How Do You Celebrate 10 years? Like this

Ten years deserve more than a birthday cake. They deserve a story. 

On July 10th, we celebrated the first decade of CGM Software Romania in the most meaningful way we could imagine: by bringing together the people who have been writing this story since day one. 

Ten years of creating the future of eHealth in Romania. More than 40 years of CompuGroup Medical shaping healthcare worldwide. A milestone that deserved more than an ordinary party. It deserved an evening that reflected who we are, what we have built together and, most importantly, the people who made it all possible.  

So, we chose one of the most beautiful places in Iași to celebrate it: the National Opera in Iași. An evening filled with laughter, memories, gratitude, standing ovations, music, heartfelt speeches and more emotions than anyone expected. 

Because that's what happens when you gather more than 200 people who genuinely enjoy building something together.

Before the lights dimmed inside the Opera hall, the celebration had already begun. Colleagues, their partners, long-time collaborators and friends of CGM arrived one after another, greeting familiar faces they hadn't seen in months, catching up over a glass of prosecco, taking photos together and enjoying those conversations that never seem to have enough time during a regular workday.  

There was excitement. There was curiosity. And there was that unmistakable feeling that this wasn't just another company event. Something special was about to happen. 

When everyone had taken their seats, the curtain slowly rose. The first thing our guests saw wasn't a presentation. It was our people. Our anniversary video, featuring dozens of CGMers sharing memories, funny moments, inside jokes and heartfelt reflections, immediately set the tone for the evening. It made us laugh. It made us emotional. And above all, it reminded us that after ten years, one word still defines CGM better than anything else: People.  

Hosting the evening was Andreea Marc, Head & Heart of Communication at CGM Software Romania, whose energy, warmth and storytelling connected every speech, every performance and every surprise into one continuous celebration.

Although they couldn't join us in Iași, three of the most important members of the global CGM leadership made sure to be part of the celebration. 

Prof. (apl.) Dr. med. Daniel Gotthardt, CEO of CompuGroup Medical, Jochen Gottschalk, CTO and Georg Pepping, Chief HR Officer each recorded a personal video message, congratulating the Romanian team on this important milestone and thanking everyone for the contribution they've made to CGM's global success. 

Their message was simple, yet incredibly meaningful: CGM Romania is no longer just one location among many. It has become an important part of the company's story and future.  

The first speaker to step onto the Opera stage was Ovidiu Drîmbă, VP Software Development, representing the Steering Board. 

His speech wasn't about numbers. It wasn't about products. And it certainly wasn't about celebrating success for the sake of success. It was about remembering where everything started. 

Ten years ago, CGM Software Romania was little more than a handful of people sharing one room, one ambitious idea and an incredible amount of determination. There were no established processes. No ready-made answers. Just talented people figuring things out together, learning from mistakes and believing they could build something meaningful.  

Then came the part that resonated with everyone in the room. Looking back, Ovidiu reflected on how much had changed. Not just professionally, but personally. 

Today, feedback is no longer something to fear. It's a gift. People openly admit mistakes because trust has replaced fear. And perhaps the greatest achievement of the past decade isn't the software we've delivered, but the people we've helped grow. 

Many who joined as interns or junior engineers now lead teams, design architectures and mentor the next generation of colleagues. That didn't happen by accident. It happened because CGM chose to invest in people.  

Looking ahead, Ovidiu reminded us that every new decade starts exactly the same way the first one did: with someone walking through the door on their first day, unsure of what's ahead. 

"The next chapter," he said, "won't be written by titles. It will be written by the people willing to pick up the pen."  

One sentence, however, captured the spirit of his entire speech: 

"It was never about the software. Products change. Technology changes. What lasts is the people and who we become to each other."

Some anniversaries are impossible to celebrate without recognising the people who have been there since the start. 

Back in 2016, CGM Software Romania had only 15 employees. Today, three of them are still here. Not because staying was easy. But because they chose, year after year, to continue building. 

Together with Ovidiu, their VP, we had the honour of celebrating three remarkable colleagues whose names have become part of CGM Romania's story: Claudiu Tamaș, Alexandru Covașă and Mălina Iurcu.  

As expected, each of them brought their own personality to the stage. 

Claudiu made everyone laugh. 

"When CGM turns 18, I'll still be here. Probably with more white hair. But I'll be here. Celebrating with probably more than 300 CGMers. Maybe... on an island."  

Alexandru reminded us that sometimes the best career plans are the ones that completely change along the way. 

