The Power of Investment: An interview with the Country Manager of Endava Moldova, Veaceslav Panfil
Endava: Investing in Talent as the Foundation of the Digital Economy
In the coming days, the Foreign Investors Association (FIA) will present the new edition of the White Book – a set of concrete recommendations for improving the investment climate in the Republic of Moldova. Through its „Power of Investment” series, FIA highlights how foreign capital and advanced standards are reshaping the way industries operate. Veaceslav Panfil, Country Manager of Endava Moldova, speaks about the talent shortage, the need for continuous learning, the role of AI in engineering, and the We Care culture that helps ensure transformation remains sustainable.
What do you see as the key challenge for the market in the coming years?
The main challenge is the growing gap between the demand for and supply of digital skills. Technology is evolving faster than educational programs, which is why we focus on two key directions: continuously upskilling and reskilling our existing teams, and shaping future specialists early on through partnerships with leading IT faculties. Our goal is to ensure that the skills of graduates and those entering a new profession match the real needs of projects.
If in the past demand was concentrated primarily on specialists with strong technical competencies (cloud, DevOps, Java, Python), today, with the advancement of artificial intelligence, we increasingly see a need for IT professionals with deep industry knowledge in areas such as banking, payments, logistics, automotive, tourism, or healthcare. The combination of technical expertise and business know-how, enhanced by AI-driven tools, leads to higher productivity, improved service quality, and more efficient delivery.
Regardless of the sectors our clients operate in, technology sits at the heart of their transformation and modernization processes. This is why we have developed cross-industry areas of expertise designed to strengthen critical competencies across multiple verticals and help our clients achieve their ambitions for sustainable growth and long-term progress.
How do the company’s investments translate into tangible results both inside the organization and across the IT ecosystem?
Endava strategically invests in people and knowledge, generating measurable impact within the company and across the broader IT ecosystem. We closely collaborate with key university faculties, supporting the next generation of specialists through mentoring, training, and knowledge-sharing initiatives. This creates a direct link between academia and the industry.
In parallel, our internship program, with more than 20 years of history, helps both students and career-changers develop the required technical and soft skills and successfully integrate into IT projects.
To create broader impact, we launched the Connect IT platform, which brings together professionals from across the industry to exchange best practices and build high-quality networks. We host this meetup three times a year, and Endava specialists share tools, solutions, and experience with the broader tech community. In addition, we are a long-term partner of Tech Women Moldova, jointly supporting girls and women who are taking their first steps in IT.
For our employees, we provide the Endava University learning platform, offering a wide range of valuable resources for professional growth.
As we support clients in their digital transformation with the help of artificial intelligence, we have also integrated AI into our internal processes. We implemented ChatGPT Enterprise by OpenAI to boost productivity, stimulate innovation, and improve knowledge sharing. From automating expense reporting to building tools that support proposal preparation, our teams are using this technology in unique and highly effective ways.
Artificial intelligence: how does it influence service quality and the work of development teams?
We use artificial intelligence as a driver of quality and speed across the entire delivery chain, from design and testing to the operation of client platforms. AI has a dual effect: on the one hand, it increases engineers’ productivity, and on the other, it streamlines processes through reusable patterns and practices that reduce project delivery time. At the same time, Responsible AI principles and Data ethics are embedded into our architecture and processes by default; speed must never compromise security or reliability.
Today, Responsible AI and Data ethics principles are already integrated into standard workflows. Security and confidentiality requirements are defined from the design stage, and accessibility is a mandatory component of our work. This approach enables us to use AI and data effectively to improve service quality and reduce the risk of non-compliance.
As technology evolves, so does our approach to supporting clients. This is why we created Dava.X – a platform through which we provide personalized expertise in domains that help organizations adopt technology quickly and at scale. These hyper-focused areas cover both emerging technologies and widely used solutions, reflecting the deep expertise our clients gain access to when partnering with Endava.
How do you work with universities to shape the competencies demanded by the market?
We collaborate with the specialized faculties of USM, UTM, ASEM, and the Center of Excellence in Informatics and Information Technologies (CEITI) to update course content, provide mentorship from our teams, and work closely with professors to understand the practical skills required in real projects. Our colleagues deliver lectures at universities, students visit our office as part of organized courses, and we also run hackathons in the academic environment.
Partnership with universities is essential for us. Our colleagues maintain ongoing contact with deans and professors of key faculties to stay informed about changes within the educational ecosystem. Practical experience gained during studies gives young specialists a more confident start in the job market and helps them adapt more quickly to the real pace of work.
How do Endava’s initiatives translate into better client experiences, employee development, and the growth of the local talent market?
Clients benefit from faster and more predictable improvements to their products and platforms. Employees gain clear development paths and access to the industry’s best practices. Meanwhile, the local market grows stronger thanks to an expanding pool of qualified specialists. Achieving this balance is possible only with a strong internal culture. We place a great deal of emphasis on creating an environment where people feel safe, can learn, experiment, make mistakes, and continue growing.
What key areas enable Endava to generate social impact and support ESG practices?
We focus on five priorities: people, social projects, responsible operational management, innovation and data protection, and environmental sustainability. We support community initiatives, promote digital inclusion, and ensure that employee well-being and accessibility are embedded as priorities “from the start.”. All these components shape our systematic way of working.
We have committed to reaching Net Zero by 2040. To achieve this, we are implementing concrete measures: transitioning our offices to renewable energy where possible, revising operational policies (travel, procurement, suppliers), and supporting employees in adopting environmentally responsible practices. We also switched to electronic signatures, reducing paper usage in our operational processes by approximately 90%. Every year, we take part in tree-planting initiatives and join related volunteer activities as a team.
Every August, together with the NGO Concordia, we prepare school backpacks for children from socially vulnerable families. With the same NGO, we support the winter campaign that allows our colleagues to become “Secret Santa” for beneficiary children. Another initiative we are proud of is the Chișinău International Marathon, where our colleagues run alongside the NGO CCF Moldova to support children.
However, it is not only consistent participation in such projects that matters, but also the solidarity with sustainable practices we promote inside the company. We encourage responsible energy use, choose promotional materials made from eco-friendly and recyclable resources, and inspire colleagues to adopt the same habits at home. The key principle is momentum: steady reduction, actions that are both systematic and impactful, and the cultivation of a long-term sustainability mindset.
How can the state increase the effectiveness of investments at the regulatory level?
We support regulations that accelerate knowledge sharing and project delivery: fully functional eID/eKYC and secure data exchange through public and corporate APIs based on user consent; innovation sandboxes (including AI-focused ones) with transparent fast-track pathways from pilots to implementation; a modern, results-oriented model for digital public procurement with possibilities for PoCs and clear intellectual property rules; a cloud-first approach and cybersecurity aligned with EU frameworks (GDPR/NIS2) and international certifications; talent development through university–business programs and flexible mechanisms for attracting specialists; and predictable conditions for IT service exports and product-company tax policy.
More detailed recommendations will soon be presented in the FIA White Book 2025.
Source: https://newsmaker.md/ro/endava-investitii-in-talente-ca-fundament-a-economiei-digitale
