Fintech Summit 2022

Kalin Hristov

Deputy Governor, Head of the Issue Department and Member of the Governing Council, Bulgarian National Bank

szKalin Hristov has been Deputy Governor, Head of the Issue Department and Member of the Governing Council, Bulgarian National Bank since October 23, 2009. Elected on July 29, 2015 by the 43rd National Assembly for a second 6-year term, as of 24 October 2015. Mr. Hristov was born in Pleven. He has a master's degree in macroeconomics, University of National and World Economy, Sofia. Author of numerous independent publications in the country and abroad in the field of macroeconomics, monetary policy, currency board, economic and monetary union and the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria, as well as co-author of articles and publications on economic and financial topics.

Vladimir Savov

Deputy Chair in charge of the Insurance Supervision Division in the Financial Supervision Commission

On July 23, 2020, Vladimir Savov was elected by the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria as a Deputy Chair of the FSC, heading the Insurance Supervision Division, for a 6-year term.
He was born on August 24, 1971 in the city of Varna. He holds a Master's degree in International Economic Relations from the University of National and World Economy, followed by a Master's degree in Business Administration from the London Business School.
In the period 1993-1998 he worked at UniCredit Bulbank as a Correspondent Relations with Foreign Countries Manager. In 1999, Vladimir Savov interns in the Central and Eastern Europe and Global Depository Receipts Departments at The Bank of New York, London, where he gained international experience in the banking sector. From 2000 to 2009, Vladimir Savov worked as a senior analyst at Brunswick UBS, and from 2003 to 2006 he was Deputy Director and subsequently Director at Uralsib Capital Bank, where he was responsible for the analysis of banking and consumer sector. In the period 2006-2009 he was Director of the Analysis Department at the investment bank Credit Suisse, and from 2009 to 2013 he was Managing Director, Head of the Analytical Department at Otkritie Financial Corporation.
On January 24, 2014, Vladimir Savov was elected by the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria for a 6-year term as a Member of the FSC board, supporting the policy of analysis and risk assessment of financial markets, improving supervisory practices and protecting the interests of investors, insured and the socially insured persons. During this period, he consecutively performed the duties of the Deputy Chair in charge of the Investment Supervision Department and he performs the duties of the Deputy Chair in charge of the Insurance Supervision Department. During his work in the FSC, Mr. Savov focused his efforts on consistency of processes, responsibility and efficiency to achieve sustainable results over time, based on transparency and legality.
From February to July 2020 Mr. Vladimir Savov has held the position of Director of the Regulatory Policy and Strategy Department of the Independent Financial Regulator of the International Financial Center Astana, Kazakhstan. During his work there he introduced good practices and models of regulation and supervision, procedures for reviewing signals and complaints, optimised the prudential requirements for investment intermediaries.
In his professional career so far he has collected extensive experience in the field of financial analysis and strategies, investments, capital markets, banking and international finance.
He speaks English and Russian.
 

Aleksander Petrov

Senior Partner McKinsey&Company, London

Aleksander Petrov leads McKinsey’s work on risk advanced analytics in Europe. He supports clients across a range of risk topics, focusing especially on stress testing, recovery planning, and asset analysis. He maintains a wealth of experience in capital markets, derivatives pricing, and portfolio management from his consultancy work with clients and his earlier career in financial services.
Among Alek’s recent projects are:
- working with a major UK bank to design an end-to-end stress-testing and capital-planning program
- supporting a leading Dutch bank with a review of its risk culture and the transformation of its front office and performance management
- conducting stress-testing reviews and preparing recovery plans for Greek and Cypriot banks, including developing tools for portfolio
- analysis, redesigning non-performing-loan operations, and implementing crash programs
- helping to undertake a comprehensive assessment, review of internal modeling architecture, and development of macroeconomic models for Italian and Portuguese banks
- advising US financial institutions on validation for macroeconomic
- forecasting and asset-cash flow models, and providing support in comprehensive capital analysis and review stress tests
- supporting the commercial due diligence of a corporate target, stress testing the business model and profitability
Before joining McKinsey, Alek, who is a member of the US Chartered Financial Analyst Institute, spent ten years in quant and trading roles in the European fixed-income and structured-finance sectors. For his doctorate on finance from the University of Vienna, he studied stochastic volatility in equity derivatives.
Alek is a board member of the Aleksander Foundation, which seeks to promote the development of university education in Bulgaria. He is fluent in Bulgarian, English, German, and Russian, and has conversational ability in Italian.

Filip Genov

Co-founder and Managing Director, F27

25+ years in banking, innovations and technology, Founder & MD of Sophia Lab, the leading digital transformation and acceleration think tank in Southeast Europe
Founder & MD of the first banking & FinTech VC operation in the Southeast Europe
Founder and Chairman of the Advisory Board of the FinTech and InsureTech Summit, the biggest industrial forum in the Southeast Europe
Member of the Vienna Initiative, CEE&lead expert on financial instruments for innovative and fast growing companies
Co-Founder of the Strategic Center for Artificial Intelligence for Southeast Europe, based in Sofia
Served on the Executive Committee of the Factors Chain International and Strategy and R&D aide to the Executive Committee of CEDEC
Created and managed three 500+ million euro financial businesses
MBA from NYU Stern School of Business, the London School of Economics and Political Science and HEC Paris

