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About

Maria Cristina Ungureanu (PhD)

Corporate Governance expert

Cristina Ungureanu’s professional career started in 2001, developing knowledge and expertise in global corporate governance, financial regulation and investor relations.  She worked in international corporate and academic environments, providing high-level consulting, project management, corporate client relationship and research to a diverse range of institutions. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics, a Master’s Degree in International Affairs and a PhD in Finance. Soon after her graduation in Romania, she started her career in Johannesburg (South Africa) with Georgeson Shareholder Communication, the world’s foremost provider of strategic shareholder consulting services to corporations and shareholder groups. Appointed Key Foreign Account Executive and Director Corporate Advisory, she worked on strategic investor communication projects for major corporate transactions. After five years she moved to London (UK) and worked at Computershare Investor Services, a global leader in transfer agency and share registration. As Head of Corporate Meetings, she was in charge of developing frameworks for companies’ general meetings of stakeholders, including governance services, registration and proxy voting. Her London experience continued as Senior Associate Investor Relations with Taylor Rafferty, a US renowned investor relations consultancy. In 2007 she moved from UK to Italy, working in Genoa and Milan as consultant and research coordinator on various international corporate governance projects. She collaborated, among others, with the University of Genoa, Assonime, the European Commission and the European Parliament. She was then consultant at Crisci & Partners, advising corporations in the area of board governance. In 2013 she joined Sodali as Corporate Governance Advisory, being responsible for coordinating the global governance projects and services. From 2015 to 2021 she was Head of Corporate Governance at Eurizon Capital, the asset management arm of Intesa Sanpaolo Banking Group.

As of 2021, Cristina is the Governance Manager of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and has relocated to Doha.

She is author of many publications on executive remuneration, corporate governance and European financial integration and is often invited at international conferences to present on these topics.

Specialties

Corporate governance, Executive remuneration, Investor relations, Financial regulation

Affiliations

  • Co-Chair Global Corporate Governance Committee – International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN)
  • Academic member – European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)
  • Member of the Scientific Committee, Member of the Working Group on Corporate Governance of Financial Institutions – Nedcommunity (the association of board directors in Italy)
  • Fellow – Genoa Centre for Law and Finance

Professional experience

Governance Manager – Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) [Qatar Investment Authority is the Sovereign Wealth Fund of the State of Qatar]

Head of Corporate Governance – Eurizon Capital [Eurizon Capital SGR, the asset management arm of the Intesa Sanpaolo Bank, is one of the largest Italian asset managers]

Head of Corporate Governance Advisory – Sodali [Morrow Sodali is the global leader in corporate governance consulting, shareholder transactions and institutional investor relations].

Consultant – Crisci & Partners [Crisci & Partners is a leading high-level Board and Shareholder governance consulting]

Research fellow – Genoa Centre for Law and Finance [University of Genoa (Italy) Department of International and Commercial Law]

Senior Associate Investor Relations – Taylor Rafferty (London, UK) [Taylor Rafferty is a leading investor relations advisory US-based company with extensive experience across a full range of global IR services]

Head of Corporate Meetings – Computershare Investor Services (London, UK) [Computershare is a global leader in transfer agency and share registration, employee equity plans, proxy solicitation and other specialised financial, governance and communication services]

Key Foreign Account Executive, Director Corporate Advisory – Georgeson Shareholder Communications (Johannesburg, South Africa) [Georgeson is global provider of strategic shareholder consulting services to corporations and shareholder groups working to influence corporate strategy.]

Education

2008: PhD in Finance – Al.I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania  [Thesis: “The Structural Adjustment of the Banking System and the European Monetary Integration”]

2003: Masters in Economics – International Relations Elitec Business School, Al.I.Cuza University of Iasi, Romania

2000: Bachelor Degree in Economics – Al.I. Cuza University of Iasi, Romania

Cristina Ungureanu’s professional career started in 2001, developing knowledge and expertise in global corporate governance, financial regulation and investor relations.  She worked in international corporate and academic environments, providing high-level consulting, project management, corporate client relationship and research to a diverse range of institutions. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics, a Master’s Degree in International Affairs and a PhD in Finance. Soon after her graduation in Romania, she started her career in Johannesburg (South Africa) with Georgeson Shareholder Communication, the world’s foremost provider of strategic shareholder consulting services to corporations and shareholder groups. Appointed Key Foreign Account Executive and Director Corporate Advisory, she worked on strategic investor communication projects for major corporate transactions. After five years she moved to London (UK) and worked at Computershare Investor Services, a global leader in transfer agency and share registration. As Head of Corporate Meetings, she was in charge of developing frameworks for companies’ general meetings of stakeholders, including governance services, registration and proxy voting. Her London experience continued as Senior Associate Investor Relations with Taylor Rafferty, a US renowned investor relations consultancy. In 2007 she moved from UK to Italy, working in Genoa and Milan as consultant and research coordinator on various international corporate governance projects. She collaborated, among others, with the University of Genoa, Assonime, the European Commission and the European Parliament. She was then consultant at Crisci & Partners, advising corporations in the area of board governance. In 2013 she joined Sodali as Corporate Governance Advisory, being responsible for coordinating the global governance projects and services.

She is author of many publications on executive remuneration, corporate governance and European financial integration and is often invited at international conferences to present on these topics.