"An engaging, motivational, passionate, self-confident and inspiring speaker fully in control of her audience."
Dirk Ostijn, Regional CEO Metlife Europe
Dirk Ostijn, Regional CEO Metlife Europe
"A few months after, I hear many of our leaders refer to Emilia’s session."
Pierre Bevierre, Group HR Director, COFACE
Pierre Bevierre, Group HR Director, COFACE
"Emilia's rare combination of C-suite experience and academic knowledge of the leadership field makes a visible difference from the start. For leadership development seen through an unexpected lens, Emilia is your go-to expert."
Leor Distenfeld, Executive Director, Meltwater
Is Emilia the speaker you are looking for?
Strong leadership experience. Dr. Emilia Bunea is a former corporate CFO and CEO with 20 years in the C-suite with Fortune 500 organizations such as ING and Metlife. She is now CEO of ed.movie, a California-based edutainment company, a non-executive director on the board of an asset management company, and a leadership lecturer at VU University, Amsterdam. She is one of the very few leadership speakers who have both a PhD in leadership and top executive and non-executive experience.
Innovation. As the CEO of Ed.movie, Dr. Bunea is constantly working to innovate in the education field. In 2021 she produced "Crossroads Life", the world's first "cinematic management case" that received numerous film awards.
Innovation. As the CEO of Ed.movie, Dr. Bunea is constantly working to innovate in the education field. In 2021 she produced "Crossroads Life", the world's first "cinematic management case" that received numerous film awards.
Do you have a hard-skills, “show-me-the-money” audience? Emilia's 15-year career as a CFO, preceded by investment banking experience and supported by the CFA designation, means that she can talk about leadership in the language of even the most numbers-driven audiences. As the author of "Leadership for the CFO" (Routledge, 2025), she has distilled the leadership challenges, opportunities, and strategies specific to finance, in a practical and enjoyable, yet thoroughly research-grounded companion for CFOs and all those who aspire to the role.
Do you have a hard-skills, “show-me-the-money” audience? Emilia's 15-year career as a CFO, preceded by investment banking experience and supported by the CFA designation, means that she can talk about leadership in the language of even the most numbers-driven audiences. As the author of "Leadership for the CFO" (Routledge, 2025), she has distilled the leadership challenges, opportunities, and strategies specific to finance, in a practical and enjoyable, yet thoroughly research-grounded companion for CFOs and all those who aspire to the role.
Inspiration. Emilia is an engaging speaker: she cares about her audience and looks at any subject from their shoes. She has delivered keynotes on leadership for the finance industry, humor in leadership, women's leadership, and the value of passionate hobbies for leaders, in over a dozen countries.
Media kit
Official Bio
Emilia Bunea is the CEO of Ed.movie, a California-based edutainment company, a leadership lecturer at VU University Amsterdam, and the author of "Leadership for the CFO" (Routledge, 2025).
Having spent nearly two decades in the C-suite, as CFO and later CEO in the financial services industry, Emilia is particularly interested in bridging academic and practitioner perspectives on leadership. She was CEO of Metlife Romania (an operation with 2 million customers) from 2014 to 2017, CFO of ING Insurance Europe (overseeing a $20bn balance sheet) from 2010 to 2014 and held other CEO and CFO positions prior to that. She received her PhD in management from VU University Amsterdam and she holds an executive MBA from the University of Washington, Seattle. She is also an alumna of the London Business School’s Senior Executive Program and a CFA charterholder. She currently serves on the supervisory boards of an asset management company.
Her research has been published in academic journals such as Corporate Governance: An International Review, Human Resource Management Review and Frontiers in Psychology, and nominated for an Academy of Management award. She blogs about leadership in Psychology Today
Emilia is an inspiring speaker both for executive and for wider audiences. Her TEDx talk at London Business School, “Why leaders should take their leisure seriously”, has passed the 1 million views mark.
She is an enthusiastic marathon runner and has two daughters she’s extremely proud of. She is probably going to stay a perennial standup comedy debutante.
Emilia Bunea is the CEO of Ed.movie, a California-based edutainment company, a leadership lecturer at VU University Amsterdam, and the author of "Leadership for the CFO" (Routledge, 2025).
Having spent nearly two decades in the C-suite, as CFO and later CEO in the financial services industry, Emilia is particularly interested in bridging academic and practitioner perspectives on leadership. She was CEO of Metlife Romania (an operation with 2 million customers) from 2014 to 2017, CFO of ING Insurance Europe (overseeing a $20bn balance sheet) from 2010 to 2014 and held other CEO and CFO positions prior to that. She received her PhD in management from VU University Amsterdam and she holds an executive MBA from the University of Washington, Seattle. She is also an alumna of the London Business School’s Senior Executive Program and a CFA charterholder. She currently serves on the supervisory boards of an asset management company.
Her research has been published in academic journals such as Corporate Governance: An International Review, Human Resource Management Review and Frontiers in Psychology, and nominated for an Academy of Management award. She blogs about leadership in Psychology Today
Emilia is an inspiring speaker both for executive and for wider audiences. Her TEDx talk at London Business School, “Why leaders should take their leisure seriously”, has passed the 1 million views mark.
She is an enthusiastic marathon runner and has two daughters she’s extremely proud of. She is probably going to stay a perennial standup comedy debutante.
Key topics
- Leadership for finance leaders
- Humor in leadership
- Sustainable passion and leadership
- Leadership and women