Founding Members

Traian Aionitoaiei

Traian Aionitoaiei, CEO Protguard Group

Starting private business in the beginning of the 90’s and being in private security business since ’93, Traian is currently managing Protguard group as CEO, company providing integrated security solutions. This position gives him satisfaction to lead a team of professionals, discovered, raised and trained by the company in the spirit of high performance.

The meeting with the game of golf took place in 2009 and it was “love at first sight”, becoming a challenge in the beginning and then a passion. This passion is supported by the motivation of keeping the balance and spending time in nature, even if, sometimes, the combatant spirit creates surprises for him. Golfers know the felling!

Viorel Aldea

Commercial Manager

Viorel is commercial manager for a company acting in retail and is responsible with sales and distribution consumer goods market especially for beer industry.
Viorel discovered golf just a few years ago but he is certain this relationship will last for a lifetime! He considers Golf is a wonderful opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends, a great challenge and in the same time relaxation for body and mind.

Bogdan Bandila

Deputy General Manager of Distrigaz Sud Retele part of GDF SUEZ Energy Romania

Bogdan Bandila is Deputy General Manager of Distrigaz Sud Retele part of GDF SUEZ Energy Romania since July 2011 and joined the group as Chief Information Officer in 2007. Bogdan is a well-rounded professional with 20 years of international experience in both North America and Europe, with a deep understanding of business challenges and strong focus on performance and efficiency.
Bogdan holds from 2007 and MBA in Marketing from Ottawa University and the Economic Studies Academy in Bucharest and an Engineering Degree in Computer Science from the Technical University of Cluj.
His international experience provided him with a strong appetite for embracing new ideas and the knowledge that exposure to new cultures enriches you as person. In 2013 he started to play golf. The values of this game for the responsibility, acceptance, maturity and patience intimately resonated with his own values. That is the reason why Bogdan become an active promoter of this game.

Oriol Casellas

Oriol Casellas, Managing Partner Emerge Management and Consulting

Oriol is a Managing Partner with Emerge Management and Consulting, a real estate development company. Over the last 15 years, he specialised in the development and management of international projects and gained experience in a number of industries, especially in real estate, retail and financial institutions. Oriol  lived in a number of countries such as Spain, the USA, Belgium, Poland and Romania. Oriol has been passionate about the sport of golf for more than 15 years.

Dan Cristea

Business Performance and Quality Director, Orange Romania

Dan is an experienced manager in telecommunication field with more than 15 years track record in research and development, sales, new technologies development and evolution on both IT&C technology suppliers and telecommunication operators market.
Thanks to our small but vivid community of golf fiends few years ago he started to practice first at Diplomatic Club in Bucharest the rewarding game of golf. Today he is passionate by the challenging, self-improving, ethic and friendly spirit of golf.

Bogdan Dodu

General Manager, IT Assist

Bogdan Dodu brings to the table a vast IT experience. He started his career as a programmer and team leader within a software company, and afterwards he held various management positions within a multinational telecom company. Bogdan is a versatile IT experienced professional with solid knowledge of business. Besides a number of IT certifications and attestations, he was awarded an MBA degree from the prestigious Telfer School of Management through Bucharest School of Management.

Nick Eftimie

CEO Navlomar Grup

Nick is the owner and the CEO of Navlomar Group, a reputable shipping agency in Romania established in 1969 which provides high standard services to world’s most important ship owners, operators, charterers and brokers. Nick has a H.B.Econ., Bachelor of Laws and a Master in Financial Economics. He is married and has two daughters.
Due to his strong love for golf, experience, dedication, personality and in depth knowledge of golf rules and etiquette, qualities appreciated by golfers’ community, Nick took responsibility for all the etiquette and rules matters of the Romanian Golf Association.
On the golf course, Nick loves the competition with himself and is trying to become a better golfer. He became “intoxicated” with golf, by hazard, while on holiday in Dubai in 2005.

