How has 2020 “caught” you, especially considering a completely new situation for the entire globe?

In the pandemic situation, we have other priorities: our colleagues’ and customers’ safety, stability, and continuity of our business have become the most important issues. Most of our colleagues from the headquarters were transferred to the home office (i.e. worked from home), and in each branch, we provided conditions to keep people healthy. As to our business plans, we are conservative but optimistic.

During the crisis, saying that great problems create great opportunities has become “fashionable”. Is this approach felt in any sphere of your activity?

First of all, this experience has helped us demonstrate our values as a team and as individuals: we have been staying next to our colleagues and customers. Last but not least, our lives have changed, and many developments have been improved.

Social responsibility is a crucial component of big business. Most prefer to prosper in silence, but, anyway, I would like to insist upon the question regarding support actions taken during this complicated period of time. How do you regard this social responsibility during the crisis? Which actions are most helpful in this case?

We demonstrate our social responsibility by means of donations and sponsorship directly to the hospitals. Soon we will officially launch our foundation to promote and improve general public’s financial education.

What can the Republic of Moldova do as a state in the new environment so that large investments could continue providing a significant number of jobs and support the state budget?

During the pandemic, the business representatives have had a lot of fruitful discussions with the officials, and our common opinion is that the reforms and developments we have already started have to be continued and improved.

When and how have you started working in the Republic of Moldova as a company and personally?

Officially, as a company, since July 2019; personally, since February 2019. We entered the market with a purchase, because, after assessing the market conditions and opportunities, we were convinced it was a “perfect match” for our general strategy. As to outsourcing, we can partially solve this issue locally, yet there are many cases where the domestic market provides no outsourcing solutions.

How has the company been developing over the years?

We keep constantly growing, and we continue employing and expanding our team; we do not stop even in a state of emergency. We invest in people and technology.

Honest and reliable investors bring international business administration standards, an absolutely intolerant attitude towards corruption, transparent activities, legal salaries with additional payments depending on the employee’s efficiency, bonuses, assistance, etc. to the Republic of Moldova and try to “cultivate” them here. How successfully have you managed to adapt the local staff/ partner environment to such standards?

We were lucky: we replaced another foreign investor who had an approach similar to ours as a result of our acquisition. In the Republic of Moldova, we apply the same standards as in the EU countries: there is no difference.

What is your biggest success, which results are connected with the largest reserves, and what do you intend to work at?

The biggest success? Our faithful and motivated team which is very well prepared and stable. Yet we still have lots of work to do for a digitization and service development project.

The series of interviews "Foreign investors vs. COVID-19" are part of the gratitude campaign addressed to all foreign investors in the Republic of Moldova who during the pandemic demonstrated a high sense of social responsibility, an example model of employee care and proactivity in reconceptualizing the business . Campaign launched by The Moldovan Investment Agency with the support of the ‘Economic Policy Advice to the Moldovan Government’ project, implemented by GIZ Moldova with the financial support of the German and Swiss Governments.