreneurs, which is above the European average – to enter entrepreneurship more aggressively, at higher levels, with the boys! It’s not very difficult, just add one zero and then another zero, the figures are the same in the end”, said Anca Vlad.

The future looks just as bright

The Fildas-Catena founder trusts the new generation greatly, so she is persuaded that the business she has founded will evolve just as beautifully for a long time ahead. “I visited a store in Venice, which sold fabrics, and I asked the lady there whether the fabrics was old. She told me that the fabrics was not old, “io sono vecchia”. “Io sono vecchia”, but I am going through a hand-over process to the new generation and, fortunately, the dream will go on. Regarding the 30 years of entrepreneurship, I can say that I have lived each day to the full, and I was not bored for a minute”, said Anca Vlad. She also explained how she sees the role of the entrepreneur in a business, as well as how important it is to trust and show trust to the people who help you grow your business.

“Fortunately, my son understood very quickly, after two years, that his role is to facilitate communication, as we greatly believe in intrapreneurship. We all know that, unless we promote intrapreneurship – internal entrepreneurship – we cannot evolve as fast as demanded by the market and by life itself. Consequently, we facilitate communication – this is the entrepreneur’s role”, concluded Anca Vlad.