We wanted to discover the working atmosphere at BAT DBS Romania Hub so we spoke with Cristina Ilie, Head of Talent Acquisition, Europe & Africa.

Global Recruitment Manager with 10+ years of experience in HR consultancy, executive search & permanent recruitment, training, and assessment centers, Cristina is passionate about personal branding and has an entrepreneurial mindset.

These assets helped her a lot in contributing over the last year to a supportive environment at BAT DBS Romania Hub, which keeps the employees engaged and motivated all the time. 

1. What was your first day of work at BAT like and how would you describe your journey so far?

A year ago, I embarked on my BAT journey with high expectations. To my delight, the experience has exceeded my initial hopes as I discovered a multicultural environment that fosters accelerated growth, provides unique experiences, and brings together highly skilled professionals and the best colleagues one could hope for.

2. What do you find most attractive about the organizational culture of BAT?

A diverse and inclusive working environment – from the diversity of cultural backgrounds to the diversity of thoughts and ideas.

3. How important is the value of diversity and how is it reflected in the organizational climate of your company?

One of the things I value the most since joining BAT is the diversity and inclusiveness of our organization. We value diversity in the widest sense: our ethnicity, cultural backgrounds, gender, age, disability, education, and thinking styles. I truly believe that we have a supportive and inclusive culture that brings together our differences. Our global footprint enables global inclusion initiatives that have a real positive impact on our working environment and personal lives.

4. Many candidates choose wellbeing benefits nowadays. What were the initiatives of your company in 2023 for employees' personal development?

We take our people's well-being and personal development holistically, having a strong agenda in place that is based also on our employee’s feedback. Besides the benefits we are offering, we have dedicated well-being events, workshops, and trainings that cover a wide range of topics such as nutrition, mental health, and finance education sessions, facilitated by well-known specialists from Romania.

5. What are BAT DBS Romania Hub plans for the future? How do you plan to attract talent from the market next year?

As we have just celebrated 15 years of excellence in Romania, being fuelled by the global BAT ambition, in 2024 we will continue our strategy of creating #ABetterTomorrow. From a Talent Acquisition perspective, we envision an integrated talent approach, focusing on promoting our main EVP pillars: providing our people with diverse experiences, opportunities to develop, and a flexible work environment supporting our team's personal and professional lives. 

6. How do you celebrate success in your team?

We celebrate success through our official Reward and Recognition Program, as well as empowering our colleagues to share their success within various forums and during out-of-office celebrations.

7. Name 3 things that make you proud to be part of this team. Choose one and tell us more.

Diversity and inclusion culture, high level of expertise from all our colleagues and a continuous improvement mindset. At BAT you will find a high level of expertise in every business function from marketing and sales to R&D and business optimization. We value diverse professional backgrounds and build on them through various trainings, certifications, and L&D Programs to enable excellence in everything that we do.

8. Do you think salary is still the main factor in choosing a job? What is your company’s strategy for salary growth in 2024?

I believe the salary package including benefits is among the top 3 motivators for candidates when choosing their future employer. I also believe the motivation of candidates has evolved and generally they are taking into consideration the trio ‘career progression, flexible working environment, and salary package including benefits’.

9. Many employees in the labor market are questioning the meaning of their work. How do you provide that “meaning” to people in your organization?

Every business function at BAT will offer you a sense of ‘belonging’ and a ‘meaning’ or a ‘business purpose’. In recruitment, that meaning is usually developed through the acknowledgment of contributing to changing a candidate’s career and through offering job opportunities that enable personal and professional growth.

10. What is the most important for your team in recruiting a candidate? What attributes do you value most in a new colleague?

When talking about personality traits and soft attributes we are looking for the best fit with our values and company culture generally. To name a few, we value collaboration, analytical and solution thinking, a continuous improvement mindset, and taking decisions with responsibility.

11. At the end, what do you recommend to candidates who are considering applying to your company?

Be courageous and inspiring and own your career development!

Are you looking for a job?

Apply to BAT Romania! Access their employer page on Undelucram.ro and explore the benefits of being at a company that truly cares about the well-being of its employees.