Mila, hi. I recently saw a LinkedIn post by Alexandru Gozun, head of PwC Moldova, about a trip to the U.S. made by a group of Moldovan businesspeople who are members of AmCham. I wanted to ask you more about it — was this really the first mission of this scale?

If we’re talking about a business mission from Moldova to the U.S., then yes, it really was the first. I’ve had this idea in mind for a while. In the European AmCham network, business missions are a common and successful practice. I also have some personal experience — as the director of AmCham Moldova, I travel every year to the annual gathering of European AmChams in Washington. Those trips include meetings with our colleagues from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, talks with officials in D.C., and visits to major American companies in cities like New York, Boston, Miami, or Houston. These trips are always packed with experiences and valuable new contacts.

And you decided to organize a trip like that for AmCham member companies?

The idea came from our Board, and I decided to take it on — even though I was pretty nervous about it.

That sounds like a routine task for you, no?

Don’t forget — this was the first mission of its kind. There was a lot to plan. And the goal wasn’t just to take a group of businesspeople to America. We wanted to put together a program of meetings at the highest level. Not necessarily with officials, but with major corporations — global innovators and trendsetters in their industries — to learn about American business culture, how they think and work. Plus, we had a large group, and it was important to find common ground between professionals from different sectors, each with their own unique background.

How large are we talking?

There were 25 of us in total — two from AmCham and 23 from Moldovan companies. In my experience, any group larger than 15 means extra pressure when it comes to logistics and coordination, whether it’s a tour or a business meeting. There were more people who wanted to join, but I had to cap it at that number. It was still a lot to manage, but I’m proud that we pulled it off.

When were you in the U.S.?

In June — we came back to Moldova just before U.S. Independence Day.

And how long were you there?

A week. We chose two cities: New York and Boston. We wanted to show different sides of America. Of course, two cities can’t capture all of it — the U.S. is incredibly diverse — but for a one-week trip, we made the most of it. On the way from New York to Boston, we even managed to stop in Connecticut — in New Haven, where Yale University is located.

You visited Yale too?

Let me tell you everything in order — the program was packed, and I don’t want to leave anything out.

Let’s start with New York?

Sure. Moldovan professionals living and working in the U.S. helped us see business in New York from a fresh perspective. I think the most memorable meetings were with companies where we were hosted by members of the Moldovan diaspora.

Who did you meet with?

Our very first meeting was with Dmitrii Dediu. He’s currently a partner at McKinsey, specializing in energy. First of all, the McKinsey office itself was incredibly impressive — imagine being in the heart of New York’s business district, in the World Trade Center, on the 52nd floor, with a view of all Manhattan. And there’s our fellow Moldovan talking to us about challenges and trends in the energy sector, geopolitics, digitalization, and the impact of climate change — and how all of that ties into Moldova’s context.

How did you get in touch with him?

I’ve known Dima since school, but we recently crossed paths again this April in Washington, at the anniversary gathering of the Moldovan diaspora during the Moldovan-American Convention.

I can imagine how cool it must feel to see “our people” in companies like that, holding those kinds of positions. Something to be proud of.

You’re absolutely right. Besides Dmitrii, we also met with Elena Dobynda in New York. That meeting had a definite “old money” vibe. Elena is a Managing Director in Barclays Internal Audit. We met in a historic building in Times Square — it used to be the headquarters of Lehman Brothers, which Barclays bought after the 2008 crisis. Elena oversees Barclays’ back office operations, from IT to HR, so she had plenty to share. We were all genuinely impressed by her professional journey in the U.S. and her success.

But it wasn’t just diaspora meetings, right?

Right. In New York, we also visited Amazon Web Services. Their speaker flew in from San Francisco specifically to meet with us and talk about the company’s latest developments in cloud technologies and services. At Citibank, we learned about how the bank handles cybersecurity, and at IBM — about their work in artificial intelligence. A lot of new and impressive insights.

By the way, it wasn’t just the Moldovan diaspora that helped us — the Romanian diaspora played a role too. Thanks to Dana Bucin, Honorary Consul of Romania in Connecticut, we made a stop in New Haven and had a meeting with her. Before that, she arranged a fascinating tour of Yale University, with help from Dragos Hău, a Romanian professor at Yale.

Are we arriving in Boston now?

Boston was a hit with everyone — both the city and the program. One of the standout meetings was with another one of our own, Evgenii Prussakov. He’s a leading expert in affiliate marketing, runs his own company, originally from Moldova, lived and worked in the UK before moving to the U.S. He organized a session and discussion for us at Boston University on digital transformation and digital marketing, with two university professors. It was nice to feel like students again, sitting at desks.

Besides the university, we visited Autodesk’s Innovation Center in Boston — globally known, especially for their AutoCAD software, used by architects and designers. We also had a meeting with MassChallenge. MassChallenge is a major startup accelerator in Boston, offering resources, mentorship, and investor access to help startups grow faster. And of course, we toured the impressive Boston office of PwC. What made it even more interesting — all three of these organizations are located in a newly developed part of Boston that, just 14 years ago, was basically a giant parking lot and empty space. Today, it’s a modern urban area built to current standards — with well-designed streets, parking, pedestrian zones, and green spaces. A true city of the future.

By the way, Alexandru Gozun, whom you mentioned earlier, organized a visit for us to MIT in Boston — a very engaging session. For some participants, that was one of the most memorable moments of the trip.

Did we cover everything on your schedule?

Not quite. There was a unique meeting with former Massachusetts congressman Joe Kennedy III. He’s part of the famous Kennedy family — grandson of Senator Robert F. Kennedy and grand-nephew of that Kennedy. We were really interested to hear his take on the U.S. political landscape — especially since the meeting took place the day after the now-famous public debate between Biden and Trump.

And we wrapped up our visit with a stop at Harvard — which, as you can imagine, left a strong impression.

Hard to imagine how you managed to fit all that into one week…

It was definitely a packed schedule. On top of the meetings I’ve mentioned, we also had walking tours of Wall Street and Manhattan’s Financial District, and visits to iconic institutions tied to finance and trade. There were strolls in Central Park, late-night Times Square, Broadway shows, a boat cruise in Boston, and the famously loud bus ride from New York to Boston. But don’t forget, the people in our group were all disciplined CEOs — they still found time to work in between, and had a lot of meaningful conversations with each other.

Are you planning to organize more missions like this in the future?

Absolutely. I saw firsthand how Moldova’s business community has really taken shape — and how eager it is for deeper connections. At AmCham, we’re working to create networking opportunities here in Moldova, but let’s be honest — nothing brings people closer together like traveling and meeting new people, sharing those memories, and wanting to relive that experience again.

I’ll be waiting for the invite to interview you about the next mission. And by the way, I’d love the chance — through you — to interview members of the Moldovan business diaspora in the U.S