Call for Leaders | Alexandru Lăpușan (Zitec): Digital transformation is a must that should have been included in everybody’s strategy starting yesterday

Call for Leaders – 3Q is a new category where Business Review features our 3 questions with some of Romania’s top business professionals, bringing a positive, insightful, or otherwise constructive view of their markets in the context of the current crisis.

Current conversation: Alexandru Lăpușan – Zitec CEO & Co-Founder

What are the measures you took for your business during this period?

First and foremost, we have focused on securing the well-being of our colleagues and their families.

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The first measures included monitoring international travel and instructing the ones travelling to Work from Home for 14 days. We have also recommended all parents to work from home as well, since schools suspended classes, and soon after the situation escalated internationally we have required all colleagues that are using public transportation to reach our offices to also work from home. These measures and our already existent Work from Home company policy resulted in virtually everyone working remotely. We are ready to have everyone in our team work from home should the crisis escalate.

Secondly, we have revisited the entire client portfolio, collected direct feedback on how they were impacted by the crisis and how they plan to adjust any software development and online marketing plans. In a couple of cases we are also working together with our partners to provide financing solutions for our clients, helping them better cope with the situation without damaging their development plans.

What’s your advice for business leaders regarding this crisis?

I would advise business leaders to take all this with calm and stay rational. Let us all make sure our teams stay safe and work from home – if that is possible, or assure a safe environment at work until the crisis has passed.

In terms of business, I think it is already obvious that the digital transformation is now a must that should have been included in everybody’s strategy starting yesterday. As the offline shops, malls and restaurants are closed for the moment, business leaders across the world and in all industries should keep their gates open online. I believe in the future a lot of things will change, and some will be for the better: managers will be more flexible regarding Work from Home, since now they have a chance to see their teams performance remotely, off-line businesses and like-minded managers will be forced to re-invent their businesses taking online into more serious consideration, and not the last we will all be reminded that our families and close friends are the ones that matter the most.

What’s the most positive business news you’ve read today and want to share?

I was very happy to hear that today Code4Romania has launched another project aimed at helping out with the negative effects of the current pandemic. It’s so refreshing to see how fast and well organized C4R are and how they can work with authorities and still deliver much needed solutions (stirioficiale.ro, cemafac.ro and other 4 projects).