Mariana Florea, President, The Network;

Chronicle.lu recently got the opportunity to speak with Mariana Florea, the new President of The NETWORK, Luxembourg’s oldest international professional business women’s association. 

Mariana Florea was elected President of The NETWORK at the association’s annual general meeting (AGM) on Wednesday 23 March 2022. She succeeded Marie Louise Ashworth, who served in the role from 2018 until 2022. Board members are elected annually and can serve for up to three years in one role and a total of nine years on the board. An exception was made in 2021/22, when Ms Ashworth served as President for a fourth year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In an interview with Chronicle.lu, Ms Florea reflected on her previous role(s) within The NETWORK as well as her vision for the future of this unique professional women’s network in Luxembourg. 

Background 

Discussing her professional background, Mariana Florea explained that she was a trained economist, having worked namely in banks in Luxembourg as well as elsewhere in the financial sector in Romania and Belgium. She has also worked as a life and business coach for more than a decade. In 2008, she joined Toastmasters in Belgium, where she learned not only about public speaking but also leadership. “This was an eye opener for me”, she explained. She went on to become a Club President and then Area Director for the four Toastmasters clubs in Luxembourg. All these experiences brought her “closer to The NETWORK”. 

Mariana Florea first got involved in The NETWORK in 2012 when she led a workshop on stress management. She became a member before taking on the role of Treasurer in 2018/19. This offered her greater insight into how things worked internally at The NETWORK. “I saw how much work goes into organising things”, she said, adding: “I liked the energy of the ladies involved in The NETWORK and how they support each other”. 

Presidency 

As the new President of The NETWORK, Mariana Florea hopes to increase the visibility of the association. “I started thinking [following the election] we have to become even more THE organisation women will go to when they need support, empowerment or to network”. She is currently working together with the board to come up with new ideas. One of their priorities is to “start to prepare The NETWORK of tomorrow”. Ms Florea noted that some members had left the association during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the switch to online events. “We hope to attract back the people who liked to interact live with other people […] and bring in new ones”. 

The NETWORK’s new President added that she hoped to “build on the momentum” of the association’s recent 30th anniversary charity gala, which was a great success. “Everyone said it was so good to be here together. It’s much better in reality”. As such, The NETWORK will revert to mainly in-person events, unless the health context worsens or they find a reputable expert speaker who is not physically in Luxembourg. In that case, The NETWORK would be “open to a hybrid model”, explained Ms Florea. 

Regarding the potential challenges she may face in her new role, Mariana Florea admitted that, after two years of online events, it was “a challenge to find your benchmarks and start again the connections you used to have before the pandemic”. However, she was thankful to her predecessor, Marie Louise Ashworth, “for holding things together during those crazy times”. She noted: “Nobody could have anticipated COVID. [But] we still managed to have quite an exciting programme at The NETWORK”. She also thanked Ms Ashworth for “keeping The NETWORK in the attention of women in Luxembourg”, adding that the various board and committee members were “amazing”. Ms Florea also recalled that The NETWORK is always looking for volunteers with various skills to help out. “[We are] likeminded people looking to learn more, to network, to be together. You get a lot of satisfaction from this”. 

Women supporting women 

When asked what she believed made The NETWORK unique in Luxembourg, Mariana Florea replied: “This mix of nationalities, backgrounds, experiences. English is the common language but everyone brings a lot from their own life experience”. 

Regarding what advice she would give other women looking to take on a leadership position, Mariana Florea quipped: “You can start by joining The NETWORK and seeing how things are done!”  

If you find a place where you are useful, then the leadership will be more obvious than if you just look for a place where you want to show off”, she continued. “Leadership is about serving others. It’s not a one-person glory”. 

Upcoming events 

Following the gala and a second in-person event in March about cross-cultural awareness, The NETWORK is organising another live event on Wednesday 27 April 2022. This event, moderated by Past President Lisa Francis-Jennings, is dedicated to female role models in Luxembourg. Tickets are now available on Eventbrite. 

Other events in the near future will focus on finance (May) and mentoring (June), followed by The NETWORK’s traditional summer drinks in July. Another charity event is being planned for September 2022.