Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Romania announces the appointment of Mara Cristea as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Deputy Chief Executive Officer, following approval from the National Bank of Romania.

The completion of the merger with First Bank in 2025 marked a major milestone for the bank, reshaping its operational structure and opening a new phase of development in the local market. The new responsibilities of CFO and Deputy CEO reflect the strategic direction of this transformation.

“I am joining the Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Romania team at an important time for the organization. The role of CFO is not limited to numbers; at its core, it is about translating strategy into clear financial decisions and ensuring a framework that supports development. It also means being at the heart of the team and building together with them. I firmly believe that trust is built through consistency, transparency, and accountability, and I am pleased to leverage my experience during this essential stage in the bank’s evolution”, said Mara Cristea, CFO and Deputy CEO, Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Romania.

Mara Cristea brings more than three decades of experience in the financial and banking sector, covering a wide range of responsibilities: board-level financial leadership, financial planning & controlling and ALM, accounting and regulatory reporting, liquidity risk and interest rate risk management, operations and logistics, and coordination of subsidiaries’ activities. She has built and led teams during periods of organic growth as well as in contexts of major institutional change.