DDD Foundation: Dialogue for Democracy and Development

Biography

Alexandru Chiriță is Chief Executive Officer (Director General) of Societatea Energetică Electrica S.A., the Romanian energy group listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange under the symbol EL and, through global depositary receipts, on the London Stock Exchange since its 2014 listing. Electrica is the only listed Romanian company active simultaneously in electricity distribution, supply and generation. Its distribution subsidiary, Distribuție Energie Electrică România, operates close to 200,000 kilometres of network across eighteen counties covering roughly 40 per cent of Romania's territory, and the group serves approximately four million customers with a workforce of over 8,000 people.

Mr Chiriță reached the role from a legal rather than an engineering background. He qualified in law at the University of Bucharest in 2008 and spent close to a decade in private practice, working in corporate law, commercial transactions and litigation, and founding his own firm and a legal-technology platform for entrepreneurs. He moved into the energy sector as Legal Manager and Data Protection Manager at Hidroelectrica, where he was responsible for legal compliance strategy, litigation and contract negotiation. He was appointed to lead Electrica in May 2022, initially for a three-month term; his mandate was renewed successively and extended to the end of 2026, and in March 2026 the Board of Directors granted him a further four-year mandate running to 2031.

Under his leadership Electrica reported a net profit of 1,218.9 million lei for 2025, an increase of 159.2 per cent on the previous year, alongside EBITDA of 2,383.3 million lei, up 64.5 per cent, and investments put into operation of 878.4 million lei, 110 per cent of plan. In July 2025 the group placed a 500 million euro green bond maturing in 2030 — the largest corporate, non-financial green bond issue in Romania — listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and subsequently on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, with proceeds earmarked for renewable generation and storage. The company is pursuing 1,000 MW of renewable capacity and 900 MWh of storage by 2030, with 307.5 MW operational or in advanced development and more than 1,100 MWh of storage in the pipeline as reported for the end of 2025. In November 2024 Electrica incorporated Electrica Esyasoft Smart Solutions S.A., a smart-grid technology joint venture held 25 per cent by Electrica and 75 per cent by Esyasoft Enterprise Holding.

Mr Chiriță holds a bachelor's degree in law from the University of Bucharest, a master's degree in law and European governance from the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA) and a master's degree in European Union law, and is a doctoral candidate in administrative sciences at SNSPA. He has also completed executive programmes at the Yale School of Management and at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. He is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals, the European Law Institute, the United Nations Association of Romania and the Romanian Arbitration Institute, and is listed among the Aspen Institute Romania community. He was named Manager of the Year at both the twelfth and thirteenth editions of the Energynomics Awards, recognised first for securing 450 million euros in European funding for green projects and subsequently for the group's green bond issue and its energy storage programme.