The president of the National Confederation for Women's Entrepreneurship (CONAF), Cristina Chiriac, participated as a keynote speaker in the first edition of the 'Women of Influence' Gala, held on March 21 in Chicago, CONAF announced in a release.

The event was organized under the umbrella of CRATI Cares, the philanthropic initiative of the Romanian-American Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Chicago, designed to support projects with social and educational impact and to encourage community involvement by linking professional achievement with civic responsibility.

The consuls of Romania and the Republic of Moldova in Chicago attended the ceremony. Romania's Consul General Lucian Ilie Stanica highlighted the organization's role in strengthening the connection between entrepreneurial initiatives and Romania's international representation.

'Through this participation, the event surpassed the status of a gala and positioned itself as a meeting point between private initiative and the institutional representation of the state, in a joint effort to bring together the networks of Romanian professionals who perform at international level. The event, in its first edition, brought together more than one hundred Romanian and Moldovan women from Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., transforming the gala into a genuine platform for unity, dialogue and connection among leaders who, beyond borders, build the image of a relevant Romania. In this context, the role of the entities that support and organize these communities becomes essential, and the collaboration between the business environment and diplomatic representations acquires a strategic dimension, with long-term impact,' the release states.

The event focused on building genuine connections and facilitating the exchange of experience among communities that, although geographically dispersed, share common values and aspirations.

In her address, Cristina Chiriac presented a leadership perspective grounded in experience, emphasizing that leadership goes beyond visibility or position and involves creating contexts in which others can grow, turning individual performance into collective progress and aligning personal initiatives with shared goals.

The CONAF delegation made up of Nicoleta Munteanu - CONAF vice-president; Sigina Luca - CONAF Cluj president; and Angie Mirea - CONAF Prahova president, reflected the organization's model of distributed leadership, with values carried forward at both local and national levels.

'In Chicago, it became clear once again that the diaspora is an extension of Romania, but also a strategic force in its own right, and that when communities come together around shared values, they support one another and become real accelerators of influence and development. I believe that female leadership today has the responsibility to connect people, ideas and opportunities, so that what we begin individually gains collective strength and produces impact beyond any border,' Cristina Chiriac stated, according to the release.

According to CONAF, this participation is part of its broader international strategy, which also includes organizing the international editions of the 'Women in Economy' Gala in Vienna and Paris - milestone events that demonstrated the ability of a Romanian employers' organization to create genuine platforms for economic and diplomatic dialogue.

'Whereas Vienna opened this direction and Paris consolidated it at European level, Chicago marks the extension of this approach toward the Romanian diaspora in the United States, where, through cooperation between the business milieu and diplomatic representations, a solid network of leaders is taking shape, leaders who not only perform individually, but also actively contribute to strengthening a relevant Romanian presence at global level,' the release states.

The National Confederation for Women's Entrepreneurship promotes effective dialogue with authorities, supports the development of public policies for sustainable economic growth, and advocates for entrepreneurs. CONAF was established to foster a modern, sustainable and equitable entrepreneurial culture, not only for women but for the entire business community. The organization has 31 branches, 3 federations, 16 employers' associations, 55 associations and 15,000 companies, representing more than 245,000 employees. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Andreea Marinescu; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)