ROMANIAN SUCCESSFUL CAREERS

1. ROMANIAN SUCCESSFUL CAREERS

2. Table of contents

3. I. THE KEY TO SUCCESS • MOTIVATION - a successful career depends on how much work you can do and how efficient you can be while doing it. To know what motivates you, you have to understand what things you find rewarding or inspiring.

4. HARD WORK AND DEDICATION - you must understand that failure and success go hand in hand, so don’t be afraid of them. You also need to be dedicated. Dedication is necessary to be successful. • ENJOYING SUCCESS - no matter how small or how insignificant it may seem. Celebrating and enjoying these little events is very important. Small victories are like learning something new and getting a good review.

5. PURSUE YOUR DREAMS - This is the most important thing that you can do for yourself. You have to work hard and be dedicated to your dream career and you'll climb the corporate ladder. Nothing makes you move faster in the direction than your dreams. • UNCOVER YOUR PASSION - you have to understand, discover and uncover what your passions are. Your passion could be basketball, building bikes or racing them. Turn your passion into a career. Whatever your passion may be, you can turn it into reality.

6. ii. Business men DINUPATRICIU • Dinu Patriciu holds a master's degree from the Bucharest Institute of Architecture and has served as a professor there since 1975. He has received a number of architectural design awards in Romania and abroad. He has an extensive background in the real estate industry, having completed more than forty housing and commercial projects in Romania and more than 25 luxury residential complexes, offices and hotels in the United Arab Emirates.

7. Dinu Patriciu is Chairman and CEO of The Rompetrol Group, NV (TRG), a multinational petroleum company headquartered in the Netherlands, operating in 13 countries, and with the majority of its assets and income located in Romania, France and South Eastern Europe. • Formerly, he acted as Chairman of the Investment Committee of the Romania and Moldova Direct Fund, LP, an American-managed private equity investment fund established in 1998 whose investors include the International Finance Corporation and the German Government-owned DEG.

8. Patriciu led Rompetrol from a state-owned Romanian oil services company into one of the top 25 oil operators in the European Union, principally through a program of strategic acquisitions and organic growth. This program started with the purchase of the Vega refinery (1999), continued with Petros SA (2000) and the purchase of a majority stake in Petromidia SA (2001), owner of the most modern refinery and petrochemical complex in Romania. Subsequently, TRG embarked on an international expansion program in the Balkan region, in Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, as well as acquiring Dyneff Group SA of France, the largest independent distributor of oil products in France, at the end of 2005.

9. Patriciu owns the Romanian daily "Adevărul". As of August 2008, he was also in the process of buying the Ukrainian tabloid Blik from Ringier. • Dinu Patriciu is also the founder and chairman of the Dinu Patriciu Foundation, a non-governmental organisation which aims at offering financial support to talented young people who are not in the position to further sustain their studies.

10. Between 1990 and 1996, and again from 2000 to 2003, Patriciu has served as a Member of the Romanian Parliament, being a leader of the National Liberal Party’s parliamentary group.  •  A prominent liberal figure, Patriciu withdrew in 2003 from the Parliament and from active political life to concentrate on his business ventures.   • Patriciu also serves as the Chairman of the Alliance of Romanian Employers’ Confederations, the Romanian member of UNICE, the Confederation of European Business. In addition to TRG, he is a shareholder in several entities including a building & real estate company and a media holding.

11. FORBES MAGAZINE • The World's Billionaires • #397 Dinu Patriciu • 03.11.09, 06:00 PM EST • Net Worth:$1.8 bilFortune:self made Source:refineries Age:58 Country Of Citizenship:Romania Industry:Oil Education:NA  • Onetime architect led investor buyout of previously state-owned oil company, Rompetrol, in 1998; took over as chief executive in 2001. Via acquisitions built the company into a $4.6 billion (sales) multinational refiner. In 2007 sold 75% of the group to Kazakhstan's state-owned energy operator, KazMunaiGaz; remains at the helm. Investing in real estate; in January bought Fabian Romania, a U.K.-listed property fund via his Black Sea Global Properties.

