The People Behind Romania’s Economic Policy Debate
CAPE brings together economists, researchers, and policy specialists dedicated to advancing sound, market-oriented economic policy in Romania. Our team combines rigorous academic training with hands-on experience in banking, financial markets, public affairs, and regulatory policy, allowing us to bridge theoretical analysis with practical, real-world impact.
We believe that good policy starts with good analysis. That’s why our work spans policy monitoring, economic research, and capacity-building initiatives for civil society, always grounded in independent, evidence-based thinking.
Our members hold leadership roles in professional associations, contribute to international standard-setting bodies, and teach the next generation of economists and policy specialists, carrying CAPE’s mission beyond our own walls and into Romania’s broader economic and academic community.
Get to know the people driving this work forward.
Adrian Codîrlașu, PhD
Over the course of his career, Dr. Codirlașu has held senior roles across banking and central banking institutions. He spent 13 years as Risk Director at a top-tier international bank, coordinating financial, operational, and reputational risk functions, and brings more than 13 years of experience in risk management overall. Earlier in his career, he spent five years as a Senior Options Dealer at ING Bank, where he played a key role in establishing Romania’s derivatives market, and six years as a Senior Economist at the National Bank of Romania, contributing to national economic research.
Dr. Codirlașu has also been a driving force within Romania’s financial-banking community. He currently serves as President of CFA Society Romania, a role he previously held from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2015 to 2020, and he has been a board member of the organization for more than 13 years. He also served as President of the Association of Financial-Banking Analysts in Romania from 2011 to 2013. His contributions to the profession extend to serving as a CFA Level III exam grader, and his volunteer work has been recognized twice with the CFA Institute’s “Volunteer of the Year” award.
Alongside his industry career, Dr. Codirlașu has spent over 25 years as an Associate Professor at DOFIN, the Doctoral School of Finance and Banking, where he teaches MSc-level courses in econometrics, financial markets, derivatives, fixed income instruments, and risk management, helping shape the next generation of financial specialists in Romania.
Through this combination of industry leadership, professional service, and academic work, Dr. Codirlașu has played a significant role in advancing financial education, professional standards, and the broader development of Romania’s financial industry.
Radu Răuță, PhD
Over the past ten years, Răuță has built substantial expertise in public affairs and policy review, with a particular focus on the energy sector. In his roles within the energy sector, he advised senior leadership on the implications of European and national policy developments for the industry, coordinated advocacy strategies with regulators and business associations such as AmCham, the Foreign Investors Council, and the Coalition for the Development of Romania, and managed legislative monitoring and stakeholder engagement on regulatory matters.
His academic research builds directly on this practical grounding in energy and public affairs, extending into questions of rule of law, anti-corruption, and Europeanisation. His doctoral work and published contributions examine anti-corruption dynamics in the Western Balkans within a broader Europeanisation framework, and this research agenda is reinforced by his active role in international standard-setting: he is a member of ISO’s Technical Committee 309 and has contributed to the ISO 37001 Handbook on anti-bribery management, ISO 37002 on whistleblowing management systems, and the OECD working group on international cooperation.
At the national level, he serves on the cooperation platform for Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Strategy at the Ministry of Justice as advisor and auditor, and he coordinated the Romanian translation and adaptation of the ISO 37001 standard through ASRO’s Technical Committee 56.
Radu Răuță’s engagement with rule-of-law and governance issues extends beyond Romania’s borders. He is a fellow of the European Fund for the Balkans, where he contributes to democratic governance and regional integration through mentorship and thought leadership, and a fellow of the European Ethics & Compliance Association, supporting ethical standards in business. He also serves as Vice President of YATA Romania, engaging in transatlantic dialogue and strategic thinking aligned with NATO, and is a founding member of the Aspen Institute Romania’s “Energy Lab” and “Executive Seminars for the Civil Sector” platforms, spaces for dialogue between policymakers, business leaders, and academia on governance, energy, and innovation.
Petru Saca
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), and a Master’s degree in European Politics and Economy from SNSPA (the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration), complemented by an Erasmus mobility period in International Relations and Affairs at the University of Bologna.
Petru Saca began his career at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, where he spent close to five years, first as Foreign Relations Counselor and subsequently as Head of the European and International Organizations Office. In this latter role, he built the unit’s team and strategy from the ground up, organized trade missions to hard-to-access markets such as Iran, and developed advocacy campaigns on European policy topics. During this period, he also contributed to the Institute for European Studies’ published activity report, reflecting his early engagement with European affairs research.
From 2017, he served as Subject Matter Expert for the European Economic and Social Committee, working on environmental policy, defence, capital markets, and European monetary union, drafting opinions and reports, and supporting rapporteurs before EESC study groups and plenaries. In parallel, he spent nearly four years as Senior Economics Officer at the British Embassy in Bucharest, leading on energy, macroeconomics, financial services, transport, and telecom. In this role, he served as a bridge between senior diplomats and industry leaders, conducted sector analysis and stakeholder mapping, and monitored key legislation affecting British interests in Romania.
Petru Saca went on to become Macroeconomic Research Coordinator at Garanti BBVA Romania, where he led the development and production of economic research and forecasting — covering interest rates, exchange rates, GDP, inflation, and the banking market — preparing analysis for the bank’s senior management, risk department, and international macroeconomic teams. He most recently worked as a Management Consultant at BRD – Groupe Société Générale.
Across these roles, Petru Saca has built a distinctive profile bridging economic research, financial sector analysis, and European public affairs, with a consistent thread of engagement in energy, macroeconomic, and regulatory policy.