I joined maib in 2010 as a small branch manager after five years at another bank, where I progressed through various lending positions. My strong sales performance led to a promotion in 2012 to corporate customer relationship manager. After nearly a decade of productive experience in Corporate Banking, I took on a new challenge in 2021, becoming Orchestra Lead (Head of Sales) for the Business Banking Segment. Over the past four years, together with our team and stakeholders, we’ve achieved remarkable growth—expanding our market share by more than 40% in just three years, from 26% to 37%, making us the undisputed leader in Moldova’s SME market.
One of the biggest challenges in my journey at maib has been personal growth—transitioning from being a high-performing salesperson to an effective leader. I constantly asked myself: how do I ensure that my teams, whether of 2, 7, or now 190 people, consistently exceed targets while staying motivated and engaged?
At first, I relied on trial and error. This approach led to progress but also came with its fair share of setbacks. After two years, I realized there was a better way—I could accelerate my development by learning from others’ experiences and investing in self-growth. That’s when I started reading extensively, searching for answers in books. However, my reading was somewhat unstructured—until Stanford changed everything.
I was incredibly fortunate that Giorgi and maib’s management gave us the opportunity to attend an extraordinary course at Stanford—something that would have been out of reach for me at the time, both financially and in terms of perspective. That course opened my eyes in ways I never expected. I realized that progress isn’t random—it’s built systematically, step by step. Business success is a science.
I vividly remember discovering the importance of corporate culture—how it drives success, creates and captures value, and shapes strategy. I learned about organizational architecture, routines, and strategic formulation, and these insights changed my entire approach to leadership. That experience pushed me to deepen my knowledge, and I haven’t stopped reading and learning since. Today, thanks to maib once again, I’m participating in a Harvard course on Leading Change, and I’ve already started applying its lessons in practice.
One of the things I’m most proud of at maib is our culture of continuous learning and personal development. I talk about it with all my friends and colleagues because it’s truly something special. The bank’s focus on people and their potential is what ultimately drives results—whether in sales, profit, or market share.
But what’s even more impressive is seeing how the latest concepts in modern management and leadership—ideas from the most cutting-edge books and courses—are already applied in practice at maib. Concepts like leading change, shaping culture, defining company purpose, vision, strategy, innovation, continuous learning, and agile methodologies are not just theories here—they are embedded in our daily work. Learning from maib’s leaders has helped me grow tremendously, and I am grateful to be part of an organization that truly invests in its people and empowers them to excel.
