More than 100 CEOs and executives from some of Romania’s leading companies in retail, energy, banking, technology, transport, and numerous other sectors gathered in Berceni, Prahova County, on Friday, May 15, as part of Habitat for Humanity’s CEO Build 2026 event to construct homes for vulnerable families.

Following the CEO Build rules, top executives of ENGIE, Penny, Coca Cola, Mobexpert, and many others, but also partners in UNHCR and EBRD, traded tablets and flipcharts for hammers, nails, wheelbarrows of concrete, and wood frames to work on homes for four local families. The beneficiaries of the program, selected by Habitat for Humanity based on several criteria, including the urgency of need and levels of income, also worked on the construction site.

As part of the volunteering activity, participants took part in key stages of the construction: from pouring the first elements of the foundation to cutting wood and preparing elements for the roof.

The project in the commune of Berceni, Prahova County, is part of Habitat for Humanity Romania’s efforts to support vulnerable families in gaining access to safe, decent, and affordable housing. The homes built during this edition will provide stability and the chance for a new beginning for four families who were living in difficult conditions, according to the organization.

Serial entrepreneur Grégoire Vigroux, whose name is connected to Bonapp and Europe-first social media app eYou, spoke to the participants of CEO Build as Habitat for Humanity’s Chair of the National Development Council, highlighting the importance of legacy. 

“I can tell my children that today I was with amazing people, different ages, different backgrounds, and countries, and we spent the entire day not at the office, but building beautiful homes for people in need,” he said. “What I love about Habitat is that it runs like an NGO in terms of heart, but also like a business, and that’s why it works. They know how to handle budgets and teams, and they have a vision,” he added.

Roberto Pătrășcoiu, CEO of Habitat for Humanity, said that the turnout went beyond expectations. “We prepared for 60, 100 came, all CEOs and management leaders from companies with turnovers of hundreds of millions of euros. It seems incredible to me what we managed to achieve today, together with people who simply said ‘yes!’ These are people who want to change the world and leaders who understand that if they want to change something around them, it must start with themselves,” he explained.

Hands-on volunteering 

Romania Insider was present at the event and spoke to several volunteers who helped build homes for the vulnerable. 

“It was a day full of energy, and I’m going home thinking that we built a better home for 4 families,” said Amalia Anghel, Head of Corporate Communication & CSR at ENGIE, the main partner of CEO Build.

The initiative also attracted veterans of home construction. Daniel Gross, CEO of Penny, said that the event “is not just CSR; it’s direct involvement, volunteering, because you actually do something. It’s team building: you build a team with new people, people you don’t know, people you haven’t seen in a long time, it’s definitely something special.” 

Alexander Pavlov, Group International Transport Director at logistics solutions provider FM Logistic, joined Habitat for Humanity’s projects after meeting Roberto Pătrășcoiu, and then joined the organization on its National Development Council. “I was impressed by what Habitat was doing. I wanted to come here, in Berceni, and I invited 5 guests to come along. They all love it,” he said.

“This type of volunteering is not for everybody, but for people who want to contribute personally, it is the perfect type of event. You work, and you fulfill your own desire to give back and contribute, plus it’s a great place to meet like-minded people. People who accept coming here, by default, I think, are kind people. It’s not a fake project; you really see a purpose behind it, you see the families,” the company representative concluded.

Beatrice Mituleci, Community Partnerships Manager at Coca-Cola HBC, said that the well-known soda brand started working with Habitat for Humanity in 2024, following the floods in Galați and Vaslui Counties. The company provided two grants, each worth EUR 200,000, to rebuild homes in affected areas. This year, top representatives of Coca-Cola will go to Broșteni, in Suceava County, another village hit by devastating floods, to rebuild homes.

Adelina Badea, CEO of Mobexpert, reminisced about being on the construction site of her family home as a child. “I used to set the table for the 14 workers, and I liked being on construction sites since childhood. Last year, Mobexpert opened 3 new stores, and I spent the whole year on construction sites, but what I found here today is far from what I imagined. It is impressive to bring together 100 very busy people,” she said.

Cerasela Băiculescu, CEO of IBM Romania and Moldova, said she learned that “the straight path is not always the one that produces results, and here I’m talking about my experience of changing hammers. I started with a very heavy one and realized it was not calibrated to my physical potential. I think we need leadership, community, and solidarity to have an impact in Romania, where social disparities are so large.”

One of the novices of CEO Build was Victoria Zinchuk, director of EBRD Romania, who said that working hands-on during the project made her reflect on what leadership in action means. 

Present in Romania for 30 years, Habitat for Humanity has built 5,000 homes for tens of thousands of beneficiaries. From the 20 houses already built in Berceni, each costs around EUR 60,000 and measures roughly 60 square meters. 

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: press release)