Open to opportunities

Cristina Gurguta

@cristinagurguta

Message

I lead enterprise AI strategy and productization, turning prototypes into profitable, governed deployments.

Romania

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking to lead AI strategy and product delivery—bridging experimentation to revenue with strong governance, measurable business impact, and cross-functional teams focused on practical adoption.

I’m a senior AI and digital transformation leader with 15+ years shaping and delivering data, AI, and automation initiatives in large international organizations and industrial environments. I turn business problems into practical AI solutions, moving from discovery and prototyping into operational adoption.

In my current role as Director of Research & Innovation and Associate Partner, I own AI innovation strategy and portfolio—aligning investments, roadmaps, and resources with business growth objectives and client demand in energy-intensive industries. I define and validate new AI business lines end-to-end, leading cross-functional teams to establish governance and deliver measurable outcomes.

Previously at Holcim (remote), I progressed from hands-on MLOps leadership into enterprise AI portfolio and team leadership. I delivered 15+ AI initiatives and enabled more than 1,500 employees globally through AI literacy, mentoring, and business-facing education programs.

My technical foundation blends Python, data science, MLOps, and generative AI with strong product thinking and executive communication. I’m energized by mentoring teams and building usable, monitored AI systems—where responsible AI, AI governance, and business fit are treated as core product requirements.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Director of Research & Innovation

Current

Insus AG

Sep 2025 - Present (10 months)

Own the AI innovation strategy and portfolio, aligning investments and roadmaps with client demand in energy-intensive industries. Lead end-to-end definition of new AI business lines and translate strategy into measurable, operationally adoptable outcomes.

Innovation Strategy Portfolio Management Responsible AI AI Governance Cross functional Leadership Generative AI

AI & ML Manager, Strategic Portfolios

Holcim

Mar 2022 - Aug 2025 (3 years 5 months)

Led Holcim’s strategic AI portfolio by progressing from MLOps leadership to enterprise AI delivery and team management across global functions. Delivered 15+ AI initiatives and enabled 1,500+ employees through AI literacy, mentoring, and business-facing education programs.

MLOps AI Portfolio Management AI Leadership Stakeholder Management AI Productization Governance And Execution Alignment

Senior Data Scientist

Dell

Sep 2017 - Mar 2022 (4 years 6 months)

Developed predictive lifetime value and risk models for Dell Bank using Python and R. Built analytics dashboards and decision-support tools to provide real-time visibility for senior stakeholders.

Predictive Analytics Risk Modeling Customer Analytics Python R Dashboards Decision Support

Credit Data Scientist

Deutsche Telekom Business Services

Sep 2016 - Sep 2017 (1 year)

Led analytics workshops and developed machine learning proofs of concept to support data-driven credit management decisions. Partnered with stakeholders to identify use cases, clarify requirements, and align analytics outputs to operational goals.

Proofs Of Concept Requirements Gathering

Senior Associate, Site Operations

Indeed

Jun 2015 - Sep 2016 (1 year 3 months)

Supported EMEA growth strategy through centralized analytics and retention/performance modeling. Ran experimentation and analyzed campaign performance to inform international market expansion decisions.

Experimentation Retention Performance Modeling Growth Analytics Market Expansion Support Operations & Analytics