Javier Garcia del Valle

CEO Happy Tour Group

Javier is a senior executive with 25+ years travel industry experience in General Management, Sales, Marketing, Strategic Planning & Operations. Having a track record of career progression within leading Travel Agencies and Tour Operators (including Acquisitions, Integrations and mergers), Javier showed leadership and results through strategic business plans that drove revenue and profit growth based on long- and short-term initiatives.
In the last years, Javier was nominated and awarded as one of the top CEOs in Romania, by the local press.”

Calin Giurgiu

Founding Partner Giurgiu & Associatii

With 20 years of experience as attorney-at-law, Călin Giurgiu has developed an unrivalled legal expertise as a litigator, handling all kinds of disputes including, but not limited to, corporate cases, bankruptcy, banking and finance, insurance, labor law, securities and related products. In addition, his practice includes business law matters and real estate.
He is a member of the Bucharest Bar and also the National Association of Romanian Insolvency Practitioners, in his capacity of insolvency and bankruptcy expert.
Calin is a golf player and Founding Member of Open Romanian Golf Association due to his strong belief in a game about integrity and self reliance which offers the opportunity to constantly improve, given the level of competition.

Emil Gota

CEO Elis Pavaje

Emil Gota runs a family business (Elis Pavaje) set up in 1991, which became over the years the leading Romanian paving blocks manufacturer. Today, as CEO, Emil manages a team of 420 employees whose efforts ensure a production of over 8,000 sqm of blocks per day in two production units located in Petresti (Alba County) and Stoenesti (Prahova County).
Each year, Emil organizes the renowned Elis Golf Cup at Paul Tomita Golf Club (in Pianu) a proof of his continuous involvement in the community’s social life and an investment in his passion for golf.
With the Romanian Golf Association, Emil is responsible with the regional development of the association in the Midwest Romania.

Bogdan Jigman

General Manager, GTC Romania

In November 2015 Bogdan Jigman has accepted the opportunity to grow and reposition GTC Romania, a major real estate developer and investor. Previously, Bogdan has been expansion director with Mega Image for three years. He has been active on the real estate market since 2004 and held various management positions for companies as Bluehouse Capital, Bogaris and Oradea Shopping City.
He considers that one of the most fascinating things about golf is how it reflects the cycle of life: no matter what you shoot, the next you have to go back to the first tee and begin all over again and make yourself into something.

Georg Kloos

Managing Director, ECO NRG

Georg is the Managing Director of the company ECO NRG since 2014 acting in fish farming and processing industry. His passion for golf started in 1997 when he took his first golf lesson and understood that golf is a game for a lifetime– the Green Medicine.
He encourages his friends to practice this sport as he believes golf is, without doubt, one of the most enjoyable sports that can be practiced at any age. In the same time, golf can be a passion, challenge, reward and sometimes frustration.

Mihaela Kovacs (Perciun)

PR & Marketing Manager, Biris Goran SPARL

Mihaela is PR and marketing professional, with strong real estate background and international exposure, with excellent results in start-up operations, brand positioning as well as reputation management and cost effective media strategies and events. She has extensive experience in real estate, having managed communications for important investors as Dinu Patriciu Global Properties and Baneasa Developments and also for local law firm Biris Goran. Her experience extends in legal, media and most recently in the tech fields.
As a strong advocate of women’s golf, Mihaela has helped grow and promote the game of golf to women since she discovered golf in 2012. Mother of one boy, Mihaela is also passionate about engaging younger generations to the game of golf which, she believes, offers the right values for a healthy education.

Nicolae Kovacs

Consultant

Nick is a consultant specialized in finance and real estate, with expertise in financial structuring and restructuring, M&A, as well as real estate management operations with his consultancy boutique, Centaur Asset Management. Prior to Centaur, Nick was the Corporate Finance Director of the DP Holding’s Romanian portfolio of businesses, a private equity fund with over USD 2 billion under management, with ties in real estate, media, logistics and retail. In 2009 he joined the management team of the DP Global Properties (Romanian Portfolio), a private equity Real Estate Fund with more than Euro 1 billion assets under management. Prior to that, he was an entrepreneur in financing real estate business. In 2005, after completing his studies with James Madison University in Virginia, USA, he started his career with EFG Eurobank and Banca Transilvania where he specialized in financing real estate.
Considering his restless dedication to the game of golf, in his capacity as Secretary General, he has committed to set up, manage and grow the Romanian Golf Association to become the official representation body in Romania and to develop the golf infrastructure in Romania.

