Luciana Elena Petrescu
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Luciana Elena Petrescu
Founder, Dare to Become Smart

Luciana Elena Petrescu

Where communication meets behavioral intelligence: this is how strong reputations are shaped.
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Strategic Advisor Reputation · Trust · Resilience

25+ years IAEA ConvEx-3
About

Strategic advisor for organisations and leaders, when decisions truly matter

I have more than 25 years of experience in corporate communication, reputation management and relations with complex stakeholders, in industries where wrong or delayed decisions have real consequences for people, operations and reputation alike.

I founded Dare to Become Smart and I work as a Strategic Advisor alongside organisations and leaders going through change, under reputational pressure, in crisis or in high-visibility projects.

My professional path includes leadership positions in communication, in organisations from highly regulated sectors: Head of Public Relations at HS Timber and at RoPower Nuclear, the project company developing the SMR modular reactor at Doicești, then Director of Communication, Sustainability and Investor Relations at Nuclearelectrica. I have also worked in the timber industry, downstream, real estate, health insurance and mining, with executive teams, authorities, investors, communities, the press, embassies and international partners.

I contributed to the ConvEx-3 international exercise of the International Atomic Energy Agency, where I took part in developing the criteria for evaluating public communication in nuclear emergencies.

I am currently the Romania Country Chapter Lead within the European Association of Communication Directors and a mentor in the EACD Connector programme, a position that keeps me close to the profession's standards at European level.

My training in behavioural analysis and assessment completes this experience and helps me look beyond the message, at the real dynamics between people, decisions and risks.

I work as an advisor, not as an operator. I bring the diagnosis, the direction and the recommendations; the organisation's teams carry the implementation forward, with my support at stages agreed in advance. When a project calls for other kinds of expertise (psychology, human resources, ethics and compliance, ESG, risk analysis and other specialities), I bring in a network of partners from Romania and other European countries, built and verified over time, through joint projects.

In a project, my work means helping the organisation understand what is happening, what is at stake and what it needs to do next.

Services

Strategic Reputation Services

Services
  1. 01 of 04

    Strategic advisory

    Reputation. Trust. Resilience.

    These are the landmarks around which I build my advisory work. I work where communication meets strategy, risk and human behaviour, from a reputation audit and an action plan to preparing the organisation for high-stakes moments.

    I usually enter a project as an external advisor: I make the diagnosis, propose the direction, build the plan and the recommendations, then guide the process through periodic sessions and modular work. The operational part usually stays within the organisation.

  2. 02 of 04

    Reputation and trust

    A solid reputation is built through consistent decisions over time.

    I work with organisations and leaders to understand how they are perceived, where trust exists and how decisions, behaviour and communication shape it over time. Most often we start from a reputation audit, followed by a clear action plan, either for long-term consolidation or for periods of change, public exposure or reputational pressure.

    Areas of work
    • reputation strategy and diagnosis
    • corporate communication and executive positioning
    • stakeholder relations strategy
    • media relations
    • communication of sensitive projects
    • investor and capital-markets communication
    • sustainability strategy and ESG communication
    • institutional reputation and trust
  3. 03 of 04

    Risk, crisis and resilience

    Crisis preparedness begins before the crisis.

    Resilient organisations do not wait for the critical moment to decide who speaks, what they do and whom they trust. I work with leadership teams on identifying vulnerabilities, building response plans and preparing scenarios, usually as modular projects, with clear recommendations and periodic checkpoints.

    An important part of my experience comes from environments where the risk is technical, hard to explain or invisible to the public. In such situations, communication has to turn complexity into a reality that people can understand and find their way through.

    When the risk is hard to see, communication has to make it navigable.

    Areas of work
    • crisis preparedness
    • crisis communication and risk communication
    • scenario planning and crisis communication plans
    • crisis simulations and exercises
    • media relations preparedness
    • stakeholder response and coordination
    • communication under uncertainty
    • evaluation of emergency communication
  4. 04 of 04

    Behavioural intelligence and the human factor

    Behind every organisation, decision and crisis there are people.

    My training in behavioural analysis and assessment, criminological analysis and profiling brings an additional perspective to reputation, crisis and stakeholder projects: the human factor.

    I analyse behaviours, relational dynamics, possible sources of conflict and reaction patterns that can influence reputation, organisational culture or decision-making, starting from observable information, in order to identify vulnerabilities or possible developments early.

    Applications
    • behavioural analysis and assessment
    • stakeholder dynamics
    • early indicators of conflict
    • human-factor analysis in sensitive situations
    • behavioural risk assessment
    • leadership dynamics
    • support for communication and negotiation in complex contexts
High level

At the highest level

The event is the context. The relationship, the message and the reputation are what is at stake.

01 / 02

Institutional relations and high-level stakeholders

I have coordinated communication and relationship contexts that brought together companies, executive teams, governments, ministries, embassies, international institutions and strategic partners: official visits, announcements and ceremonies tied to major investment projects, international conferences, contract signings and other moments of high visibility and reputational stakes.

I always start from the strategic objective of the event: who needs to be at the table, what relationship we are building, what message must be conveyed and what remains after the event is over. The operational part comes only once the answer to these questions is clear.