12. ION ȚIRIAC • He was born on 9 May 1939 in Braşov, Romania. He is a Romanian former tennis player, businessman and the first Romania's billionaire. He has 2 children. He speaks fluently English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. • At 13 years old he was employed in a lorry factory in order to survive in that time and to have his own money. He attended the Physics Culture Institute in Bucharest and received the Order of Work class I.

13. ILIE NĂSTASE AND ION ȚIRIAC • Ion Ţiriac first appeared on the international sports scene as an ice hockey player on the Romanian national team at the 1964 Winter Olympics. Shortly after that he switched to tennis as his main sport. • In 1970, he won with Ilie Nastase the men’s doubles at the Roland Garros tournament. After that he was a coach, manager and promoter. In 1998 he became president of the Romanian National Olympic Committee.

14. As a tennis man he played in over 150 games in Davis Cup, won over 40 international titles, 9 titles as Romanian champion and as a ice hockey player he participated at the Winter Olympic Games in Innsbruck 1964. • He started his career in business as a manager and promoter of opens like Eurocard Open, Austrian Open, Italian Open, Faber Grand Prix and Open Romania.

15. Ion Țiriac was the first man in Romania who founded a private bank. Also, his passion for cars made him a representative of Romania for Vehicle Brands like: Mercedes, Ford, Hyundai etc. • Part of Țiriac Group is ȚiriacAir, which has become the most prestigious charter operator specialised in VIP and corporate services.

16. As a business man he has lots of important businesses all over the world. The investments he had done in Romania are bigger than 50 million dollars. • He is a president at Țiriac Holdings Ltd which is formed of many Romanian independent societies. • He is also the founder of Child's House in Brasov, a house where are over 100 abandoned children. • Ion Țiriac has a successful career and he can be a model for many people who want to succeed in life.

17. iii. PERFORMANCE ATHLETES ILIE NĂSTASE • Ilie Năstase was born on July 19, 1946 in Bucharest, he is a former tennis player, one of the world’s top tennismen in the 1970’s and the best Romanian athlete to play the game. He was inducted in the ATP Hall of Fame back in 1991.

18. BEGINNINGS • He began his tennis career in 1966 with his friend, Ion Țiriac. Together they represented Romania in the Davis Cup, an international competition, being three times runners-up, in : 1969,1971,1972. In singles competition, he managed to won his first tournament in 1967 at Cannes. His first victories over world class players happened in 1969 at Stockholm, Năstase defeating Tony Roche and Stan Smith.

19. THE EARLY 70’s • In 1970, Năstase gained his place among the top 10 players of the world, many analysts considering that he was the seventh player of the world, behind great names like: Rod Laver, John Newcombe or Arthur Ashe. Năstase won the Italian Open and an indoor tournament in Maryland, U.S.A. • In 1971 he continued his rise, being runner-up at the French Open in Paris. In the final he was defeated by Jan Kodes. In December he won the ATP World Tour Finals.

20. MAKING HIMSELF KNOWN... • In 1972 he became the second ranked player in the top, winning the U.S. Open, defeating Arthur Ashe. • Also, he managed to reach the Wimbledon finals, confronting Stan Smith. He lost the game in five sets, but he attracted the attention and the love of the fans by his manner of playing and by his jokes on the court. After the game he gained his nickname: Nasty.

21. Top of the career • In 1973 Năstase was in a splendid condition winning tournament after tournament. In that year he won 17 tournaments, including the French Open, a Wimbledon doubles title and a third ATP World Tour Finals. He won at Roland Garros without dropping a set and also he managed to win in succession, three competitions, an unequalled performance.

22. TWILIGHT OF THE CAREER • In 1977 Năstase finished 9th in the ATP top. He managed to get in the quarter finals of Roland Garros and Wimbledon. • He steadily declined and from time to time he defeated a good player. • Ilie Năstase retired in October 1985 at age of 39 after a tournament in Toulouse, France.

23. STYLE • Năstase is considered to be one of the most talented player who ever played the game. He is known for his attitude on the court and for the most bizarre actions during a game. The crowd loved him for the jokes and for his ability to entertain, for his mimicry and for his ability with the racket. • Named “Nasty” or the “Bucharest Buffon”, his aggressive playing style helped him to win 57 tournaments. • Ilie is remembered for his speed, for his lobs and for his amazing retrieves. His greatest weakness was that he could get irritated pretty fast and he could loose concentration.

