Leaders of CGM: Alexandra Petraru – The BEST of Learning, Leading, and Leveling Up

From the dreamy streets of Hârlău to the frontlines of AI innovation, Alexandra Petraru proves that the best journeys start with a curious mind, a fearless heart, and the joy of not always knowing what comes next. 

If you ask Alexandra Petraru what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer might surprise you. Somewhere between sketching outfits and analyzing mysteries, Alexandra's childhood dreams alternated between becoming a fashion designer and a criminal investigator. But life, in its beautifully unpredictable way, rerouted her toward a world that would challenge her just as much: technology. 

Raised in the friendly little town of Hârlău near Iași, Alexandra attended a high school with a strong focus on math and computer science. That led her, quite naturally, to the Faculty of Automatic Control and Computer Engineering in Iași. She applied, got in on a budgeted spot, and stepped into a universe that would soon become her playground: the world of software. 

But just going to classes wasn’t her style. Alexandra needed more. So, she joined BEST – The Board of European Students of Technology – a volunteer organization that soon became her second school. For almost three years, she juggled tech courses and hands-on events, organizing engineering competitions, coordinating fundraising campaigns, and running local events with contagious energy. 

"I didn’t know anything when I started," she admits with a laugh, "but I was willing to learn. I remember how clumsy I was at first. But I was determined." 

Her time with BEST was more than just a line on her CV. It was an initiation into leadership, adaptability, and connection. 

"I learned how to navigate unpredictable situations, how to stay focused on solutions, how to work in a team, and how to give and receive feedback. And beyond the skills and friendships, I also found someone very special – my husband, Bogdan. We met through BEST and we’ve been together since university. Volunteering might not be for everyone, but it’s something everyone should try at least once. It changes you." 

By her second year of university, Alexandra added a new ingredient to her recipe for growth: a job. She spotted an ad from a small company looking for tech students to build websites in WordPress. There was just one small problem. 

"I had no idea how to use WordPress. But I went to the interview anyway. I needed a job. I needed money. And I was ready to learn." 

The job offer came through – not because she had the skills, but because she had the drive. Her background in computer engineering helped, but it was her determination that made the difference. The moment she got hired, she dove into a sea of tutorials, articles, Q&A forums, and experiments. 

From zero knowledge, she evolved so quickly that she went from building WordPress sites to coding backend solutions from scratch. Her work turned into PHP, and by the time she left that company six years later, Alexandra had become a full-fledged developer. 

For three of those years, she juggled a full-time job, university, and volunteering. It was intense, but it taught her how much she could truly handle. 

Sometimes, life gives you a nudge. And sometimes, it gives you a global pandemic. In Alexandra’s case, it was the final push she needed to change jobs. 

She quit her old job without having a new one lined up. It was a leap of faith, driven by the quiet confidence that something better was waiting. And it was. That "something" was CGM. 

A friend of hers was already working at CGM and had nothing but great things to say. So, Alexandra sent in her CV, came for an interview, and instantly clicked with the people she met. The feeling was mutual. In the summer of 2021, she officially became a CGMer. 

She started as a PHP Developer on DIGA project, then moved to CLICKDOC Web. After that, she joined CLICKDOC NN, a project where she split her role between Java development and Product Ownership. That split would prove life-changing. 

"When Loredana Armanu, our VP of Software Development, suggested I try being a full-time PO, I was honestly surprised. I kept asking myself: why me? What did they see in me that I hadn’t seen yet? But I thought about it (for a day) and then said yes. I started part-time, just to test it out. And I fell in love with it." 

Alexandra had never officially done product ownership before, but true to her nature, she embraced the unknown. Like her first job or her first volunteer event, she learned by doing, failing, laughing, and adapting. It wasn’t long before she stepped fully into the PO role, taking charge of one of CGM’s most innovative initiatives: ChatCGM. 

"When you’re coding, it’s just you and the logic. But as a PO, you get to interact, strategize, imagine, and refine. It pushes you to grow in new ways. It’s more playful, more challenging, and more human." 

Since January 2025, Alexandra is not just the PO of ChatCGM, but also the Team Lead. Together with a fantastic Romanian team – Vlad Manole (FrontEnd), Andrei Bologa (BackEnd), and Anca Gheorghiu (QA) – she works alongside 10 colleagues from Germany in a hybrid, high-performing squad. 

And guess what? They're hiring. Her team is currently looking for: 

• 1 DevOps Engineer 
• 1 FrontEnd Developer 
• 1 Scrum Master 

"My team is incredible. They’re sharp, solution-driven, tech-savvy, and kind. There’s constant feedback, a focus on results, and the kind of seniority that makes everything run smoothly." 

Being a Team Lead also gave Alexandra new perspectives: 

"Having 1:1s with the team helped me understand things I wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. It pushed me to develop stronger self-awareness. I also learned that as a TL, you need to reserve energy for the unexpected – because people always come first." 

Outside of work, Alexandra is anything but predictable. Her biggest obsession right now? Food. Not cooking it – that’s her husband’s passion. Eating it, photographing it, talking about it. Her phone is filled with food pics from both vacations and home. 

Her second love? Gaming. Hand her a PlayStation controller and she’ll disappear for hours. Favorites include God of War Ragnarök, Ghost of Tsushima, and The Last of Us. 

Her third love? Travel. Alexandra often takes advantage of remote work to explore the world. She recently worked from Porto and Madeira, and dreams of splitting her life between Berlin in the summer and Portugal in the winter. 

And her fourth big passion? Reading. Especially Japanese fiction and non-fiction books about communication, leadership, and soft skills. 

ChatCGM isn’t just a project – it’s an internal revolution. Built to support CGMers in their daily tasks, it uses cutting-edge Large Language Models (LLMs) to help generate text, answer questions, extract data, and even integrate with tools like Confluence, Jira, and SAP ticketing. 

Upcoming features include voice interaction, image generation, and knowledge bots. And alongside ChatCGM, Alexandra’s team is contributing to AI-Platform – a scalable, secure cloud-based infrastructure using Azure, EKS, Dapr.io, and Argo CD, designed to support future AI applications. 

In her four years at CGM, Alexandra has learned some priceless truths, and she is ready to share them with you: 

• The people around you matter immensely. 
• Feedback, when done right, changes everything. 
• You can laugh and work at the same time. 
• Growth happens when you're uncomfortable but curious. 

Alexandra’s journey is a lesson in bravery, growth, and joy. From not knowing WordPress to leading AI-powered platforms, she shows that the only thing you really need is a willingness to learn. 

"I grew more in one year of ChatCGM than in three years on other projects. It’s an amazing place to be, with passionate people, cutting-edge tech, and so many interesting stories and personalities.” 

If you're a DevOps Engineer, a FrontEnd Developer, or a Scrum Master with curiosity in your heart and courage in your fingertips, maybe your next adventure starts here. 

Apply to join Alexandra and the ChatCGM team. And if your dream job is in another corner of CGM, check out all our open positions here. 

Be curious. Be brave. Be CGM.