BusinessMagazin

Tag: Petru Prunea

  • The rise and fall of a broker

    Everyone knows Petru Prunea, 63, to be an authoritative leader and a man with a strong personality. His employees at Broker know it best, as they had ended up smoking in the bathrooms of the company’s headquarters on 119, Calea Motilor in Cluj- Napoca, like high-school kids, after he had banned smoking on the premises.

    However, the company he founded and has run since 1994 was shaken by the biggest scandal on the capital market after 2000 at the beginning of the year, after the head of the Deva office of Broker was found to have defrauded customers by almost one million euros. An extensive probe of the National Securities Commission, the supervisory authority of the capital market, followed and found problems at other branches, too, leading to the harshest penalties on the Stock Exchange thus far: total fines worth 843,000 RON (200,000 euros) for the company and 22 of its employees and a five-year suspension for Prunea from the capital market. How did Petru Prunea, who developed one of the biggest businesses on the capital market, with about 10,000 customers and 15,000 shareholders, end up being held responsible for such serious wrongdoings? Those who have worked with him say that everything stemmed from his wish to control everything and from not having delegated part of the responsibilities as the firm was growing.

    ”If Mr. Prunea had the inspiration to work more closely with the members of the board of directors in making decisions, maybe things wouldn’t have got where they are now,” says Anton Ionescu, 68, Broker’s third shareholder, who controls 4.16% in the company. He took over as chairman of Broker in March, after a ‘coup-de-palace’ whereby he and other members of the Board of Directors, who in turn were significant shareholders of the firm, ousted Prunea from the helm.

    ”Prunea regarded himself as the undisputed owner of the firm; he wanted to control everything and maybe this is what caused what happened to him. There wasn’t any trouble at first, the trouble started as the company was growing. When you already have hundreds of employees, very much money and the power is in the hands of only one man, trouble begins,” Ionescu explains. He says he joined Broker as a shareholder in 2005, after having concluded his political career as a deputy, which included a short stint as Transports Minister of the Radu Vasile Cabinet in 1998.

    ”I had known Petru Prunea for many years, as we were co-workers when I was the dean of the constructions faculty (of the Technical University of Cluj – i.e.). I was happy with the idea of working together, because he was one of the first people to have taken the step from socialism to the capitalist economy and founded this brokerage firm,” Ionescu recalls his first meeting with Broker.

    ”People change, they no longer communicate, no longer work with others like they used to, and show sides of their personality that may have not been visible in the beginning,” says Ioan Cartis, 73, the principal shareholder of Broker, with 8.22%.

    Petru Prunea says he has always taken shareholder opinions into account, when they showed common sense, but believes he is the only member of the board capable of running Broker, given his expertise with the capital market, after the fourteen years of almost constant growth of the firm he has run.

    A day before CNVM’s verdict, Prunea said he was thinking of stepping down as chief executive of Broker, and even sell his shares, after having been ousted as chairman by the other board members, two of which had been brought into the company by him. Now, he is determined to stick with Broker, even though he says CNVM’s penalties against it and against him could prove fatal for the firm.

  • Marirea si decaderea unui broker

     

    Petru Prunea, 63 de ani, este cunoscut de toata lumea drept un lider autoritar si o personalitate puternica. O stiu cel mai bine angajatii sai de la Broker, care ajunsesera in ultimii ani sa fumeze in baile sediului central al firmei din Calea Motilor nr. 119 din Cluj-Napoca ca niste elevi de liceu, dupa ce el a instituit interdictia de a se mai fuma in cadrul institutiei.
     
    Firma pe care a fondat-o si pe care a condus-o din 1994 a fost zguduita la inceputul anului de cel mai mare scandal de pe piata de capital de dupa 2000, dupa ce s-a descoperit ca sefa agentiei din Deva a Broker a fraudat clientii societatii cu aproape un milion de euro. A urmat un amplu control al Comisiei Nationale a Valorilor Mobiliare (CNVM), autoritatea de supraveghere a pietei de capital, in urma caruia au fost descoperite nereguli si la alte sucursale ale Broker, fapt care a condus la cele mai drastice sanctiuni dictate pana acum la Bursa: amenzi in valoare totala de 843.000 de lei (200.000 de euro) pentru societate si 22 dintre angajatii sai si suspendarea pentru cinci ani a lui Prunea de pe piata de capital.
     
