What is the good we are seeking, and how do economic policies and financial instruments facilitate or hinder the strengthening of a prosperous and just society?

A seminar developed in partnership with the Aspen Institute US – Executive Leadership Seminars, organized under the framework of the Aspen New Economy & Society Program.

The Seminar was conducted in English and took place in a picturesque location close to Bucharest.

The Seminar challenged 20 leaders from the public, private, academic, and non-governmental sectors, with background in business, finance, banking, insurance, and capital markets to explore the leadership and values questions which bear on economic opportunity.

Relying upon the classic Aspen Method of moderated, Socratic dialogue, we used classic and contemporary texts to explore the moral contours of economic growth.

For more than seventy years, this approach to discussing some of the most important issues of our times has challenged participants to think more deeply about timeless ideas and their implications for organizational leadership and meaningful lives.

The themes of the Seminar included the relationship between economics, politics, and the common good (especially in the quest for a new economic model of growth and shared prosperity), the ethical dimensions of market-based economies, the prospect of a new social contract with a focus on greater equity, the roles of government and of individual initiative (especially innovation and entrepreneurship), and resilience and the texture of human relationships in a changing economy.

By engaging in extended inquiry and dialogue with accomplished peers, leaders in the industry had an important opportunity to reflect on how to make both effective and wise decisions at this inflection point of political, economic, and social-cultural policy.

Participants left the Seminar with a greater clarity about their own belief systems, greater understanding of the complexities of the moral-technical challenges we face, and firmer confidence in being able to engage in creative decision-making at the crossroads of economics, finance, and a good society.

MODERATORS

ROXANA VOICU-DOROBANȚU

Aspen Fellow 2008 | Associate Professor, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies

Roxana Voicu-Dorobanțu is currently an Associate Professor in the Bucharest University of Economic Studies in Bucharest, while being involved in other business projects as well, mostly in an advisory position. Roxana holds a Ph.D. in International Business and Economics and has taught international business and finance and risk management in United Kingdom and Poland, as well as Romania. While involving companies in various corporate social responsibility programmes, she is also interested in finding means and methods for increasing efficiency in multicultural teams.

ANDREI POGONARU

Aspen Fellow 2009 | Founding Partner, Central European Financial Services (CEFS)

Andrei-Mihai Pogonaru turned his family office into a regional private equity asset manager. His proudest investment was helping purchase an outdated plastics factory, relocating it, and turning it into a successful bio-packaging company. He also built a thriving shopping center on the factory’s former site. In his free time, Andrei enjoys moderating leadership seminars at the Aspen Institute Romania and snowboarding in remote locations. He is a member of YPO and has served on the board of Romania’s national grid. 

Andrei met his wife, Debs, while studying Maths at Cambridge University. Recently he got his Executive MBA with Dean’s honours from Columbia University.