NextStepEU - Jean Monnet Project

📣 The 1️⃣9️⃣th lecture, held on October 31st, 2025, at Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași – FEAA - Facultatea de Economie și Administrarea Afacerilor Iași, brought together students and professionals for an inspiring and thought-provoking session on 💡 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐈𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 💡
led by 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐈𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒕 Capgemini Romania 𝑩𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔.

🌿 Although the NextStepEU - Jean Monnet Project officially ended on September 30th, 2025, its journey continues at FEAA, through ongoing KoFEAA lectures that sustain dialogue between academia and professionals on European and digital transformation topics.

♟With over 15 years of experience in operations management and financial data systems, Loredana Istrate shared real-world insights into how Big Data transforms decision-making, automation, and performance management in the financial sector. Her dynamic talk invited students to look beyond numbers and understand the strategic, human, and ethical dimensions of data-driven finance. 📊🤖

🗣 Key messages that resonated throughout the session included:
💬 “AI is a tool, not a replacement — its true power lies in human interpretation.”
💬 “Garbage in, garbage out — data governance defines the quality of decisions.”
💬 “Critical thinking and adaptability are the bridges between technology and success.”
💬 “Future managers will need to lead both people and robots — and keep the human touch alive.”

The interactive class discussion that followed highlighted the delicate balance between automation and leadership, showing that technology provides the tools, but human insight gives them meaning. Students explored how analytical thinking, ethical data management, and adaptability shape the future of financial leadership.

🇪🇺 This KoFEAA session was organized within the NextStepEU – Jean Monnet Project, co-funded by the European Commission, as part of the Digital Finance course (FRM - Master in Finance and Risk Management). The event was moderated by Constantin-Marius Apostoaie

🎯 Special thanks to our engaged students – Nasalciuc Dragoș, Nemțanu Dragoș Andrei, Lupașcu Daria Sabina, Fulger Mihai, and Gîscă Lucian – for their insightful reflections and class notes.

💥 More about Loredana Istrate can be found in the Guest Speaker section: https://nextstepeu.uaic.ro/guest-speakers/

📣 The 1️⃣9️⃣th lecture is coming up this Friday, October 31st, 2025, at 19:00 (FEAA - Facultatea de Economie și Administrarea Afacerilor Iași – C710)!

We are thrilled to welcome Loredana Istrate, Senior Manager at Capgemini Romania Business Services, who will lead an insightful discussion on
💡 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐠 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐩𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 💡

With over 15 years of experience in operations management and project coordination across finance and database management, Loredana brings a unique perspective on how Big Data transforms decision-making, process optimization, and performance management in the financial sector.

Currently coordinating a multinational team across Romania 🇷🇴, Poland 🇵🇱, and India 🇮🇳, she oversees the Order to Cash flow for Europe for one of the largest logistics companies in the U.S. Her lecture will offer students a glimpse into real-world applications of data-driven strategies within global finance operations.

🗣 The session will be moderated by Constantin-Marius Apostoaie and held as part of the 𝑫𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 course of the FRM - Master in Finance and Risk Management.

This KoFEAA event is organized within the NextStepEU - Jean Monnet Project, co-funded by the European Union, at Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași, promoting 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Join us for an evening of learning, discussion, and inspiration ☕️

🌿 Although the NextStepEU - Jean Monnet Project officially ended on September 30, 2025, its journey continues at Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași, FEAA - Facultatea de Economie și Administrarea Afacerilor Iași.

In this context, on 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓, 𝐚𝐭 𝟗:𝟎𝟎 𝐀𝐌, in Room B417 (FEAA), we hosted the workshop “Inclusive Education and Resilience for a Sustainable Europe”, organized under the umbrella of the NextStepEU – Jean Monnet Project and the project “Learn, Grow, Be Resilient!”

This cross-border initiative is developed by the Asociatia Iubire si Incredere Iasi (AII) in Romania 🇹🇩, in partnership with Theoretical Lyceum “Constantin Stere” and NGO “Soarta” from the Republic of Moldova 🇲🇩, and is financed by the European Commission the Interreg NEXT Romania–Republic of Moldova 2021–2027 Programme. 🇪🇺

Participants — including UAIC students, business representatives, and social economy actors — explored inspiring ideas about education, inclusion, resilience, and civic engagement. They also discovered genuine stories of cooperation between young people from Romania and the Republic of Moldova and exchanged perspectives with guest speakers and professors.

✨ Our special guest was Oana Moraru, representing S.E.V.A Hub – Socialization and Evolution for a Harmonious Future, while the NextStepEU professors Irina Bilan and Constantin-Marius Apostoaie moderated the event.

📸 A series of photos from the workshop can be found here!
Stay tuned for more events and activities carried forward under the NextStepEU initiative.