Razvan Marcu

Marketing Director, Marcom

Razvan has been, in the last 14 years, the marketing manager and director at Marcom, exclusive importer and distributor of Komatsu and other construction equipments in Romania. Due to his passion for golf, in the last four years he has organized Marcom Invitational, a yearly golf tournament dedicated to golf lovers and business partners. He accepted to share his experience in organizing events and competitions to the benefit of the Association, thus taking responsibility for organizing all events.

Bruno Negoita

Consultant

Bruno is an entrepreneur and consultant with over 20 years of experience in management, with strong background in restructuring and turnaround of companies in difficulty. His recent experience involves strategic positions as Board advisor and Chairman of the Board with Brikston Construction Solutions SA / Ceramica Iasi SA and previously with Dufa Romania as well as CEO of Next Advertising, an advertising company he set up in 2001. Early in his career he occupied various management positions in multinationals or local companies as Policolor (1998-2000), Vodafone (1997-1998), Colgate Palmolive (1996-1997) and McDonald’s (1995-1996).
An avid golf player since 2005, he attained one of his goals and made his first hole-in-one in the summer of 2015.

Tiberius Popa

SME and Corporate Director, Vodafone Romania

Tiberius is SME and Corporate Director of one of the top three players in telecom industry, Vodafone Romania, starting the spring of 2016. Previously, he has been B2B Director with UPC Romania for more than 5 years. His story in telecom started in 2002 at Astral Romania (which later was taken over by UPC) and since then he continuously developed his management skills and knowledge, taking responsibilities in various management positions within the company. Tibi, as his friends call him, now coordinates a team of over 150 people with responsibilities in sales, marketing, product development as well as operations.
His first contact with golf was with the occasion of a team building at BlackSeaRama (Balchik) and he remembers it was love at first sight. Now after four years, he is still in love and golf became a way of living. He cannot imagine his life without it.

Cristian Preotu

Founder and Director, Le Manoir

Cristian became an entrepreneur more than 10 years ago, when he founded Le Manoir together with his wife in 2004 and their business followed a continuous expansion with brands as Petit Bateau, Comtesse du Barry and more recently La Boucherie Française and Le Bistrot Français.
His first contact with golf was in the little village of Margaux, among some of the best wineries in the world. And just like the very good wines, for him golf represents passion, quality and pleasure of sharing great moments.

Marian Roman

Managing Director, CA Immo Romania

Marian is the Managing Director of CA Immo, an Austrian developer with an impressive portfolio of properties estimated at EUR 374 million, and previously, between 2007 and 2011, he headed the Romanian operations of the Austrian real estate investor Europolis. He is active on the Romanian real estate market since 1998 and in 2003 he co-founded and managed BSS, a leading property and facility management company.
Marian had his first contact with golf in 2008 and today he is passionate by its challenges and enjoys the company of his fellow golfing friends.

Florin Segarceanu

President, Romanian Golf Association

Florin Segarceanu needs no introduction – he is widely renowned for being one of the best tennis players in the world that Romania has ever offered. He was a multiple national, European and a triple university champion. He played ATP tournaments starting 1980 up until 1992. While on the ATP Tour, he was ranked inside top 100 players in the world for more than 5 years. He obtained the best result of his generation, namely the qualification in the first 8 teams worldwide, together with Ilie Năstase.
In 1995 he became the non-playing captain and coach of the Romanian Davis Cup team, and since, the Romanian team has constantly been among the top 16 teams in the world.
Starting 1999, Florin dedicated his time to investing in education, real estate development and golf. He aims to gather all golf players in Romania under the RGA “umbrella” and to bring golf to a higher level.

