Vice President for Global Impact at Therme Group. Former Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania. Two decades bridging European institutions, public diplomacy and societal transformation.
Ramona
Chiriac.
Diplomat by training. Institution-builder by practice. Now shaping how wellbeing becomes a civic infrastructure for cities and the people who live in them.
The new mandate
Vice President,
Global Impact
Therme Group.
Therme Group is the global leader in large-scale urban wellbeing — an international portfolio of ten resorts across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia, designed to serve millions of visitors a year.
As Vice President for Global Impact, I lead the Group's agenda at the intersection of wellbeing, cities, communities, culture and societal transformation — through strategic partnerships, institutional engagement and thought leadership on the future of public wellbeing.
Therme WLS Sibiu 2026
Wellbeing
Not the absence of sickness, but the presence of flourishing. A public good and a societal asset.
Third Places
Not home, not work, but the space in between. Where strangers become neighbours and status dissolves.
Human Flourishing
Creating the conditions for people to thrive — through immersion, restoration, connection and beauty.
Shared Humanity
Custodians of trust, belonging and hope. Building healthier, more connected, more resilient societies.
Photography · Denisa Simionescu for Forbes România
Meeting Point · Wellness
Careers are no longer linear —
they are built around meaning and impact.
"I see this transition not as a rupture, but as continuity in another register of impact — from public policy and European architecture, to the space where people actually live, feel and reconnect with themselves."
In an interview for Forbes România, I speak about the courage of professional reinvention, transferring competences from public service into business, and authentic feminine leadership in an economy in full transformation.
On wellbeing as public infrastructure. On the democratisation of access to a good life — professional and personal. On why authentic leadership is coherence, not control.
Trajectory
Twenty years, one throughline.
From European institutions to Romania's civic dialogue, and now to Therme Group's global mission — the work has always been about designing the conditions in which people, cities and societies can thrive.
- 2026 —
Vice President, Global Impact
Therme Group
Shaping the Group's global agenda at the intersection of wellbeing, cities, communities and culture.
- 2021 — 2026
Head of the European Commission Representation
Romania
5 years bridging Brussels and Bucharest through public diplomacy, policy dialogue and civic engagement.
- Prior
Diplomacy, Institutions, Public Affairs
Europe
Two decades building institutional trust across ministries, missions and multilateral tables.
01
National Development Council
Habitat for Humanity Romania
Contributing to the mission of decent housing as a foundation for family stability and community development across Romania.
02
Visiting Professor
Faculty of European Studies, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Engaging students and researchers in European governance, institutional leadership and the politics of wellbeing — bridging academic inquiry with lived policy experience.
03
Board Member
We are half initiative, Romania
Advancing gender equality and women's representation in leadership, public life and decision-making across Romanian society.
Big Issues and Big Words.
Europe and Europeanness in the Romanian Presidential Discourse 1993–2007
An academic study tracing how Romania's presidential rhetoric constructed the idea of Europe — from accession aspirations to the grammar of belonging. Published by Tritonic Publishing House, Bucharest.
A rigorous analysis of political discourse at the moment Romania was redefining itself as European — bridging linguistics, political science and cultural identity.
Leading without armourAn upcoming book
Essays on leading,
and being led by life.
A continuing body of reflections on grounded leadership, women in public life, and the quiet mechanics of trust — organised into three movements of the forthcoming book.
Foundations of presence
Grounded leadership is not about slowing down the world
“It is about no longer leaving yourself behind as you move through it.”
On the ability to let go
“When you rest — what exactly are you resting from? Fatigue is not only physical, it is also cognitive.”
Leading others begins with how we lead ourselves
“Self-criticism is not what keeps us in line. Self-compassion is what makes us sustainable leaders.”
Leading from your own center
“Escaping the choreography of proving yourself — be competent and likable, assertive but not too much. Enough.”
Lead with presence, not pretense
“To lead with presence means to show up grounded, honest, and whole — even in moments of uncertainty or transition.”
It's not about knowing everything — it's about staying awake to what's still possible
“Intelligence is not measured by how much you know, but by how much you have the capacity to learn.”
Can you pitch yourself to yourself?
“Your most important sale in life is to sell yourself to yourself. The deepest negotiation happens internally.”
Self-made doesn't mean self-sufficient
“We've become fluent in over-functioning — proving our worth, holding it all together, offering more than we ever asked for in return.”
The weight of the mask
Is perfectionism our shield?
“We learn to excel not to shine, but to stay safe. Perfectionism is not vanity — it is survival.”
How do we feel about our… scars?
“True leadership doesn't come from being unscarred. It comes from being self-aware enough to turn past pain into presence.”
Why We Confuse Femininity with Fragility
“The future of leadership is not about women imitating men. It is about all leaders expanding their range — fierce and compassionate, structured and fluid.”
Measure Leaders by Substance, Not Silhouette
“For women in leadership, the body is never neutral. Authority does not require erasing it — it requires reclaiming it.”
Survival Math in Female Leadership
“If I ask for help, I lose authority. If I carry everything alone, I earn my seat at the table. It's time to change the equation.”
What if fear isn't a flaw in leadership — but a form of wisdom?
“The women leaders I admire most are not fearless. They listen to fear, decode it, and act from clarity — not performance.”
Why We Mistake Caring for Naïveté
“Caring is not naïveté. It is a leadership superpower — one that moves people, builds trust, and transforms teams.”
Nurturing is not self-erasure, and caring is not carrying
“We learn to read the room before we read ourselves — to keep others comfortable, even at our own expense.”
The long arc
On endings…
“What remains when we step aside? What stays with us, and what stays with the institution?”
Leadershipul matur înseamnă și curajul de a încheia etape
“I always get to where I am going by walking away from where I have been. — A.A. Milne”
Woman Leader of the Year — Public Leadership
“A leadership that does not bet on spectacle, but on coherence, respect for institutions and the capacity to rebuild trust.”
Leadership Is Not a Reaction Game
“Real leadership is not about answering everything. It is about choosing what deserves your response.”
Do women leaders worry more? Science says yes — and that worry, used skillfully, is part of their power
“Leadership isn't about solving every uncertainty in advance. It's about staying grounded inside it.”
My advice to every young woman
“Don't apologize for your ambition. Don't shrink yourself to make room for others. You don't have to be perfect to be ready.”
Conversations are gardens. How to tend to them.
“Every word, a seed. Every pause, a breath of air. Every gesture, a drop of water — or a gust of wind.”
The 'human' in human-centered leadership is not just about the team. It's about you, too.
“Leadership carries weight. Emotional weight. The kind that does not show on paper. The kind you carry quietly.”
A decade, in one frame
The people
along the way.
Carried over from ramonachiriac.eu — the header that greeted visitors for years. Heads of state, students, colleagues, builders, artists, communities. A reminder that nothing here was built alone.
5 years, together
5 ani
împreună.
A gift from my team at the European Commission Representation in Romania. Five years of communication campaigns, crises, late nights, and small victories — the people who made the institution feel like home.
Get in touch
Let's build something
that outlasts us.
Speaking · Partnerships · Media
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