Change Maker: Sorina Constantinescu on building networks across the globe

As she is in charge of building and nurturing alumni communities, Dubai-based Sorina Constantinescu is often asked about the secret of good networking.

“It’s not like speed dating – you are in it for the long term,” she says. “You have to plant the seeds, and some will produce flowers, others will give up nothing. If you’re prepared to take this approach, you will be successful.” 

She should know. As leader of Warwick Business School’s successful alumni community in UAE, she rallies former students from Dubai and the Middle East to gather, socialise and share news. Numbers are buoyant at these events, and WBS alumni also meet up with wider groups from other universities across the region.  

When people get together in person, she says, relationships move beyond transactional and merely functional.

“Everyone wants to meet people who are genuine,” says Sorina, who won the Alumni Leadership Award at the School's MBA Alumni Awards. “It’s the only way it works – nobody wants to deal with people who are only interested because they need something.” 

After being invited to a couple of alumni meetings midway through her MBA, Sorina was inspired to get stuck in with the network on an official level. That was back in 2019 and since then she has encountered Dubai’s joint alumni networking groups – there are more than 65 universities and colleges in the city – and she’s organised joint events welcoming some 250 participants at the last count.  

After a COVID-induced lull in face-to-face meet-ups, the wider network is now thriving. WBS and University of Warwick alumni can also attend dedicated sessions, socials and events – the most recent covering networking and careers, which proved popular.

“It’s a topic everyone is interested in,” she says. 

But despite her four years at the helm of the School’s UAE Alumni network, Sorina says she is no extrovert.

“I felt a bit shy interacting with people at first,” she says. “What would I talk to them about? But I remember being told that 50 per cent of the value of an MBA comes from your network, and I knew I wanted to change what I was doing at work. You have to start somewhere.”

There are two approaches to networking, she says – one is to attend large events on a social, informal basis, make heaps of contacts and enjoy meeting people. The other is to have an agenda and target a handful of strategically chosen individuals.

“I think a mix of both works well,” she says. “It’s about knowing yourself and how much time you have.”   

Before taking an Executive MBA (London) at WBS, Sorina worked as a qualified accountant at technology company Travelport in Dubai and was seeking to extend her broader skills.

Since then she’s been promoted to a variety of different roles and today she’s a Regional Director.

“I’m a numbers person,” she says. “I used to prefer them to words.”

Romanian-born, Sorina recognises cultural differences play their part in interactions between colleagues. Becoming adept at navigating potential pitfalls and relations requires insights and experience.

“Eastern Europeans are quite direct and this doesn’t always work in an office setting,” she says. “Learning how to work in a group to achieve something was one of my biggest takeaways from the MBA.

“For me the most important thing I learned was about myself, and what you can and can’t control, and how to see from someone else’s perspective.”

Being able to debate vigorously with classmates and professors honed valuable communication skills, she believes.  

Sorina chose WBS initially on the recommendation of a colleague and former student, and switched from online to face-to-face study after discovering the energy and enjoyment she found from meeting people in person.

“And the London experience was a massive draw, particularly the opportunity to meet in The Shard,” says Sorina, who opted for the Executive MBA (London), which sees classes taken at WBS London at The Shard.

Before moving to Dubai, she had already worked a decade in the UK capital. 

Some fellow students have become family friends, and her wider network is there if she needs it. She’s driven by colleagues, progress and wealth.

“Not money itself, but what you can do with it – maybe help my family, take my nephews on holiday – those kinds of things. And of course it’s about the people. At Travelport I’ve been lucky to work with and meet amazing people.”  

She also works with the School’s  regional reps and social ambassadors to lay on events and discover what alumni want from their network – there’s a book club and women’s group as well as a busy WhatsApp group.

“The main reason everyone networks is to build relationships, look for their next career move and understand what’s happening in different industries,” she says.

A natural innovator, Sorina is looking at ways to compile helpful contacts within different industries without falling foul of Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). She would also like to do more with the generous feedback and suggestions from the wider alumni community. 

“We have good engagement but there is always a place for better,” says the 41-year-old.  

Beyond her work with alumni, Sorina also helps lead her company’s initiative for diversity, equity and inclusion, “because I think it’s important to help as many people as you can in your day-to-day.”

In her ‘spare’ time, she runs marathons. Last year she learned to swim before competing in her first triathlon in Greece to raise funds for SaveTheChildren. This year she’s fundraising for one of her autistic nephew’s special needs school in Liverpool – three of her nephews have autism.

“Combining sports and raising awareness, acceptance and understanding of autism is a passion, and I hope to do even more in the future.” Life, she says, is too short to sit around.  

Sorina recognises that maintaining a social community takes time and effort. “As you get older, your networks naturally get smaller.”

Whatever the methods or motivation behind building networks, she says, remember this: “think about the other person when you ask something of them. What can you give back?” 

Find out about more of our Change Makers at Warwick Business School.