Paula Mihaescu is the Head of Ethics, Risk & Compliance for Romania at Novartis, where she leads the company’s ethics, compliance, and risk management agenda, fostering a culture of integrity and responsible business conduct.

With over 15 years of experience across compliance, risk management, internal audit, and forensic investigations, Paula has built her career in both consultancy and pharmaceutical sectors. She began her professional journey in a Big4 firm specialising in forensic services before moving into senior ethics and compliance leadership roles within multinational pharmaceutical companies. Her international experience spans strategic assignments supporting the Ethics, Risk & Compliance function in Spain, and secondment to the Global SpeakUp Office, strengthening the company’s speak-up and investigations programme.

Paula holds 3 university degrees in Law, Accounting, and Management, is an ACCA member, and holds internationally recognised ethics and compliance certifications, including the Leading Professional in Ethics & Compliance (LPEC).

She is passionate about positioning ethics and compliance as a strategic enabler of business performance, resilience, and long-term trust by strengthening ethical culture, promoting psychological safety, and embedding integrity into decision-making and innovation.