Europe’s competitiveness challenge cannot be resolved through capital mobilisation, regulatory reform, or technological investment alone. These measures are necessary, but their effectiveness depends fundamentally on how organisations are led, governed, and managed.
Europe’s competitiveness challenge is not only about investment, innovation, or regulation, it is also about execution. Management quality remains one of Europe’s most overlooked economic assets, shaping productivity, resilience, innovation uptake, and the effectiveness of both businesses and public institutions. Differences in managerial capabilities continue to influence how successfully organisations translate strategy into tangible results, particularly at a time when Europe faces growing economic pressure and tighter budgetary constraints. Strengthening management capacity across the private and public sectors is therefore not a secondary issue, but a core driver of competitiveness itself. At the same time, rapid advances in artificial intelligence are creating new opportunities for ethical, human-centred management systems that improve decision-making, organisational performance, and policy delivery while remaining aligned with European values.
About the Authors
Radu Mihail
Radu Mihail is a senior executive and advisor with over 25 years of international experience across industry, public service, and entrepreneurship. His work focuses on strategy execution, governance, and talent and organisational development, with a strong track record in leading complex, multi-stakeholder environments. He currently supports CEOs and leadership teams of European SMEs in scaling operations, developing international partnerships, and structuring sustainable growth.
He also advises organisations in technology-intensive sectors on governance, innovation, and performance. From 2016 to 2024, he served as a Senator in the Romanian Parliament, where he held senior leadership roles including Chair of a parliamentary group and member of the Conference of Presidents.
He was actively involved in international cooperation, representing Romania in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and contributing to European-level initiatives. Earlier in his career, he held executive roles at CGG (now Viridien) and Motorola, leading global teams and cross-border initiatives in innovation, product development, and organisational development.
Vlad Botos
Vlad Botos is a senior adviser and consultant in strategic areas for the European Union such as energy and defence, helping companies find new markets and new customers, both within the EU and outside the single market. Between 2019 and 2024 he was a member of the European Parliament as vice-president of the Regional Development Committee and member of both the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee and the Culture and Education Committee.
He was deeply involved in various dossiers as co-rapporteur of the European Parliament on the Products Liability Directive. Before being elected to the European Parliament he was active for over 10 years in the European automotive industry as manager of factories in Romania and Bulgaria. He is currently the founder and owner of a consulting company for potential clients who want to invest in Europe, especially in Eastern European countries.
Maria Ionescu
Maria Ionescu is a policy advisor and researcher working at the intersection of governance, public administration, and political economy. Her work focuses on how states adapt to structural pressures – economic, institutional, and technological – and on developing more eective, credible public policy responses in complex environments. She currently serves as Policy Advisor in the Romanian Parliament, contributing to legislative work and policy development in areas such as digitalisation, technology, and administrative reform.
Maria is also Vice-President of the NGO O Țară ca Afară, where she leads the development of Comunitatea Liberală 1848, a platform dedicated to policy analysis and liberal thought. Her work there focuses on shaping narratives and making complex policy debates more accessible to a broader public. She holds a BA in European Social and Political Studies from Sciences Po and University College London, and an MA in Management with Business Innovation from the University of London.