On 24 October 2026, Supertree and Empower Youth brought together young talent, business leaders and corporate partners for the second edition of Empower the Future, hosted at Globalworth BOC Tower in Bucharest. The conference highlighted the growing importance of early career engagement, employer branding and corporate involvement in education and youth development.
For businesses, attracting and retaining talent starts well before recruitment. As expectations around career development, workplace culture and professional opportunities evolve, companies have an increasing incentive to engage with future employees earlier in their professional journeys.
Initiatives such as Empower the Future create opportunities for meaningful interaction between employers and young people, while addressing a broader challenge: helping the next generation develop the skills, confidence and professional connections needed to enter the workforce.
Bridging the gap between education and employment
The transition from education to employment remains an important challenge for young people and businesses alike.
Students often have limited exposure to the realities of different industries, the skills employers value or the range of career opportunities available to them. Meanwhile, businesses need more effective ways to engage with emerging talent, communicate their organisational culture and contribute to the development of future professionals.
This is where collaboration between the private sector and educational initiatives can make a practical difference.
Career conferences, mentorship programmes and direct engagement with industry professionals provide young people with perspectives that extend beyond formal education. For businesses, these initiatives also create opportunities to build relationships with potential future employees and demonstrate a long-term commitment to talent development.
At Supertree, we see this collaboration as an important part of building a stronger, more connected business community.
Empower the Future 2026: Connecting business leaders with emerging talent
Organised by Empower Youth, an educational initiative founded by Olga Melihov, Chief Country Officer of MLP Group Romania, Empower the Future returned for its second edition on 24 October 2026.
Hosted by Supertree in Globalworth BOC Tower, the conference brought together high school students, university students and young professionals aged up to 25, alongside business leaders, entrepreneurs, specialists and mentors.
The full-day programme featured two keynote presentations and five panel discussions addressing topics relevant to both personal and professional development, including career choices, the future of work, financial literacy, bullying and cyberbullying, and practical life skills.
Speakers represented a broad range of industries and professional backgrounds, including Guillaume Pitoiset, Country HR Director at L’Oréal Romania; Victor Coșconel, Partner and Head of Office 360, Industrial & Logistics at Colliers Romania; Radu Nemeș, Managing Partner at ONV LAW; Olympic rowing champion Maria-Magdalena Rusu; and Nicolae Moroianu, Vice-Dean at ASE Bucharest.
The programme went beyond conventional conference presentations, encouraging participants to engage directly with professionals and explore the realities of different career paths.
Employer branding beyond traditional recruitment
One of the conference’s most relevant aspects for the business community was its emphasis on direct interaction between companies and young people.
Through dedicated Job Corner and Meet a Mentor sessions, participants had opportunities to speak with recruiters, business leaders and experienced professionals about career development, internships and employment.
For corporate partners, this type of engagement offers several advantages:
- Early talent engagement: Establishing relationships with students and young professionals before they formally enter the recruitment market.
- Employer brand visibility: Giving potential future employees a more direct understanding of a company’s people, culture and career opportunities.
- Knowledge sharing: Enabling business leaders to contribute their experience and help younger generations make more informed career decisions.
- Long-term community engagement: Building relationships with educational organisations, prospective talent and other employers around shared priorities.
Unlike traditional recruitment campaigns, employer branding initiatives centred on education and mentorship allow companies to demonstrate their values through direct participation.
The conference was supported by a diverse group of corporate partners, including Colliers Romania, Coface, L’Oréal Romania, Decathlon, Optim Project Management, Sagex, Energo AG, AQUA Carpatica and Nestlé Romania, among others.
Their involvement illustrates how businesses from different sectors can contribute to career education while developing closer connections with the next generation of professionals.
Corporate social responsibility as a long-term business commitment
Corporate social responsibility is increasingly relevant to how businesses engage with their employees, communities and wider stakeholders.
In the context of education and employability, meaningful CSR initiatives can extend beyond financial sponsorship to include professional expertise, mentorship, access to networks and practical learning opportunities.
Empower the Future offers an example of this approach: bringing together companies, experienced professionals and young people around a shared objective of improving career readiness and access to opportunities.
For Supertree, supporting education and youth employability is closely aligned with our wider mission.
Our business ecosystem brings together Romanian and international companies, entrepreneurs, professionals and strategic partners. Creating opportunities for collaboration between this community and emerging talent is a natural extension of our work.
Through initiatives such as Empower the Future, we aim to support not only the businesses operating today, but also the people who will shape Romania’s business environment in the years ahead.
Supertree’s role: Infrastructure, partnerships and community
As the conference’s Official Infrastructure and Venue Partner, Supertree worked alongside the Empower Youth team to support the delivery of the event at Globalworth BOC Tower.
Our contribution combined access to event infrastructure with operational support and opportunities for community engagement.
The conference took place in Supertree’s Cinema Hall, a corporate event space accommodating up to 170 participants, supported by on-site audiovisual infrastructure and event coordination.
Located in Bucharest’s Pipera business district, three minutes from Pipera metro station, Supertree provides a setting where companies, professional communities and external organisations can come together for conferences, workshops and industry events.
For our team, Empower the Future also represented an opportunity to extend the reach of our business ecosystem beyond our resident companies and professional members, supporting a project with a clear educational and social purpose.
Looking ahead: Building stronger connections between business and education
The second edition of Empower the Future reinforces the value of collaboration between educational initiatives and the private sector.
For companies, participating in career development programmes can be a practical way to strengthen employer visibility, engage with emerging talent and contribute to the communities in which they operate.
For young people, access to professional networks, mentorship and first-hand industry perspectives can help make the transition from education to employment more informed and accessible.
At Supertree, we believe business communities have a role to play in creating these connections.
We look forward to continuing our collaboration with organisations and corporate partners working to support education, employability and the development of future professionals.
Planning an employer branding or CSR event in Bucharest?
Supertree supports companies and organisations looking to host career conferences, recruitment events, graduate programmes, professional workshops and community initiatives.
Our corporate event spaces at Globalworth BOC Tower accommodate up to 300 guests across two event halls, with additional meeting and workshop facilities available on Floor 3.
Explore our event spaces or contact our team to discuss a partnership.