24. ACHIEVEMENTS • One of the greatest tennis player, Năstase won 57 tournaments, earning in his career over 2 million $. He received numerous distinctions and it is considered to be on the 28th place in the top of the greatest players ever, made by TENNIS Magazine. He has numerous advertising contracts, the most important is with Adidas the company, producing tennis shoes named after the legend. He is considered to be the last romantic of the tennis.

25. NADIA COMĂNECI • Nadia Comăneci (born 1961) is one of the most-celebrated gymnasts in the history of the sport. At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, she was the first person in Olympic history to score a perfect 10 in gymnastics. In all, she earned seven perfect scores at the 1976 games.

26. At the age of 14, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci became an international sensation after her performance at Montreal's 1976 Olympics. She earned seven perfect scores and five medals, including three gold, and was the first gymnast to ever earn a perfect score in Olympic competition. • Her 1976 gold medals were for uneven bars, balance beam and all-around; Her 1980 gold medals were for balance beam and floor exercise.

27. Comăneci was the first Romanian gymnast to win the all-around title at the Olympics. She also holds the record as the youngest Olympic gymnastics all-around champion ever; with the revised age-eligibility requirements in the sport (gymnasts must now turn 16 in the calendar year to compete in the Olympics; in 1976 gymnasts had to be 14 by the first day of the competition), it is currently not possible to legally break this record.

28. 1977 – 1980 • Comăneci successfully defended her European all-around title in 1977. • Following the 1977 Europeans, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation removed Comăneci from her longtime coaches, the Károlyis, and sent her to Bucharest to train at the 23 August sports complex. The change was not positive for Comăneci. • An overweight and out-of-shape Comăneci showed up at the 1978 World Championships 1978. A fall from the uneven bars resulted in a 4th place finish in the all-around behind Elena Mukhina, Nellie Kim, and Natalia Shaposhnikova, but Comăneci won the beam title.

29. At the World Championships that December, Comăneci led the field after the compulsory competition but was hospitalized before the optional portion of the team competition for blood poisoning. • Against doctors' orders, she left the hospital and competed on the beam, where she scored a 9.95. Her performance helped give the Romanians their first team gold medal.

30. Comăneci participated in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, where she placed second, by a small margin, toYelena Davydova. She defended her Olympic title in the balance beam and tied with Nellie Kim for the gold medal in the floor exercise. The Romanian team finished second overall. • She retired from competition in 1981. Her official retirement ceremony took place in Bucharest in 1984 and was attended by the International Olympic Committee Chairman.

31. awards • Comăneci received the Olympic Order, the highest award given by the International Olympic Committee, in 1984 and 2004. She is the only person to receive this honor twice, and was also the youngest recipient. She has also been inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

32. SPECIAL SKILLS • She was known for her clean technique, innovative and difficult original skills, and her stoic, cool demeanor in competition. • On the uneven bars, Nadia performed her own release move, a kip to front salto. The skill is named after her in the women's Code of Points. • On balance beam, Nadia was the first gymnast to successfully perform an aerial walkover and an aerial cartwheel-back handspring flight series. She is also credited as being the first gymnast to perform a double-twist dismount.

33. WHAT IS BEING FAIMOUS TO YOU? • “I was not aware how famous I was in the world for a long time. In fact, I think I found out only after the competition in Montreal, when travelling in the United States to perform in gymnastics shows at Madison Square Garden. I could not understand at the time why people were so keen to touch me or my pompons. At that time our schedule was  so tight, with short visits abroad, when most of our time was spent in rehearsals and training. But we were so young that I do not believe we would have been genuinely interested in sight-seeing or meeting other people; we were pretty exhausted by our training anyway”.

34. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself to tell if it is still true. Nowadays it is so hard to do something that will create a real impact, so that people will remember that moment, or have their lives changed by it. I recall that I had the opportunity to meet Celine Dion in Canada, at the end of one of her concerts. She was early in her career and singing only in French. She told me that after seeing my performance in the Montreal Olympics she told herself that she wanted to do something with her life that will make her as big a success as I was then.”

