How did it all start? Where did the idea of EXE come from?

When I first started, I had already been working in the industry for eight years and I had gained management experience as the director of an IT company.

I remember fondly the moment it all started. In 2001, with a lot of enthusiasm and determination, I set up the company together with Gabi and Razvan. Each of us brought a computer from home, we bought some more, we found a location, we signed a three-month contract for internet access and got to work. In the beginning, we only had seven computers in the entire company and we used one of those as a server and workstation. Soon enough, we got our first important client, and they remain with us to this day.

What is the story of the company? What were the key points of the past 15 years?

I can easily remember some of the most important moments of the company as these are the ones that made us what we are today: a company that is 100 percent Romanian with expertise in many technologies and industries, supported by an ambitious and talented team.

During the first few years, we focused on developing products that would bring added value to the Romanian software market. Soon enough, this led to significant expansion of our customer base and project portfolio.

Once the workload increased, we started implementing the first internal procedures, adhering to ISO quality standards. This way, in a short period of time, we managed to reach a high level of quality for our products and services. The ISO certification came as an immediate and simple consequence of our sustained effort.

After a period of fast growth, the economic crisis offered us “respite”, during which the workload remained constant for a while. We took advantage of this to improve existing working procedures, to bring our skills up to date with the latest technologies and to start developing the first software products dedicated to mobile devices.

In more recent years, we have focused on perfecting our competencies, we have brought new technologies to the company, and we have extended the customer base, project, and product portfolios.

When did you decide for the first time the company was ready for expansion?

At first, the company only had seven employees. The evolution came gradually as new opportunities appeared and I can say that we actually grew in a “healthy”, organic way. Our company was never one that doubled its number of employees overnight, because one of our priorities has always been to offer stability to all of our stakeholders. We are constantly evaluating the situation and we prepare ourselves in advance for all the changes that are about to come.

A notable expansion happened in 2009, when we moved to a new office facility. This was much more spacious, and one that we keep expanding annually.

What can you tell us about the people who are now working at EXE? What are they like? What is the general atmosphere in the company?

Every day, I enjoy coming to work and I want all my coworkers to do the same. For this reason, we strive to maintain a joyful atmosphere, where people can collaborate, exchange ideas and experiences. I encourage communication, because I am sure it is one of the things that helped us achieve our current results. EXE is a place where people have the opportunity to learn new things each day, evolve, and constantly improve their skills.

In an industry where professionals are so dynamic, we take pride in having great employee retention. We have colleagues who have been part of the team for more than 10 years. I think one of the main reasons why they are still by our side is that here, they have found a friendly atmosphere, a company that constantly offers them development opportunities and, last but not least, a reliable workplace. All in all, I can say that the people here at EXE are talented, ambitious, and solution-oriented.

What do you expect from people that work at EXE Software?

To begin with, I wish that those who work at EXE Software align themselves with the vision of the company and share the same values. I wish to work with colleagues that want to see satisfaction and gratitude in our clients’ eyes, while also being satisfied by their day-to-day activity. It is very important that what people desire for their life and career is in line with the directions EXE wants to explore in the future. At the same time, I know that in order to find common ground, both sides have to be flexible – both employees and employer.

What can you say about the values of the company?

These values guide our day-to-day activity, the relationship with our stakeholders, as well as the general direction of the company.

Quality is very important for us, because it means not only respect for our clients, but also self-respect. We take pride in the results of our work and we think that the effort of our partners has to be rewarded accordingly. We support innovation and anything related to novelty. That is why we constantly strive to bring in new processes, technologies, and methodologies.

Personally, I consider programming per se to be creative work, and I have never seen creativity without passion. We value teamwork, because one person alone cannot cover the complexity of a software project. In order to achieve great results, you need people who specialize in several domains of activity, efficient communication, and mutual support.

I think the integrity we show in the relationships with our stakeholders has always helped us maintain long-term partnerships with most of them. An important role is also played by responsibility: we stay committed until the end, regardless of the obstacles we may encounter along the way.

Why “We are in this together”?

Until recently, we did not have an official motto, although “We are in this together” is something we have been keeping in mind from the very beginning. We have clients whose careers depend on the quality of our work and we have clients that consider us essential for the success of their business, which is why we are 100 percent committed, without compromise.

We strive to build more than a basic customer-supplier relationship, but actual partnerships, where both sides are equal and clients feel they have a trustworthy partner by their side. In everything we do, we are trying to ease the workload of those we collaborate with, sparing them of any software-related problems, so that they can focus exclusively on their key activities.