2006 is a year I will always remember for two very special reasons.

First, it was the founding of AltoPartners.

Second, it was the first time Depeche Mode played a live concert in Bucharest.

In June 2006 I had the privilege of attending the signing of the AltoPartners Charter in Prague. It was an important moment. It was the beginning of something new, built on shared values with the promise of a different way of working together.

And then, almost immediately after, I left to catch a flight to Bucharest to attend the Depeche Mode concert. It was a unique combination – a milestone in my professional life, and a personal moment I had been waiting for.

For me personally, being a founding partner from Romania makes this journey even more meaningful. At the time, it was not common for a smaller firm from our region to be part of building something truly global.

Looking back over the past 20 years, I am not only proud of what we built, but how we have built it. The glue that has held AltoPartners together is our entrepreneurial spirit, our strong work ethic, and our camaraderie. These are not just words. They have created real trust between us, and that trust is the foundation of everything we do.

Over these two decades, leadership itself has changed a lot. We have seen a shift from a more authoritarian style to one based on authenticity. In many ways, AltoPartners was ahead of its time. From the beginning, we valued authenticity and accessibility in how we work with clients and with each other. Today, even though we are multiple firms across many countries, we remain connected. We have shown resilience as markets and the world around us have changed, and even with the rapid change brought on by new technologies, we maintained our “human” approach.

We do not have a crystal ball, so we cannot predict the future. But we do have 20 years of shared experience to draw on. We have lived through different crises, adapted, and continued forward together.

That gives me confidence for what comes next.