Time has come: Vasile Tofan explains why he left business career to become Prime Minister

"The time has come to use everything I have learned for the good of a larger number of people, for higher objectives, and to make the lives of Moldovans better." This is how Prime Minister Vasile Tofan explained the reasons that led him to accept the position of Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, giving up the economic activity he had carried out until now. Speaker Igor Grosu told an interview for MOLDPRES that Vasile Tofan brings a "fresh breeze and new energy to the Executive," praising the managerial skills and extensive experience of the new prime minister.

Vasile Tofan said that for him, making money is not an end in itself and that for some time he had been considering getting involved in an activity oriented toward the interests of a larger number of people and toward goals he considers to be higher.

"You can't earn all the money in the world, and in my case that is certainly not the purpose of life. Therefore, making money is not an end in itself for me. And I admit that for some time I had been thinking of dedicating myself to an activity in the interest of a larger number of people, for the sake of higher objectives," Tofan said on a TV8 show.

At the same time, Vasile Tofan added that his intention is to use the knowledge and experience he has accumulated to help improve the lives of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova.

"My intention is to try to use everything I have learned to make the lives of Moldovans better. I believe I have been lucky in life, I really have been lucky. Not because I am so smart, but simply because in certain respects I have been fortunate: a good education, a good job. I think the time has come to try to use part of what I have learned for the benefit of a larger number of people, and not just for enriching shareholders and enriching myself personally," said Vasile Tofan.

At the same time, Grosu stated in an interview for MOLDPRES that Vasile Tofan brings a "fresh breeze and new energy to the Executive," appreciating his managerial qualities and extensive experience. "Of course, the Government has our full support, especially that of the parliamentary majority. Mr. Tofan comes with a fresh breeze, with a new dynamic, energy in the Executive. We did indeed insist on having this type of profile for the prime minister, because the focus is on economic growth and he has extensive experience in various enterprises, international companies, investment funds, he knows the field, he has invested heavily abroad – Ukraine, Romania, the USA – and, of course, he is well suited for this mission of attracting investors, of doing this as quickly as possible, because he has a degree of credibility that allows him to do this, to contact directly the leaders or owners of large companies he knows, to explain to them the major opportunities we can offer and to help us grow economically. (...) Parliament is open to continue supporting the Government, as it has done so far," said Igor Grosu.

The Government led by Vasile Tofan was sworn in a week ago, on July 22, based on the vote of confidence granted by Parliament on Tuesday, July 21.

Vasile Tofan is 44 years old and is an investor, entrepreneur, and financier with experience gained in the Republic of Moldova, Europe, and the United States of America. He worked for many years in the field of private equity investments and is one of the managers involved in major development projects of companies in the region.

Vasile Tofan studied at two prestigious international institutions. He completed the Master of Business Administration (MBA) program at Harvard Business School with distinction and holds bachelor's and master's degrees in public management from Erasmus University Rotterdam. He speaks Romanian, English, French, Dutch, and Russian fluently.