"When I joined CGM, the plan was to stay three or four years. Here I am, ten years later, still not finding any reason to leave. When you've been there since day one, you don't just work for a company. You grow roots."  

And Mălina perhaps summed up the evening in one simple sentence. 

"Without great people, you can't do great work."  

Sometimes loyalty isn't measured in years. It's measured in the people who still smile when they talk about where they work. 

And seeing these three colleagues on stage reminded everyone that while companies are built through strategy, they last because of people. 

After celebrating those who have been with us since the very beginning, it was time to hear from the people who help shape CGM Romania every single day. 

Representing our Team Leads and leadership community, Sorin Veleșcu and Edi Bosnea took the stage with what quickly became one of the funniest moments of the evening. 

Rather than delivering a formal presentation, they chose something much more authentic: a journey through the lessons they had learned over the past decade. A presentation full of humour, self-irony and stories that every leader, and probably every CGMer in the room, could relate to.  

Some lessons made everyone laugh. Others made people quietly nod in agreement.  

Because leadership, they reminded us, is rarely about always knowing the right answer. It's about asking better questions. It's about learning from mistakes. It's about helping others become even better than yourself. And perhaps most importantly, it's about never forgetting that behind every sprint, every release and every deadline are simply people. 

If there was one thing their presentation proved, it was that experience doesn't necessarily make you take yourself more seriously. It simply teaches you what truly matters. 

Few people embody CGM's culture quite like Liviu Bulicanu. If you've attended a company event, a knowledge-sharing session, a volunteering initiative or simply needed someone willing to help, chances are you've crossed paths with him. 

Professional. Reliable. Thoughtful. The kind of colleague every company hopes to have, and perhaps that's exactly why he was elected to represent our employees.  

His speech wasn't about business. It wasn't about technology. It was about something much bigger: Time. 

"Ten years," he reminded us, "is much more than a milestone." It's a reminder that we spend nearly one-third of our lives at work.  

And when you think about it that way, a workplace can never be just about projects, office buildings or deadlines. It's about the people who share those years with us. The conversations over coffee. The colleagues who offer help before you even ask. The kindness that often goes unnoticed. The curiosity to keep learning. The professionalism that inspires others. The willingness to grow together. 

Liviu encouraged us to never stop improving, but also to remember something equally important: Perfection isn't the goal. As he beautifully put it, "perfect is the enemy of good." 

Sometimes we're so focused on what could be better that we forget to appreciate everything that is already good around us. He closed with one final thought that perfectly matched the atmosphere of the evening. 

Work is not simply a job. It's a journey. And whatever weather lies ahead, let's keep choosing to dance in the rain, like Liviu.

Every successful company has people whose work often happens behind the scenes. People who solve problems before anyone notices they existed. People whose names may not always appear in presentations, but whose contribution is felt every single day. 

This anniversary was the perfect opportunity to say one simple thing: Thank you. 

Our Admin team makes incredible things happen every day. But they're certainly not doing it alone. Over the years, we've been fortunate to work alongside trusted partners who have become much more than external collaborators. 

Whether making sure our colleagues reach every destination safely, helping keep our office running smoothly, taking care of our medical services, supporting benefits and insurance, or helping create a safe workplace, each of them has become part of our everyday life. 

That evening, we had the pleasure of recognising Carmen Ioniță, Cristi Varvara, Iuliana Bîzu, Raluca Vicu and Adrian Stănescu for everything they do for our people. Because partnerships like these are never just about contracts. They're built on trust. On reliability. On countless phone calls that begin with "Could you help us with something?". And almost always end with: "Of course." 

Over the years, they have become something even more valuable than partners. They've become friends.

After so many inspiring speeches, heartfelt moments and well-deserved applause, the evening shifted from words to music. And what a beautiful transition it was. 

The stage welcomed Maria Constantinescu, one of Romania's most talented pan flute artists. Throughout her career, Maria has won numerous national and international competitions and performed on countless prestigious stages. 

Yet one dream had remained on her list: Performing on the stage of the National Opera in Iași. On July 10th, that dream finally came true. And we are incredibly honoured that CGM was the first company that made her wish come true.  

Her performance transformed the atmosphere inside the Opera. The pan flute has a remarkable way of speaking directly to the heart, and for a few minutes, the audience simply listened. Some smiled. Some quietly sang along. Some became unexpectedly emotional. 

It was one of those rare moments when an entire room breathes in the same rhythm. Four unforgettable songs. One unforgettable performance. And yet another reminder that celebrations become memorable not because they're loud, but because they make people feel something. 

