A handful of women control businesses, run parties, state institutions and have a big say in their areas of expertise and in the Romanian society . We've selected below 20 of Romania's most powerful women. See their pictures at the end of the article.

• Powerful business women:

Mariana Gheorghe – CEO of OMV Petrom

Romanian Mariana Gheorghe has been the CEO of oil and gas company OMV Petrom since 2006. She is also president of the company’s board. She started her career in 1979, holding several positions in two Romanian companies, Policolor-Orgachim Group and Chimica / Romferchim until 1991. She then worked for the Romanian Ministry of Finance and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development EBRD. She has also been member of the Board of Directors in the Foreign Investors Council FIC since 2012 and vice-president of Aspen Romania. Gheorghe was FIC president in 2010 and 2011. She is member of World Energy Council and the Romanian Association of the Roma Club. She also received numerous honors and awards. Her LinkedIn profile here.

OMV Petrom made a net profit of EUR 543 million in the first nine months of 2014, 34% lower compared to the same period of 2013.

Kinga Daradics – CEO of MOL Romania

Kinga Daradics has been the CEO and Country Chairman of MOL Romania since May 2011. She is responsible for retail, B2B sales and supply, logistics development projects, human resources, finance, PR, corporate security, procurement, asset management coordination and operational improvement. She started working with MOL in 2007, as regional card management manager. In 2010, she was appointed head of fuel cards. She speaks several languages, including Romanian, Hungarian, English and Spanish. Find her LinkedIn profile here.

Fuel distribution company MOL Romania had a turnover of EUR 979 million, and a net profit of EUR 20.3 million, in 2013.

Gemma Webb - general manager at BAT Romania

Gemma Webb has been the general manager of British American Tobacco BAT Romania since January 2012. She joined BAT in 2003 and held several positions within the company. She holds a BA in Maths and Economics from the University College Cork and an MBA from the University of Warwick - Warwick Business School. Her LinkedIn profile here.

Anca Vlad – founder of Fildas Group

Anca Vlad is one of the most successful business women in Romania. Back in 1991, she founded Fildas, a group of companies currently comprising Fildas Trading, Catena pharmacies and Naturalis cosmetics stores. She studied at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, the Faculty of International Trade. She started working at a furniture company right after graduating university, in 1980. Seven years later, in 1987, she started her collaboration with the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as country manager for SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals. Read more about her on the company’s website here or on her blog here.

Rucsandra Hurezeanu – founder of Ivatherm

Rucsandra Hurezeanu founded Ivatherm, one of the leading dermo-cosmetic companies in Romania, in 2005. All Ivatherm products contain Herculane thermal water and are developed and produced in France. Before founding her own company, Hurezeanu worked at Sandoz, member of Novartis Group and Servier Laboratories in France. She also received several honors and awards. More about her career activity on her LinkedIn profile here.

Delia Arsenie – CEO at Oscar Downstream

Delia Arsenie is also one of the most powerful women in Romania’s business sector. She has been leading oil trading company Oscar Downstream since March 2011. Arsenie has an experience of over 20 years in the banking sector. Before joining the team of Oscar Downstream, she held several management positions at Tiriac Bank and Banca Italo Romena.

Oscar Downstream recorded a turnover of some EUR 532 million in 2013.

Daniela Lulache – general manager at Nuclearelectrica

Romanian state-owned electricity producer Nuclearelectrica appointed Daniela Lulache as general manager in May 2013. Before that, between May 2012 and May 2013, she was the councilor of Central Bank’s deputy governor. She also run Fondul Proprietatea for three years, as well as worked with Raiffeisen Bank and Lulache Group AVAB, ERSTE Financial Consulting, Expandia Romania and Tranglobal Media. She speaks English fluently. More about Daniela Lulache in her CV here.

Nuclearelectrica, which operates Romania’s only nuclear power plant at Cernavoda, posted a net profit of RON 102 million (EUR 23 million) for the first quarter of 2014, 30 percent lower compared to the same period last year.

Sorana Georgia – CEO of Billa Romania

Romanian Sorana Georgia was appointed CEO at Billa Romania in 2011. Throughout her career, she held management positions in several companies in retail, including Metro Cash & Carry Romania. She previously run Marionnaud Perfumeries Romania, where she was country manager. He LinkedIn profile here

Billa Romania, part of German group Rewe, increased its business by 8% in 2013, to EUR 308 million. Billa has been present in Romania since 1999 when it opened the first supermarket in Bucharest.

Sonia Nastase – country manager of Nestle Nespresso Romania

Sonia Nastase has been the country manager of Nestle Nespresso Romania since October 2014.. Prior to this position, she was general manager of Howard Johnson Grand Plaza Bucharest – between September 2009 and September 2014 and senior associate at Trend Hospitality – between October 2005 and September 2009. She also had various positions within Hilton Bucharest and World Trade Center Bucharest. Her LinkedIn profile here.