The event is the context. The relationship, the message and the reputation are what is at stake.

Areas of work
  • stakeholder mapping and engagement
  • strategy for institutional events with reputational stakes
  • relations with public-sector and corporate stakeholders
  • executive and institutional positioning
  • message strategy
  • communication and media relations
  • strategic coordination of major public moments
02 / 02

Training and expertise transfer

Practice becomes, in turn, training.

I work with professionals and leadership teams on topics I know from practice: communication, reputation, crisis, media relations, handling sensitive situations and human behaviour. The programmes are built on case studies, exercises and simulations, adapted to the people and situations they are designed for.

Themes
  • communication and reputation
  • crisis communication and risk communication
  • preparing for media relations
  • communication in high-pressure situations
  • stakeholder relations
  • personal brand and professional reputation
Formats
  • individual advisory for leaders
  • workshops for teams
  • training programmes and crisis simulations
  • mentoring and programmes built on request
Why

Why Clients Choose Me

Why
  • 01

    More than 25 years of experience

    I have coordinated communication, reputation and stakeholder relations from inside complex organisations.
  • 02

    Experience in highly regulated industries

    An important part of my professional path is tied to energy and the nuclear field, alongside projects in industry and other sectors with high public exposure.
  • 03

    Reputation, risk and human behaviour

    My communication experience is completed by training in behavioural analysis and by work in contexts of crisis, risk and uncertainty.
  • 04

    International and institutional experience

    I have worked with authorities, investors, embassies, international institutions, the press, communities and business partners.
25+years
Media

Media

Podcasts, interviews and articles I appear in.

Video

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In the press
Mediafax How prepared are the authorities to manage a new Chernobyl? How the Ceaușescu family reacted and what lessons have been learned after 40 years
Radio România Actualități Nuclear power plants are back in the spotlight
Digi24 What the experts say about the risk of a new catastrophe like Chernobyl. The lessons left by the nuclear accident
Financial Intelligence · Opinie Professional maturity: from public relations (PR) to reputation architecture, behavioural intelligence and individual responsibility
Financial Intelligence · Opinie Ethics in communication: the invisible infrastructure of trust and reputation
Financial Intelligence · Opinie The coming of age of public relations in Romania: from operational reflex to strategic counsel in critical contexts and reputational governance
Mediafax How prepared are the authorities to manage a new Chernobyl? How the Ceaușescu family reacted and what lessons have been learned after 40 years
Radio România Actualități Nuclear power plants are back in the spotlight
Digi24 What the experts say about the risk of a new catastrophe like Chernobyl. The lessons left by the nuclear accident
Financial Intelligence · Opinie Professional maturity: from public relations (PR) to reputation architecture, behavioural intelligence and individual responsibility
Financial Intelligence · Opinie Ethics in communication: the invisible infrastructure of trust and reputation
Financial Intelligence · Opinie The coming of age of public relations in Romania: from operational reflex to strategic counsel in critical contexts and reputational governance

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Partners

Partners

The organizations I build with, side by side.

Not a coder A solid partner for building websites, applications and digital infrastructure: from idea to launch, with care for every detail. Visit the site ↗ LinkedIn ↗
Irina Ignătescu Psychotherapist and clinical psychologist: works with adults, couples and families, in a safe setting, for balance and clarity in your relationship with yourself. Visit the site ↗ LinkedIn ↗
Rosa Elefant Compliance and ESG advisory from Austria: solutions tailored to the organisation, safe bridges between legal, ethical and environmental requirements. Visit the site ↗ LinkedIn ↗
Klarmedia Media monitoring and analysis: every relevant news item, article and mention about your organisation, in one place, with tailored reports. Visit the site ↗ LinkedIn ↗
Uncharted Talks This is a podcast about technology, artificial intelligence, business, and society, built around conversations with entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts. A space for ideas, perspectives, and discussions about the changes shaping the world of tomorrow and how we can prepare for them. Visit the site ↗
Andreea Elefteriu Is an expert in leadership and organizational development, a mentor and coach, with experience in team transformation, change management, and leadership development. LinkedIn ↗
Verdi strategic Communication Is a boutique agency combining strategy, public affairs, branding and content to build relevant, coherent and lasting communication. LinkedIn ↗
Tintagel PR, marketing, content and digital agency: from strategy to execution, for brands that want to be understood. Visit the site ↗ LinkedIn ↗
Oglinda Fermecată This podcast is dedicated to learning about and exploring ideas that help us better understand people and the world we live in. Through conversations with experts in fields such as science, health, psychology, education, and social development, the podcast offers different perspectives, thought-provoking questions, and meaningful information. Visit the site ↗
Dermabrands Distributor of dermocosmetics and professional skincare solutions, with internationally recognised brands. Visit the site ↗
Let's talk

Let's talk

A 30-minute online conversation. Pick the day, pick the hour, receive the invitation.

When the stakes are high, clarity matters.

Sometimes we start from a reputation strategy thought out in advance, not as a reaction to something in particular. Other times from a change, a sensitive project or a pressure you already feel. Other times you simply want a speaker or a moderator for an event. Whatever the starting point, we can begin with a conversation.

Or write to me directly: elena.petrescu@d2bs.eu LinkedIn