Eric Stab takes helm of the Foreign Investors Council in Romania

Eric Stab, the executive who runs French group GDF Suez’ operations in Romania, was elected the new president of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC), an association of the leading investors in Romania. Eric Stab has been coordinating French Group GDF Suez’ operations in Eastern Europe (Romania, Austria, Czech Republic and Slovakia) since August 2008. He is also Executive Chairman of GDF Suez Energy Romania since early 2010, and in 2012 was named the company’s CEO. Gas distributor GDF Suez Energy is one of Romania’s top 20 companies. Last year, it had a turnover of over EUR 1 billion and a net profit of EUR 88 million. Stab has been working for GDF Suez/Gaz de France since 1991, holding various management positions in France, Germany and the UK. He holds a Master in Management degree from ESCP Europe in Paris and is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program. Eric Stab will take over from Romanian Mihai Bogza, the chairman of Bancpost, who has been FIC’s president since June 2013. Prior to that FIC had been led by Dutch banker Steven van Groningen, Raiffeisen Bank Romania’s president. The FIC members also elected two new vice presidents: Romanian Daniel Anghel, tax partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers Romania, and Swiss entrepreneur Jean Valvis, president and general director of Valvis Holding. Earlier in May, FIC chose its new board of directors, which consists of 15 top executives that run local multinationals. Ten of the board members are foreigners and five are Romanians. The board comprises the following (in alphabetical order): Daniel Anghel, Tax Partner with PwC Romania; Mihai Bogza, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bancpost; Barbara Cygler, General Manager of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Romania; Kinga-Ágnes Daradics, Country Chairman & CEO of MOL Romania; Jean-Francois Fallacher, CEO of Orange Romania; Bert Fol, General Manager of Radisson BLU hotel in Bucharest; Mariana Gheorghe, CEO of OMV Petrom; Steven van Groningen, President & CEO of Raiffeisen Bank; Farrukh Khan, Partner with Deloitte Romania; Nicolas Maure, President & CEO of Automobile Dacia and Managing Director of Renault Romania; Francois Petry, CEO of Holcim Romania; Eric Stab, Chairman & CEO of GDF SUEZ Energy Romania; Ravinder Takkar, CEO of Vodafone Romania; Serban Toader, Senior Partner with KPMG Romania; Jean Valvis, President & General Director of Valvis Holding. The Foreign Investors Council focuses on dialogue with policy makers and non-governmental stakeholders on current and future policies, fostering investments in sectors with high growth potential, and making sure the business community contributes to Romania’s macroeconomic stability and sustainable growth. Last month the FIC launched the 2015 edition of its White Book “Regaining Momentum” a snapshot of Romania’s current investment climate and, at the same time, a set of recommendations of what can be done to improve this climate and make it more attractive to foreign as well as local investors. The FIC launches its White Book every two years.