Alexandru Voicu

Portfolio Manager, Certinvest

Alexandru joined the Certinvest team early 2015 as a portfolio manager covering international markets. Before joining Certinvest, Alexandru was the Head of Education at PRMIA activities (Professional Risk Managers International Association). He was awarded an MSc in Investment Management from the Henley Business School at the University of Reading.
Alexandru started playing golf very recently (2013), though he still has ways to go until actually playing golf. He enjoys his shanks and slices, but prefers to be a straight shooter.

Eugen Voicu

President, Certinvest

Eugen Voicu became an entrepreneur more than twenty years ago when he set up Certinvest in 1994, the first investment management company in Romania which he currently presides. Over the years, Eugen became involved in other areas of finance, by founding and managing brokerage houses, leasing and insurance companies. His entrepreneurial practice was completed by his corporate experience — occupying top management positions with Avivafor five years.
He became passionate about golf in 2011 and he loves spending time in nature with his business partners and golf friends. He is committed to improve golf infrastructure in Romania.

Cristian Fugaciu

Head of Southern Region, Austria/CEE , CEO Marsh Romania

Cristian Fugaciu has 18 years of insurance expertise and he runs the Romanian subsidiary of MARSH,  a global leader in insurance broking and risk management. In 2014, Cristian was appointed head of the operations in Southern Region – Austria/CEE (Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria), in addition to those in Romania and Moldova. From this position, he leads the company’s operations  in 11 offices which reunite approximately 140 employees.

Cornel Danila

General Manager, Covalact

With a wide experience in business development and multicultural organizations, Cornel Danila is the CEO of Covalact Group, one of the leading dairy business in Romania, part of the private equity fund, Sigma Bleyzer.
Cornel has more than 20 years’ of experience in companies as Henkel and Danone in sales, marketing and supply chain in Romania, France, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Russia and Saudi Arabia.
Cornel has graduated in 1991 the Mechanical University in Bucharest and the MBA program of the Open University from UK in 2003.
He discovered golf in 2008 while he was living in France and started to play in 2011 in Romania.

Dragos Tanase

Managing Director, RMGC

Dragos is an experienced manager with more than 20 years of experience at the top level, having been involved in industries as mining, telecom, energy and IT. Since 2008 he has been in charge of developing the largest undeveloped gold deposit in the world at Rosia Montana. Earlier in his career, from 2000 to 2007 he was part of an international team which built UPC as the second largest cable company in Romania. Previously, he worked for the largest business advisory at the time, Andersen and for the EU Funds unit of the Ministry of Finance.
Dragos has always been passionate about sports, but since 2011, golf has become by far his biggest passion. Aside from enjoying golf as a player, Dragos hopes golf will be another economic development opportunity for Romania as it can unify sport with nature, business with pleasure and elitism with scale.

Robert Rekkers

General Manager of Agricover Credit IFN

With more than 25 years of banking experience, Robert Rekkers is a seasoned banker and well respected in the Romanian financial sector. In July 2012, Robert joined the Board of the Agricover Group and became General Manager of Agricover Credit IFN. Previously, he worked as General Manager of Banca Transilvania for over nine years and during this time he brought the bank from a small regional player to the top three position in Romania. Before that, he held different senior management positions in ABN AMRO in seven countries during 16 years.
Born in the Netherlands, Robert is married with five children and lives in Bucharest. Robert is a bold character, open to challenges and likes innovation in golf as well as in business.

Ioan Popa

Ioan Popa is the founder and owner of Transavia – the local leader in the poultry industry, a highly successful Romanian family business set up more than 26 years ago. Passionate about the game of golf, Ioan Popa developed a golf course including a golf Academy and a luxury tourist complex near Alba Iulia, Romania, after a 15 million Euro personal investment. Named after his daughter, Theodora Golf Course is due to open in the spring of 2018 and is the largest golf course in the Romania. The course has the longest par in Europe, namely a par 6 of 735 meters. “The complex aims to become a destination on the map of Romanian tourism and to help the tourist potential of the area, both at a national and international level, because of its excellent position, right at the heart of the country.”