When the applause slowly faded, there was only one person left to take the stage. The person who has been leading CGM Software Romania through the past five years of remarkable growth: Christopher Roy Turner. And his speech would bring the evening to a close in the most personal way possible. 

There couldn't have been a more fitting person to close the Gala than Christopher Roy Turner, General Manager of CGM Software Romania. 

Before talking about achievements, growth or the future, Chris did something that says a lot about the kind of leader he is. 

He simply said thank you. To everyone in the room. To the colleagues who couldn't join us that evening. To the leaders across Germany who continue to support and believe in CGM Romania. To the people who were once part of this journey and helped build what we are today. And to the partners and families of our CGMers, the people who have patiently accepted late meetings, business trips, deadlines and all those moments when work occasionally needed to come first.  

Only then did he begin telling the story of the past five years. When Chris arrived in Romania, he inherited a company full of potential. Together with hundreds of dedicated colleagues, that potential became something much bigger. New teams. New products. New responsibilities. New ambitions. 

And a company that today plays an increasingly important role within the global CompuGroup Medical organisation. 

But behind every achievement stood countless personal sacrifices. 

Reflecting on his own journey, Chris shared something deeply personal: 

" The past 5 years have meant for me travelling non-sop, taking 50 flights a year and spending more than 100 nights in hotels. It has meant putting work in front of everything else and prioritizing this job over anything. It meant I got to meet some of the most amazing people. It meant I got the chance to learn. It meant I got the chance to grow."  

It was one of those moments that reminded everyone in the audience that leadership isn't measured only by business results. It's measured by commitment. By consistency. And by the people you choose to recognise along the way. 

Chris did exactly that. 

Rather than speaking only about strategy, he took the time to thank every Vice President individually, each Admin team member, and many of the colleagues he interacted closely in the past 5 years.  

It was personal. It was genuine. And it perfectly reflected something we've always believed at CGM: People should never wonder whether they matter. They should hear it and feel it.

Every anniversary naturally invites us to look back. But perhaps more importantly, it challenges us to look ahead. 

As Chris shared his vision for the next decade, one message stood above everything else. Technology will continue to evolve faster than ever before. Artificial Intelligence will transform the way we build software, collaborate and deliver healthcare solutions. New colleagues will join. New leaders will emerge. New challenges will push us beyond what we think is possible. And through all of that, one thing must remain unchanged. Our culture. The way we care for one another. The courage to embrace change without losing what makes us... us. 

As Chris beautifully concluded, the next ten years are not simply about becoming bigger. They're about becoming better. About continuing to lead. Continuing to innovate. Continuing to invest in people. 

And continuing to be a place where talented people don't just build software, they build careers, friendships and a future they can genuinely be proud of.  

As unforgettable as the Gala was, the evening wasn't over just yet. 

After the final applause inside the National Opera, we moved to a venue reserved exclusively for our CGMers and their plus ones, where the celebration continued well into the night. 

The dress code became a little more relaxed. The music got louder. The dance floor filled up. 

Conversations continued over great food and drinks, colleagues laughed about memories from the Gala, and before long, everyone was sharing the same vibe. Exactly as it should be. Because while milestones deserve elegant ceremonies, they also deserve celebrations full of joy.

That night, the celebration extended beyond the walls of the Opera. 

Both the National Opera and Iași's iconic Palace of Culture were illuminated in CGM blue, while anniversary messages celebrating CGM10 were projected onto the Palace façade. 

For one evening, one of the city's most recognisable landmarks became part of our story. 

And we have to admit... 

Seeing Happy Anniversary, CGM projected onto the Palace of Culture was one of those moments we'll never forget.  

Earlier in the evening, our anniversary video asked one simple question: What does CGM mean to you? 

The answers were different. Some spoke about opportunities. Others about friendships. Some mentioned technology. Others remembered funny stories from their first days. But almost everyone came back to the same word: People. 

Because that's what has always made the difference. Not our office. Not the technology. Not even the milestones we celebrate. 

The people who show up every day with curiosity, professionalism, kindness and the willingness to help one another. That's the culture we've been building for the past ten years. 

One where we genuinely care. One where we know we're not perfect, and never pretend to be, but where we strive to become a little better every day, while staying true to the values that brought us here in the first place.  

Our anniversary slogan, Growing Forward. Staying True, isn't just a message created for a celebration. It's a promise. A promise that as we continue to grow, embrace AI, explore new technologies and shape the future of digital healthcare, we'll never lose sight of what matters most: People. 

Here's to the first ten years. And to everyone who is already writing the next chapter of this story.