Cătălina Rousseau

Catalina Rousseau is the President & CEO of BDR Associates Communication Group which she founded in November 1995. Prior to that, she worked with Deloitte on developing and coordinating the first IEC campaign financed by USAID, which promoted the market economy values under the title “Good Morning, Romania”. She co-operated with US based strategic communication agencies and worked periodically in the Washington office of Deloitte Emerging Markets. Catalina Rousseau has more than 26 years of experience in strategic communication and crises management, and is highly specialized in designing, planning and coordinating PR and communication strategies to assist private national and multinational companies, governmental or international institutions in Romania, Republic of Moldova, and other markets. Other key specializations include Public Affairs consulting activities including research and sectorial analyses, development and implementation of PA strategies with remarkable results and impact on clients’ objectives. In 2002, Mrs. Rousseau set up the BDR Associates office in the Republic of Moldova, following the award of the public awareness campaign to support the Health Reform financed by the World Bank in that market. Her professional activity in the Republic of Moldova started in the mid 90′ when she was invited to coordinate a USAID funded communication campaign on post privatization issues, a very successful assignment which brought her a Certificate of Merit, awarded by the US Government. In 2003, Catalina Rousseau signed with Hill + Knowlton Strategies, part of WPP, the affiliation of BDR Associates to the international group. Along the years she had a significant contribution in projects developed for multinational clients in partnership with prestigious specialized consultancies among which FIPRA and CEC Government Relations on public affairs assignments. Starting with 2005, her agency has participated in various pitches in other markets winning communication projects, or short term assignments in Bulgaria, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Georgia , Hungary, Lithuania and so on.In 2005, she brought to Romania the Superbrands programs becoming the official representative of the Superbrands organization in the local market ever since. A year later she opened the way for the local communication industry to the international Saber Awards competition, winning the first Saber for the Best Communication Campaign in Central Eastern Europe with the CSR program “Learn to Make the Difference” created and implemented for P&G, followed by another Silver Saber with the famous BDR Collection Calendar, as highest recognition awarded for most creative materials. Other awards followed along the years. Since 2007, she is a standing member in the International Jury for the European Excellence Awards. She is also a standing member of the US Stevie Awards/Women in Business since 2016 , and of the Romania PR Awards competition, being also in the recent past, a jury member in the of the Saber Awards 2019 edition, in the Portugal PR Awards or ICCO Awards. Latest invitation that she has received is to join the first Best PR Leader Awards – 2022 WCFA, as one of the global professional jury members. 

Mrs Rousseau was awarded a Certificate of Merit from the US government for the ICE campaign on Post Privatization, funded by USAID in the Republic of Moldova at the end of the ’99. She was elected four times in the top 100 business women of Romania by the Capital Magazine . She was recently nominated by the Romanian Forbes Magazine in top 50 most influencing personalities in communications. She was a Board member of ARRP until April 2022, when she was nominated and elected a member of the ARRP Council of Honour. She was also a Board member of ICCO for the last 4 years. Along the years, Mrs. Rousseau has initiated, or accepted many pro bono assignments in support of noble causes, social, educational or cultural initiatives, which have contributed to behaviour change, and progress the bringing true values to the Romanian society. Catalina Rousseau holds a B.A. degree in foreign languages and literature, and speaks fluently English and French.