The first edition of Via Transilvanica Business Fest brought together over 200 business leaders, entrepreneurs, representatives of the authorities and civil society
The project launched a dialogue platform designed to build bridges between the business community, the public sector, the non-governmental sector, and local communities
The first edition of Via Transilvanica Business Fest, a project initiated by the Deloitte Foundation in partnership with the Tășuleasa Social Association, brought together over 200 business leaders, entrepreneurs, public officials, and representatives of civil society for a dialogue on collaboration, trust, and Romania’s development. The event thus launched a dialogue platform dedicated to creating bridges between the business community, the public sector, the non-governmental sector and communities and to bring together diverse perspectives and best practices around common objectives.
The event took place between September 18-20, 2026, in Piatra Fântânele, Bistrița-Năsăud County, where the campus of the Tășuleasa Social Association is located, the place where the Via Transilvanica project started, and was built around four bridges: between large companies and the local economy, between authorities and the private sector, between tradition and the future and between movement and meaning.
"I am fascinated by the metaphor of a path that unites and that gives us the opportunity to discover together a Romania that is constantly moving forward, evolving and growing from the ground up, at the roots, not necessarily always from Bucharest. We want to place this idea of a path that brings people together at the heart of Via Transilvanica Business Fest, both because it passes through everyone’s communities, including those that are often overlooked, and because it takes us on a journey that we undertake together, rather than alone or against one another. I hope this event becomes a tradition and, with our support, generates many other initiatives that strengthen bridges between different parts of society. My wish is for this core of leaders to become a community and for meetings along Via Transilvanica to become as meaningful for Romanian business as they already are for local communities and hikers," said Alex Reff, Country Managing Partner, Deloitte Romania and Moldova.
"Tășuleasa Social started 26 years ago with a simple idea: each of us can make a positive difference in the place where we live. Throughout these years, we have learned that you cannot define what is good on your own. You need to imagine and develop it together with people, and then do everything in your power to ensure it is embraced by the community. Today, there are 400 communities along the Via Transilvanica route, and not one of them would say that this trail has had a negative impact. Via Transilvanica Business Fest is a natural extension of this idea: a place where people from different worlds come together, exchange ideas, and jointly explore solutions for communities across our country. The fact that the Deloitte Foundation chose to develop this platform for dialogue alongside us shows that the business community also shares the desire to build bridges and create momentum through collaboration. To us, this is proof that Via Transilvanica truly is the road that unites. We do not change our roots simply because we want to create change, but we have learned that roots can take many forms," said Alin Ușeriu, President of Tășuleasa Social Association.
The Via Transilvanica Business Fest initiative brought together representatives at the highest level from the private, public and non-governmental sectors. Among the speakers were Ömer Tetik, CEO, Banca Transilvania; Iulian Stanciu, investor; Dan Ștefan, founder, Autonom; Mihai Jurca, Head of the Prime Minister's Chancellery; Oana Gheorghiu, Acting Deputy Prime Minister, Government of Romania; Corneliu Bodea, CEO, Adrem; Cerasela Baiculescu, CEO, IBM Romania and Moldova; Daniel Gross, CEO, PENNY | REWE Romania; Cristian Erbașu, General Manager, Erbașu Constructions; Daniela Iliescu, Executive Director, ROPEA; Raluca Nicolescu, CEO, Investment and Development Bank; Radu Hanga, President, Bucharest Stock Exchange; Mihail Vasilescu, Partner, Prime Kapital; Marius Ghenea, Managing Partner, Catalyst; Georgiana Singurel, Partner, Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal; Bogdan Ivan, Member of Parliament for Bistrita-Nasaud; George Gîlea, President, UmanEast. Among the moderators were Alex Reff, Country Managing Partner, Deloitte Romania and Moldova, Andrei Burz-Pînzaru, Partner, Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal, Alin Useriu, President, Tasuleasa Social and Andi Moisescu.
The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, also attended the event and engaged in a discussion with participants on collaboration, Romania's development and the need to build more trust across society.
In the panel dedicated to the bridge between large companies and the local economy, the dialogue emphasized how large businesses, entrepreneurs and communities can work together to support economic and social development. The discussion highlighted the essential role of small and medium-sized enterprises in the economy, but also the need for closer collaboration between large companies and local entrepreneurship, which would create development opportunities including in communities less connected to large investment flows.
The relationship between the authorities and the private sector was addressed during several panels, and the conversations followed how dialogue and partnerships between the two sectors can contribute to the development of the economy and brought to the fore topics such as investments, infrastructure, acceleration of digitalization and debureaucratization, access to capital. One recurring theme was that trust between the public and private sectors is built through collaboration and concrete results. The discussions also focused on the role of capital and financing mechanisms in the development of companies and the economy, from access to different sources of capital to supporting entrepreneurs in the growth process. The dialogue put into perspective the importance of available capital and entrepreneurial expertise for the development of new success stories in the Romanian economy.
The bridge between tradition and the future brought the conversation around the evolution of the Via Transilvanica project in the long term. The discussions aimed to preserve the identity and values that underpin the project, in parallel with its development and professionalization and leveraging its potential to promote Romania and the communities along its route.
The component dedicated to the bridge between movement and meaning included several hikes on Via Transilvanica. Nearly 50 participants completed the more than 20-kilometre route from Lunca Ilvei to the Tășuleasa Social Association campus, while more than 80 others chose the five-kilometre trail from the campus to Tășuleasa Peak and back.
The story of Via Transilvanica Business Fest was born from the collaboration of several years between Reff & Asociații | Deloitte Legal and Tășuleasa Social Association. The law firm's experts provided pro bono legal assistance on the governance of the association and in the process of official certification of Via Transilvanica as a pedestrian route of national interest for recreational purposes. Through the involvement of the Deloitte Foundation, the initiative aims to create a meeting space between the business environment, authorities, civil society and local communities and to develop, from one edition to the next, new bridges of dialogue and collaboration.
Deloitte provides industry-leading audit and assurance, tax and legal, consulting, financial advisory, and risk advisory services to nearly 90% of the Fortune Global 500® and thousands of private companies. The firm’s professionals deliver measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in capital markets, enable clients to transform and thrive, and lead the way toward a stronger economy, a more equitable society and a sustainable world. Building on its 180-plus year history, Deloitte spans more than 150 countries and territories. Its objective is to make an impact that matters through its over 470,000 people worldwide.
Deloitte Romania is one of the leading professional services organizations in the country providing, in cooperation with Reff & Associates | Deloitte Legal, services in audit, tax, legal, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, business processes as well as technology services and other related services, through 3,300 professionals.
Please see Deloitte.ro to learn more about the global network of member firms.
Via Transilvanica is Romania’s first long-distance trail, stretching across the country from Putna to Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and was created to be explored on foot, by bicycle, or on horseback. Tășuleasa Social Association, which has developed educational, cultural, and environmental projects over the past 25 years, inaugurated the 1,400-kilometre trail in 2022 following four and a half years of dedicated work. In 2025, the organization began extending the route into Romania’s other historical regions and launched a new section, Terra Borza Teutonica, spanning 170 kilometres and making Brașov the third gateway to Via Transilvanica. The expansion will continue over the next 20 years, with the project remaining committed to promoting slow tourism and supporting the local communities located along the route. Known as “The Road that Unites”, Via Transilvanica offers a unique way to discover Romania’s culture, traditions, and wilderness, crossing eight historical regions, ten counties, and twelve UNESCO World Heritage sites.
