Commerce Innovation Summit

Utku is an expert with extensive experience in the financial and banking field. He has over 15 years in retail banking where he has held, over time, management positions in important banking institutions: Director of Retail Banking at Banca Transilvania, Vice President Libra Bank, Deputy General Director Garanti Bank and Vice President at Credit Europe Bank.

Since 2011 he has been acting in the non-banking financial services, where he built a successful career in the field of payments. First at SIBS Group, a European card processor, being responsible for the activity in 5 countries: Romania, Moldova, Serbia, Kosovo and Hungary.

Starting with June 2021, he holds the CEOs position at PayPoint Romania, the main in-store payment operator for a wide range of services, delivering technology and innovative solutions in over 25.000 branded locations.

PayPoint is now the first choice for millions of consumers, whether we talk about cash payments in retail stores for most utility and service providers in Romania, card payments via POS or payments on digital platforms. The company processed over 100 mln. transactions in 2023. Separately, over 13 mln. payments were made through 24pay, #themusthaveapp owned by PayPoint Romania.

Utku studied Business Administration at the University of Hartford. 

Licentiat in economie pe domeniul carduri, >20 de ani activi in industria financiar-bancara in carduri la Finansbak (actual Credit Europe Bank) si ING Bank acoperind partea de elaborare si administrare atat a instrumentelor de plata cu cardul cat si a celor de acceptare a cardurilor (POS-uri clasice, POS-uri neasistate, solutii mPOS , solutii e-comm si altele)

Raul Durma is responsible for managing the setup and development of PayPo business in Romania. He has over 25 years of experience in financial areas within blue-chip companies, such as KPMG, Philip Morris or Schlumberger, and more than 9 years in executive positions in financial institutions. Before joining PayPo in March 2022, he successfully managed business restructuring projects and setup and managed two other financial institutions. He is an avid learner, with an entrepreneurial mindset and a Founder Institute alumnus, always eager to test and implement new features and product that enrich customer value and experience. He graduated on Bucharest holding both Economics and Law degrees.

For the spare time, he likes kiteboarding in secluded locations, motorbike trips across beautiful sceneries, or taking up to challenging DYI projects.

Alina Mitrică este un profesionist cu peste 15 ani experiență în eCommerce și managementul afacerilor internaționale. A construit parteneriate de succes cu branduri majore din România, cum ar fi theMarketer, Retargeting Biz și Meli Melo Paris, propulsând dezvoltarea digitală și comercială a acestora.

Dedicată excelenței în eCommerce și optimizării rezultatelor, Alina este specializată în dezvoltarea piețelor internaționale, strategii de transformare digitală și în managementul echipelor multinaționale, combinând o empatie remarcabilă cu o acuratețe impresionantă în previziuni și analize de ordin financiar.

Pasiunea ei din copilărie pentru tradițional, îmbinată cu experiența profesională, a determinat-o să își lanseze și propria afacere, conferindu-i astfel o perspectivă și mai vastă asupra eCommerce-ului.

Dorian Hodorogea is an “analytics” mind with a curious soul, working as a Customer Engineer for Data Analytics and AI/ML at Google. His role covers working with enterprise companies across CEE helping them create Data driven architectures, integrate and optimize AI processes and address responsibility in AI processes. He is based in Bucharest and covers customers around CEE helping them find innovative solutions with the help of technology.

CoFounder of Naratix. Chris is known for building products used by millions, his M&A activty, active role in the regional startup ecosystem where he accelerated and facilitated investments in multiple startups. Now he`s building robots to help ecommerce digital teams work faster at an unprecedented scale. We have Nara which can write unique, seo ready product content in most spoken languages,  Dynamo, who documents products for client PIMs & product catalog & Gina, who`s a smart bot than can do sales, support and even internal HR.

Vlad Marincaș is the CEO and co-founder of Aqurate, an AI-powered SaaS platform that increases eCommerce conversions and average shopping cart value through personalized product recommendations. With extensive experience in Data Science, Vlad has previously worked at the European Central Bank as a PhD intern and research analyst. Active in the academic environment as well, Vlad has taught linear algebra, econometrics, microeconomics, and macroprudential policies at prestigious German universities such as Universität Osnabrück, University of Bonn, and European-University Viadrina. He has successfully managed various Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence projects in eCommerce throughout his career.

I’m Adrian Posteuca, a Technology Futurist and Experience Designer passionate about shaping the future of business and human experience. My expertise spans the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Web 3, and Interaction Design—fields that drive unprecedented change across industries. With over a decade of experience, I’ve become a trusted advisor to C-level executives and organisations looking to navigate the complexities of technology disruption. Through strategic foresight and innovation consulting, I help businesses anticipate challenges, leverage emerging technologies, and create sustainable strategies for the future