I was born in Baia Mare, a mining town in northwestern Transylvania, Romania. Despite its industrial character, Baia Mare sits in a stunning valley surrounded by mountains, hills, lakes, rivers, and forests—a landscape that shaped my childhood. I spent those early years swimming, trekking, climbing, skiing, caving, and exploring ruins and abandoned mines, discovering a deep connection to wild places that would define my life.
After finishing school, I pursued Philosophy and Anthropology at the University of Cluj, earning my B.A. and, a year later, my M.A. in Classical Philosophy. A research fellowship at Trinity College Dublin followed, before I moved to England where I completed my Cert. Teach. and Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of London.
For the first half of my career, I worked in education. From 1999 onward, I taught across a wide spectrum—from primary school to undergraduate and graduate levels. I held positions teaching Philosophy and Classics at King’s College London, University College London, and Royal Holloway, and spent five years teaching Western Culture, Civilization, and Social Studies in the People’s Republic of China. At the start of the 2010s, I returned to Europe to serve as Director of the Centre for International Cooperation at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies in Bucharest, while continuing as a Philosophy tutor at Royal Holloway. My research spanned Philosophy, Anthropology, Political Science, and International Relations.
Outside academia, I briefly worked as Senior Consultant and Head of Political Division at People&People Agency (2015–2016), contributing to projects in Somalia, Moldova, and Romania.
Throughout this time, my passion for the mountains never wavered. Since 1989, I’ve climbed extensively across Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Africa, the United States, and South America. I’ve established first ascents on traditional, ice, and mixed routes—from lower-altitude crags to 6,000-meter peaks—and competed in national and international sport climbing events. By 2017, I had participated in over thirty expeditions. Alongside my academic work, I pursued formal training as a mountain guide.
In 2010, after years of balancing two worlds, I made the decision to commit fully to the mountains. I transitioned my career entirely and now work as an IFMGA Mountain and Ski Guide based in Chamonix, France, where I guide, teach, and share the passion that began in the forests and hills of my childhood.