35. POST RETIREMENT • In December 2003, Comăneci's book Letters To A Young Gymnast was published, a combination of mentoring book and memoir. The book answered questions that she has received in letters from fans. She has also been the subject of several unofficial biographies, television documentaries and a made-for-television film, Nadia, that was broadcast in the United States shortly before the 1984 Olympics.

36. Recent activities • Comăneci is active in many charities and international organizations. In 1999, she became the first athlete to be invited to speak at the United Nations to launch the Year 2000 International Year of Volunteers. She is currently the Vice-Chair of the Board Of Directors of the International Special Olympics and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  • In 2003, the Romanian government appointed her as an Honorary Consul General of Romania to the United States to deal with bilateral relations between the two nations. She performs this function based out of her Norman, Oklahoma, office.

37. IV. MOVIE MAKERS CRISTIAN MUNGIU • Cristian Mungiu is a Romanian filmmaker, winner of the Palme d'Or in 2007, the highest prize awarded to competing films at the Cannes Film Festival.

38. He was born in 1968 at Iaşi. After studying English literature at the University of Iaşi, he worked for a few years as a teacher and as a journalist. After that, he enrolled at the University of Film in Bucharest to study film directing. After graduating in 1998, Mungiu made several short films.

39. His first feature film was Occident, which appeared in 2002. Occident enjoyed critical success, winning prizes in several film festivals and being featured in Director’s Fortnight at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

40. In 2007 Mungiu wrote and directed his second feature, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. • The initial idea was inspired by Mungiu’s project to do a film, Memories form the Golden Age, which would collect several stories taking place during Communist Romania.

41. Mungiu felt the need for a serious movie, focusing on a tragic true story, which still affected the director more than 15 years after the story happened. • The film was received enthusiastically, attracting critical praise and being selected in the official competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, where it eventually won the coveted Palme d'Or for feature film, marking the first time that prize was awarded to a Romanian filmmaker.

42. After the success achieved at Cannes, Mungiu also have won several international film contest. • His film made history as being one of the best films ever made while Cristian Mungiu is still writing the history through his creations.

43. MAIA MORGENSTERN “A symbol of Romanian theater and film" • In the English-speaking world, she is probably best known for the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. In Romania, she has been nationally known since her 1992 role as Nela in Balanţa, a film known in the United States as The Oak, set during the waning days of Comunist Romania.

45. Her surname, Morgenstern, means "Morning Star" in German, a title of the Virgin Mary, the character she played in The Passion of the Christ. Mel Gibson, a devout Traditionalist Catholic, thought this of great significance when casting her.

46. SHE HAS WON SEVERAL MAJOR AWARDS AS AN ACTRESS SUCH AS: Best Film Actress for: The Passion of the Christ (2004), Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards (EMMA Awards), UK UNITER best actress award (1993), for her role in Ghetto at the Romanian National Theatre. Best Actress for: Balanţa (1992), Cinéma Tout Ecran (Geneva Film Festival)

48. V. SINGERS • The First Hariclea Darclée International Voice Competition, with 167 candidates from 25 countries, took place in Braila in 1997, in the same theatre in which the grate artist made her debut in 1881, at age 21. • Braila was renowned for its cultural and artistic life, applauding Sarah Bernhardt or De Max, and for its passionate love for singing and the human voice. • The biennial Hariclea Darclée Voice Competition represents an exceptional and far-reaching revival of this great tradition.

49. Hariclea Darclée sang 58 roles on 56 operas (32 operas of tradition, 12 in absolute première and 16 operas in important premières) by 31 composers (12 composer of the tradition and 19 young composers with new operas interpreted in absolute première). This great artist occupies a singular position in the Universal History of the Opera.

50. MARIANA NICOLESCO • On Hariclea Darclée's 135 th anniversary, in 1995, her native city of Braila honored the memory of the legendary soprano by organizing the First National Voice Competition named after her. The huge success of the event, with over one hundred competitors, convinced its organizers to turn it into an international contest.