Meet the Human Behind SunStone

Strategist. Coach. Former Proposal Warrior. Forever Curious.

Hi, I’m Andreea Nicolescu and I didn’t dream of working in bids and proposals as a child (shocking, I know). Like most of us in this niche-y, high-stakes, slightly chaotic world, I landed here by chance... and stayed for nearly two decades.

I’ve worn many hats: translator, interpreter, expat, proposal writer, coordinator, strategist, capture planner, and eventually Global Director of Strategy and Sales for a major engineering and design firm. It’s been a ride. A thrilling, humbling, wonderfully human ride.

Here's what I’ve learned:

  • The work is complex.

  • The people are brilliant (and sometimes burning out).

  • The stakes are high.

  • And no one really talks about what it's like behind the curtain: the pressure, the politics, the late nights, the imposter syndrome, the win highs and loss lows.

I’ve been there. On both sides. From coordinating a proposal with 30 contributors in 3 time zones, to sitting at the leadership table making strategic decisions no one wants to make.

And like many high-achievers, I hit a point where “just keep pushing” wasn’t working anymore. So I did something radical. I got help.

Coaching changed everything.

I worked with two brilliant coaches over two years, and it was like someone turned the lights on. I got clarity, I grew, I set boundaries (a revolutionary act in the world of bids!), and I started leading, not just performing.

And that’s when it hit me:
There’s nothing out there created specifically for the people in our world: the proposal managers, writers, specialists, engineers, account managers, strategists.


All the resources focus on winning more work for the company.


But what about you?

Enter: SunStone

A project created for you. The human behind the proposal. Your career, your skills, your goals, your life.

Through SunStone, I blend two decades of real-world work winning experience with the rigor, ethics, and deep presence of professional coaching. I’m certified, accredited, and grounded in the standards that make coaching powerful and transformative.

But most of all? I get it.

I understand what it means to operate in this world ..all the juggling, the pressure, the need to always be "on."


And I’m here to help you navigate it, grow within it, or, if needed, move beyond it.

So if you’re ready to step into your next chapter with clarity and confidence, let’s connect.

It’s time to put you at the center of the strategy.

Follow me on LinkedIn.

The Road to SunStone

What it was like to work with me.

Reflections from colleagues, leaders, and collaborators across 16 years in international bids and proposals.

  • “ I worked with Andreea in a proposal management role for a large MNC and found Andreea managed to fit right into the sweet spot of professional reliability and being a great person to work with. She manages to keep a focus on both the technical deliverables and ensuring the team has balance, support and motivation..”

    Michael Brown, Head of Bidding APAC, Linesight

  • “I had the pleasure of working with Andreea for many years during her time at AECOM. I have always found her to be a highly dedicated and professional individual with impressive skills in the development of mega-bids. Andreea understands and follows the best practices and work winning processes to deliver compelling bids that are both technically and commercially competitive. She inspires and promotes the right behaviours within her team and she cares about her clients. Her critical thinking, personal engagement and team spirit makes her a dynamic leader who is able to deliver successful results in a highly challenging business environment.”

    Dr. Walid Mahmoud, Executive Vice President, AECOM

  • “ Andreea is the perfect business process owner for sales. The knowledge and capabilities to understand solutions and adapt to business needs is her great skill. Very versatile, and a bold personality. Her planning process is very detailed. We had great time working together..”

    Gayathri Ramachandran, Solution Architect SAP

  • “Andreea is a bright sales leader that seeks excellence in all aspects of the sales process. She is proficient in all sales operations pillars, internal strategy setting, key account management, pipeline and bids development, leadership and people management. She is a great innovator and quick thinker when it comes to installing efficiencies of any type, as well as to problem shooting and decision-making. Andreea loves to see people thrive and is a great supporter of others’ growth. She likes to smartly challenge the status quo to ensure continuous progress of a team or organization. I give her my best recommendation and can only imagine that she will continue to contribute and grow with every challenge that she is presented with.”

    Carlos Temprano, Growth Lead, Architecture and Design, AECOM

Voices That Moved Me.

Words from coaching clients who dared to speak up, step forward, and lead their way.

To honour the privacy and trust that’s core to coaching, individual names are not published. But I’m proud to have supported professionals from global organisations like Microsoft, Amazon, Schneider Electric, Bouygues, AstraZeneca, and Notion.

  • “Working with Andreea has been a transformative experience. She has helped me unlock a new level of effective communication, providing invaluable tools and insights that have elevated my professional tone and approach. Her guidance has allowed me to understand my tendency to accommodate others and uncover the underlying reasons behind how I perceive certain situations. As a result, I am now able to engage with others, particularly leadership, with confidence. Andreea’s expertise has truly enriched my professional interactions, making her coaching invaluable to anyone looking to enhance their communication skills and gain deeper self-insight.”

    – Engineer, Client Account Manager

  • “I appreciated Andreea's smooth approach that allowed me to reflect on my patterns of behaviour and decide how to correct them. Thank you so much for allowing me to think, speak and open up freely and safely.”

    - Manager Microsoft

  • "I worked with Andreea for five months and it was life-changing!"

    - Strategy and Sales Area Manager AstraZeneca

  • "I enjoyed that we worked towards a goal of "how to show up at the company yearly meet up". There had been layoffs in the last year that led to frustration and me doubting myself quite a bit. While my goal was to improve my executive presence, Andreea corrected it towards how to assert my presence in the company highlighting that I already had most of these skills. This meant how to continue building trust and self-confidence when we are not in person and even if most of my skills work better for in-office interaction. We talked about very practical aspect of communication such as assertiveness and building report for me to continue to assert my circle of influence during the team meet up. Andreea also did not shy away from difficult questions which set us up for success. I would love to work with her again in the future.”

    – Director, Legal Department

  • "I gained clarity on what holds me back and now I trust my capabilities, talents and I have a positive outlook of what is to come. I am most grateful for having had this powerful coaching experience with Andreea."

    - MCAPS Microsoft

Ready to lead your way?

Let’s talk about what’s next—for your growth, your leadership, and your impact.