Outstanding Women in Business: Christina Chiriac, President of CONAF

Business Review engaged in a captivating conversation with Christina Chiriac, President of the National Confederation for Female Entrepreneurship (CONAF), for an in-depth interview that will be featured as a main highlight in Business Review Magazine’s March 2024 edition titled Outstanding Women in Business.In this forthcoming feature, Christina delves into the evolution of women’s roles in business and leadership, providing an enlightening perspective on the journey towards gender equality and the empowerment of women in the Romanian business landscape.

What determines the success in business of a woman?

Success is individual, not collective, and is linked to achieving set goals and resonating with the involved values, so there is no classic recipe to define success, but we can discuss feminine models that have demonstrated that success and performance can be feminine.

If we look within, we observe that Romanian society still penalizes motherhood based on traditional criteria, and it is crucial for each woman to assimilate the need for personal development and well-being as a component of the individual, within and outside the family. Balancing between profession and family is the challenge to which we, as women, must address our efforts, on both fronts. We participate emotionally in all aspects of our lives, and the perpetual “tightrope walking” is an important factor in success.

Over time, through the five “Women in Economy” Galas, the most important and long-lasting event organized by CONAF in Romania, dedicated to women involved in economic life, we have awarded over 77 excellence prizes to women who have excelled in fabulous industries and fields, from aerospace or medicine to the light industry or literature, and we believe that only work, education, and the quality of being human, in the sense learned from our parents, make the difference.

How difficult (or easier) is it today for a woman to assert herself in executive positions?

CONAF is the first organization in Romania to bring to the forefront the need for “gender quotas” in the public space. Dialogues with the Prime Minister of Romania, members of parliament, and ministers were not just a process of public awareness. We have had the same discussions with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova to understand the legislative barriers and those in the collective mentality, thus determining a change in public, social, economic, and even cultural policies.

It is a fact that men choose their challenges, while women have to face them. Creating is our destiny, and the challenges that encompass it are subordinate to our calling. Implementing business strategies through the prism of a female executive is a real challenge, but also a real added value to organizational culture.

Gender balance in major corporations and extended to the decision-making sphere of the state are aspects with an impact on social harmony, and despite reduced gender pay gaps, the professional path to top management positions is somewhat constrained by outdated mentalities. A percentage of 64% of men in management positions, compared to 36% of women, as opposed to crafts-related occupations according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, with 63% women and 37% men, clearly shows the need for gender quotas, regulated at all levels and disaggregated for each area of social impact.

In essence, the assumption that there is a feminine leadership style perpetuates stereotypes that separate the two worlds, that of female leaders from that of male leaders. It was believed that women are more rigorous, more organized, and less willing to take risks, hence less ambitious than men, but fairer. However, an extensive study covering multiple countries, conducted by McKinsey, has shown that women leaders in leadership positions in companies have achieved remarkable results. Revenues have increased, profitability has improved, and employees have been more engaged, showing loyalty to the company.

What are the industries with the strongest career advancement barrier? What about those where advancement is easier?

An easy advancement, in my definition, is just a stroll through life. I believe that success is not demanded, it is worked for, toiled for, and that fascinates me about Romanian blouses, and I try to in still this in the organization I lead. We women sometimes have physical barriers, and the gifts of motherhood teach us warmth, empathy, but also resilience in the face of suffering. We create life, set it on its path, and then watch it depart towards its own dreams, and if we view our companies as an extended family, we can bring a significant addition to society. Each industry has its challenges, and I do not want to generalize, as long as the path to one occupation or another is an extremely complex decision factor.

It is acknowledged that there are certain fields dominated by women, and this reality is confirmed by statistical data. Education, the textile industry, hospitality, tourism, healthcare, and beauty salons are among the sectors where women are more present. However, in recent years, the economy has generated more entrepreneurial opportunities for women in service sectors and information technology. It is evident that in manufacturing industries, oil and gas, dominated by men, we will find fewer female entrepreneurs, but given the large number of women with academic training in these fields, we cannot exclude an increase in the interest of female entrepreneurs in future involvement in these sectors.

What are the biggest challenges for a woman to reach leadership positions?

Breaking secular mentalities, demonstrating that it is possible, rewriting our role in the family are trials we must face from the moment our initiatives pass the gates of our homes. Motherhood, femininity, our sensitivity, and empathy must don the iron glove of determination, perseverance, and ultimately sustained success.

Making a clear differentiation between executive management and the board of directors of a company, the great challenge comes from implementing universal values in the mission statement, so familiar to us women, such as empathy, equality, continuous education, or inclusion. These are sustainable development values, and their dissemination at each level must be viewed and implemented at each level, as an instrument of differentiation and long-term profit.

Buying decisions have changed, and the profit of any company is rewritten in terms of long-term social impact, and gender imbalance becomes a passport to failure.

How is Romania doing in terms of women top executives (challenges, difficulties, positive aspects)?

In theory, in terms of salary differentials, we are at the forefront at the continental level, also thanks to our Latin origin. In reality, the standard of living, purchasing power, and other indicators of well-being are at a minimum, and it is time to make national efforts to determine a well-structured legislative path towards representativeness as a solution for multi-social shaping, towards a Romania relevant not only in terms of area but also as a European economic force.

The European Institute for Gender Equality, established within the European Union, has devised a Gender Equality Index. Of course, despite a single positive aspect related to the wage gap, where Romania seems to lead, we observe a trend that some specialists attribute to the communist past. However, it is crucial to conduct a detailed analysis of the disparities between women and men in six key areas: work, income, education, time, authority, and health. In this regard, Romania ranks at the bottom of the European ranking, scoring almost 60 out of a total of 100 points.

I do not view a company’s performance in terms of intrinsic profit, but rather in terms of its impact on the economy, culture, and society. Consequently, top executives or sole shareholders are the same brave women who work to build their strength to make a difference.

The Confederation I lead was born out of the need to create a modern, sustainable, and equitable entrepreneurial culture, not only for female entrepreneurship but also for the entire business environment. CONAF includes 2 federations, 10 employers’ organizations, 19 associations, 27 branches, and over 5,500 companies, and I believe that only together can we bring about a major change not only in the Romanian economy but also in Romanian culture and perceptions.

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