Alexandra Copos – CEO of Ana Hotels 

Alexandra Copos, the daughter of Romanian businessman George Copos, is CEO and chairwoman of Ana Hotels, a locally-owned hospitality business in Romania. Ana Hotels owns seven luxury hotels, including the Athenee Palace Hilton Bucharest, Crowne Plaza Bucharest and Sport Hotel & Spa Poiana Brasov. She is also CEO and chairwoman of the Ana Pan bakery & pastry business, and founder of Aspire Academy. She started her career in 2005, as summer financial analyst at Merrill Lynch and then moved on in 2007 to McKinsey and Company, where she worked as business analyst. She also held various positions within the New York City Department of Education, Hersha Hospitality and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worlwide. She speaks Italian, French, Spanish and Romanian. Her LinkedIn profile here.

Gabriela Petrea – CEO of Agrana

Romanian Gabriela Petrea is CEO of Agrana Romania, a company active on the sugar market. The company she manages had 478 employees in 2013 and a turnover of some EUR 270 million. In Romania, Agrana produces and sells sugar under the brands Margaritar Zahar and Coronita.

Severina Pascu – CEO of UPC Romania

Severina Pascu has been the CEO of telecom company UPC Romania since April 2008. She previously held management positions within CA IB Romania, Metromedia Telecommunication London and KPMG. She has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. Find her LinkedIn profile here.

UPC Romania ended 2014 with revenues of USD 173 million, up 6% year-on-year, mainly due to the positive evolution of Internet services.

• Powerful women in public office:

Carmen Iohannis – wife of President Klaus Iohannis

Carmen Iohannis is the wife of Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis. She is an English teacher at the Gheorghe Lazar National College in Sibiu, the city her husband run as mayor before being elected President last year. The two got married in 1989. She said recently that, as a First Lady, she would like to get involved in several projects for Romanians living in the country and abroad, especially in education and supporting young talents.

Laura Codruta Kovesi – Chief Prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Department DNA

Laura Codruta Kovesi has been leading the National Anticorruption Department DNA as chief prosecutor since May 2013. She has had a long career in justice. Between 2006 and 2012, she was General Prosecutor of Romania, leading the General Prosecutor's Office near the High Court of Cassation and Justice. She was the first Romanian women to be appointed to this position.

Laura Corina Georgescu – president of Romania’s National Audiovisual Council

Laura Georgescu was elected president of Romania’s National Audiovisual Council CNA in December 2012. She is the first woman to hold such office in Romania. Between May 2005 and 2012, she was media relations advisor at the Department for Fight Against Fraud DLAF. Prior to this, she was advisor to the Government Control Body / Prime Minister Chancellery (between December 2003 and May 2005), TV productions coordinator at Media Pro Pictures (between July 2001 and November 2003), TV producer at Media Pro pictures (between August 1999 and June 2001), executive director at Mihai Tatulici Production (between March 1997 and July 1999), redactor at the national TV channel TVR (October 1994 – March 1997) and math teacher (October 1986-January 1995). Her CV here (in Romanian).

Corina Cretu – European Commissioner for Regional Policy

Corina Cretu is a Romanian politician and the European Commissioner for Regional Policy. As an EU commissioner, Cretu has to identify how EU structural and investment funds can be better geared towards creating jobs and growth, to protect the EU budget from fraud by verifying that regional funds are spent according to the rules and to monitor the effectiveness of spending programmes to create regional growth. More about her here .

Alina Gorghiu – co-president of the National Liberal Party

Alina Gorghiu is the co-president of the new National Liberal Party PNL in Romania, formed via the merger of PNL and PDL (the Democratic Liberal Party). The other co-president of PNL is Vasile Blaga, the former PDL president. She is the first female president of PNL. Gorghiu has been a member of the PNL since 2002. She has also been a member of the Chamber of Deputies in Romania’s Parliament since 2008. She was PNL’s spokesperson and one of the key people who ran Klaus Iohannis’ presidential campaign. She is a law graduate and also has a PhD in law.

Gratiela Leocadia Gavrilescu – Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests

Gratiela Gavrilescu is one of the three women ministers in the Government led by Prime Minister Victor Ponta. From 2004, she has been a deputy in Prahova county College 3. Before that, she was general manager of ARPAROM SA Bucov. Between 2004 and 2007, she was also deputy mayor of Ploiesti, Prahova county. Her entire CV here (in Romanian).

Gabriela Szabo – Minister of Youth and Sports

Romanian Olympic champion Gabriela Szabo has been the country’s Minister of Youth and Sports since March 2014. She is a retired runner who competed in the 1500m and 5000m events at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, and won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal. She also competed in several other European and international competitions. Her entire CV here (in Romanian).

Rovana Plumb – Minister of Labor

Rovana Plumb was appointed Minister of Labor, Family and Social Protection in March 2014. Before this position, she was Romania’s Environment Minister between December 2012 and March 2014 and Minister of Environment and Forests between May and December 2012. She has been a member of the Social Democratic party PSD since 2004. Her entire CV here (in Romanian).

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com