Cristina Imre: Leadership Is Personal, Business is Humans

Cristina Imre was born near Romania’s borders with Hungary and Ukraine. From an early age, she exhibited an insatiable curiosity and a deep desire to understand human nature. She recalls stopping strangers on the street to ask about their day—unafraid, eager to connect. Her journey, from a trauma-filled childhood to a global strategy executive, has always centered on people. And that is where kindness begins.

Today, Cristina serves as Fractional Executive and Strategist for tech companies around the globe, and is the founder of Tech Leadership Lab. She brings more than two decades of leadership and behavioral strategy to every role. Her work bridges cognitive science, business architecture, and ethical growth. “We do have a chance to become more evolved,” she said. “Evolution means kindness. It means seeing beyond the small and having that big picture in mind.”

Cristina has worked across industries and continents, often stepping into leadership roles where problems are unclear or trust has broken down. Her approach begins with psychological safety. She creates space for people to speak openly, often surfacing the real reasons teams falter—disconnection, fear, or misunderstanding. “Business is personal,” she said. “We are humans. We are not robots.”

That belief has carried over into critical moments. Cristina shared one New Year’s Eve when an employee, estranged from family and contemplating suicide, called her. She had built enough trust for that call to happen. She answered. They spoke. He lived. “You cannot be the same after that,” she said. “As a leader, you have triple responsibility. Everything you do carries more weight. You need to think twice about your actions.” She noted how easily breakdowns happen. “What triggers someone could be a small thing—because things are piling up, and they are at the breaking point.”

Cristina has seen kindness resolve long-standing conflicts. In one case, a rift between department heads that had slowed down an entire company was resolved in under an hour—because someone made space for empathy and fairness. She insists that leaders must be emotionally prepared for their roles. “There should be a psychological filter,” she said. “Leadership without empathy is dangerous.”

Looking forward, Cristina believes kindness must become a cultural movement. “Kindness should be a brand,” she said. “Something visible, viral, and aspirational.” Her call is not just for awareness—but action. She sees kindness as a leadership requirement, a policy framework, and a daily practice that should define the next chapter of business and humanity. “Kindness can become cool and trendy,” she said. “If we make it visible, if we show it matters, we can change everything.”

“No matter what I did from a business perspective, it was always focused on humans. Because business is humans.”

Cristina Imre is a serial founder, strategist, coach, and global leader who treats kindness not as optional, but essential. Keep an eye out for more interviews.