15 APRIL 2024
#WeAreTOMRA: Meet Laurentiu Croitoru, National Sales Manager
Step into the everyday adventures of Laurentiu Croitoru, one of the strategic minds at TOMRA Collection Romania. His workday is a blend of crafting sales strategies and igniting conversations about recycling that resonate with all ages. When the office lights dim, Laurentiu trades market trends for the timeless tick of vintage watches and the pulse of Formula 1 races.
Who are you, and what do you do in TOMRA?
I'm Laurentiu Croitoru, also known as Laur among colleagues and friends. I operate as the National Sales Manager at TOMRA Collection Romania. Romania recently launched the deposit return system for drink container recycling on 30 November 2023. As a Resource Revolutionary, I lead our sales strategy, direct negotiations, and manage our Sales department. Holding an MBA in Sales and Retail Strategy from the Athens University of Economics as my academic cornerstone, I’ve embarked on a career journey enriched by a spectrum of roles within the retail, automotive, and construction industries, insights from which I actively integrate into my role.
What is the most exciting part about your job?
Whether I am fostering fruitful negotiations and collaborations with our retail partners, actively contributing to conferences centered around the Romanian deposit return system, or engaging in interesting discussions with tech students or middle schoolers to underscore the significance and positive outcomes of beverage container collection via reverse vending machines, my role provides me an exciting and dynamic platform for continual skill development and great personal satisfaction.
Why did you choose to apply for a job in TOMRA?
I swiftly recognized that joining TOMRA offered a significant opportunity for my efforts to positively impact both my community and the daily lives of those closest to me. TOMRA emerged as an ideal platform for directly addressing the critical social issue of littering through the teams’ contributions, making it the most impactful industry leader I've had the privilege to collaborate with.
What do you do when you are not working?
When I'm not working, I prefer to disconnect from screens and technology, going almost fully analog. You'll often find me out and about with my furry companion, Ralph, a French Bulldog full of personality and profound passion for sleep. I enjoy leisurely walks with him, savoring the simple moments together with a cup of coffee. In my downtime, I indulge in the thrill of a good novel or get active playing football with friends. I have a deep passion for vintage mechanical watches, anything from calibers to the variety of straps and power reserves they could offer. Above all, I'm a Formula 1 enthusiast, eagerly following almost every race for nearly a decade now.
Could you share a project or endeavor that stands out as a highlight in your career at TOMRA, one that you feel particularly proud of?
A defining moment in my tenure at TOMRA has been establishing key partnerships with Decathlon, Romania’s premier sports retailer, one of Europe's biggest, and Ikea. These collaborations are not only groundbreaking at the Group level, marking them the first of their kind for TOMRA, but they are also particularly noteworthy as they also venture beyond the primary scope of these retailers, integrating the collection of DRS containers as a new facet of their business.