    Cum a ajuns Petru Prunea, care a dezvoltat una dintre cele mai mari afaceri de pe bursa, cu circa 10.000 de clienti si 15.000 de actionari, sa fie tras la raspundere pentru astfel de ilegalitati? Colaboratorii sai sustin ca totul a fost determinat de dorinta lui de a controla totul si de faptul ca nu a delegat din responsabilitati odata cu cresterea firmei.
     
    “Daca domnul Prunea era inspirat si colabora mai mult cu membrii consiliului de administratie in luarea deciziilor, poate nu se ajungea aici”, sustine Anton Ionescu, 68 de ani, al treilea actionar al Broker, care controleaza 4,16% din capitalul companiei. El a preluat functia de presedinte al Broker in luna martie, dupa o “lovitura de palat” in care, impreuna cu alti membri ai consiliului de administratie, la randul lor actionari semnificativi ai firmei, l-a inlaturat pe Prunea de la carma societatii.

     
    “Prunea s-a considerat stapanul absolut al firmei, voia sa controleze tot si poate de aici i s-au tras cele intamplate. La inceput nu au fost probleme, dar ele au aparut pe masura ce firma a crescut. Cand deja sunt sute de salariati, foarte multi bani si toata puterea sta in mana unui singur om apar probleme”, explica Ionescu. El spune ca a intrat in actionariatul Broker in 2005, dupa ce si-a incheiat cariera politica de deputat, in care a fost pentru o scurta perioada, in 1998, si ministru al transporturilor in guvernul Radu Vasile. “Il cunosteam pe Petru Prunea de multi ani, fiind colegi in perioada cat am fost decanul Facultatii de Constructii de la Universitatea Tehnica din Cluj. M-a bucurat ideea unei colaborari, pentru ca era unul dintre primii care au facut pasul de la socialism la economia capitalista cu aceasta societate de brokeraj”, rememoreaza Ionescu primul contact cu Broker.
     
    Chiar si cei care au fost cu Prunea de la inceput, de cand a infiintat firma, sustin ca in timp colaborarea s-a schimbat, pe masura ce afacerea s-a extins si, odata cu ea, si influenta lui Prunea pe piata de capital. Ioan Cartis, 73 de ani, este principalul actionar al Broker, cu 8,22% din actiuni. El isi aminteste cum a facut primii pasi pe piata de capital, chiar la indemnul lui Prunea.
     
    “Prin 1993, Petru Prunea a avut ideea infiintarii unei societati de valori mobiliare. Mi-a prezentat ideea si am acceptat, deoarece aveam cunostinte despre domeniu si anticipam o dezvoltare buna, in perspectiva infiintarii Bursei de Valori.”

     
    El spune ca inceputul a fost caracterizat prin mult entuziasm, iar printre actionari se numarau medici, ingineri si profesori universitari, el insusi fiind fost rector al Universitatii Politehnice din Timisoara. Baza de plecare a fost solida, insa pe parcurs relatiile dintre principalii actionari au devenit tensionate.
     
    “Oamenii se mai schimba, nu mai comunica, nu mai colaboreaza la fel, isi arata si alte laturi ale personalitatii care poate nu erau vizibile la inceput”, spune Cartis, care a fost membru in consiliul de administratie al Broker din 1994 pana in martie 2009, cand s-a retras din cauza unor probleme de sanatate.
     
    Petru Prunea sustine ca a tinut tot timpul cont de parerile actionarilor, “atunci cand acestea au fost de bun-simt”, insa considera ca este singurul dintre membrii consiliului de administratie in masura sa conduca Broker, din punctul de vedere al experientei pe piata de capital, dupa aproape 14 ani in care afacerea a crescut aproape continuu.

    Petru Prunea: “Societatea noastra e o societate de egali, asa scrie si pe usa. Deciziile se iau in comun. "

    Adrian Caramiha, broker: "Daca activitatea Broker era intru totul in limitele legii, nu cred ca CNVM avea de ce sa se lege”

    Adrian Caramiha, fost director general adjunct al Broker Cluj: “Nu cred intr-o formula de management cu oameni din interior, care au fost formati si au lucrat alaturi de un presedinte sanctionat in acest fel"