Petia Dimitrova

Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board of Postbank

Mrs. Petia Dimitrova is Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board of Postbank (under the legal name Eurobank Bulgaria AD). She joined the team of Postbank in 2003 as Country CFO for the eight affiliated companies of Eurobank EFG Group in Bulgaria. In 2005 was appointed Procurator of the Bank. In 2007 she was appointed Executive Director and Member of the MB of DZI Bank. After the legal merger of DZI Bank and Postbank she became Executive Director and Member of MB of the unified bank. In 2012, Mrs. Dimitrova became Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board of Postbank.
Under her leadership, Postbank completed in just a few years two successful deals, the acquisition and integration in a record short-term time of Alfa Bank - Bulgaria Branch, followed by Piraeus Bank Bulgaria. They are another step to strengthen its position as a systemic for the bank market and to expand its customer base.
Mrs. Dimitrova began her career in 1996 at the Consular Department of the US Embassy. Then, in 1998-2003, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as Senior Manager and Senior Auditor.
She is a chartered accountant, qualified ACCA member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in London, UK. Mrs. Dimitrova has an Executive MBA in General Management from the University of Sheffield, UK and holds two Master Degrees in Finance and Banking and Tourism from the University of National and World Economy and Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. In addition, she is a graduate of ALBA Leadership Development Program, Harvard; holds a Certificate of Merit from Georgetown University Leadership Seminar, Washington D.C. and graduated Management and Social Development of NGOs at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and University of Macedonia, Greece. She also holds certificates for successful completion of the program "Harvard Business School - YPO Presidents' Program" in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Mrs. Dimitrova has acquired her professional qualifications in UK, Greece, Holland, Belgium, USA and Bulgaria, and has participated in various prestigious international trainings, seminars and conferences.
Mrs. Dimitrova is a Member of the Management Boards of the Association of Banks in Bulgaria, "Atanas Bourov" Foundation, "Borica" AD, Endeavor Bulgaria Association, the International Banking Institute. She also is a Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Business Council in Bulgaria, Associate member of the Management Board of CEIBG and Member of the University Council of the American University in Bulgaria. Petia Dimitrova is a Member of the National Council of Global Compact Local Network Bulgaria, Industrial Advisory Board - CITY College, International Faculty of the University of Sheffield, Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), Young Global Leaders Forum, part of the World Economic Forum, Gerson Lehrman Group Accounting Council London, UK, Fellow Member of the Chartered Management Institute, UK and Cofounder of the Public Council of Women in Business.
Mrs. Dimitrova has received many awards, including the prestigious recognition "Mrs. Economy" in "Mr. and Mrs. Economy" competition organized by CEIBG and Economy Magazine (2018, 2015); award by "Atanas Bourov" Foundation for Banking and Financial Management (2017); the Special "Banker of the Year" Awards by Banker weekly in 2020, 2019, 2017, 2015 and 2012; "Woman of the Year" in Business category by Grazia magazine (2014); two Silver Stevie Awards – "Female Executive of the Year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa" and "Female Executive of the Year – Consumer Services with up to 2,500 employees" (2013); "Banker of the Year 2012" by Banker weekly; "Mrs. Economy 2012" for her contribution to the development of the banking sector; one of the Young Global Leaders honorees for 2012, distinguished by the Forum of Young Global Leaders part of the World Economic Forum; International Faculty Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Sheffield (2011); Businesswoman of the Year (2010); the Grand prize in the Bulgarian annual contest for young managers "Next generation" (2009) by Capital weekly; and many others.
Under her leadership Postbank won nearly 100 prestigious international and Bulgarian awards, including gold in "Excellence in Customer Centricity or Customer experience" category in one of Europe's most prestigious competition in the banking sector – The Retail Banking: Europe 2019 Awards. Also "The Best Retail Banking in Bulgaria" award in 2018, 2019 and 2020, "Best Consumer Digital Banks, Bulgaria 2020" award and "Best Mobile Banking Apps, Bulgaria 2020" award from the London-based World Finance Magazine, "Bank of the Year" 2019 at the Annual Bank Awards, Best Employer Awards, and many more.

Diana Miteva

Chairperson of the Executive Board of the ABB

Ms. Diana Miteva has been Member of the Management Board, Executive Director and Head of Retail Banking Division at DSK Bank since 2006  – the leading retail bank in Bulgaria, part of the OTP Banking Group. Ms. Miteva is also current Chairperson of the Executive Board of the Association of banks in Bulgaria (ABB) and member of the Board of the European Banking Federation (EBF).Her professional career has been entirely dedicated to the financial and banking sphere, being part of the management teams of ING Bank Sofia Branch, as Head of Financial Controlling, and of Demirbank, as Member of the Management Board and Executive Director.Bearer of the prestigious Hungarian "Andras Fay" Award. In 2009 and 2017 Ms. Miteva was named "Banker of the Year" by Banker financial weekly. Winner of the renowned "Atanas Bourov" award in 2014. In April 2017, Diana Miteva was awarded with the prestigious French National Order of Merit - Médaille du mérite.

Tzvetanka Mintcheva

Chairperson of the Management Board and CEO of UniCredit Bulbank

Tzvetanka Mintcheva started her career as a trainee in UniCredit in 2001, in Retail Division of Bulbank Bulgaria, moving through a wide range of roles during her early years, from various execution and managerial functions within the Retail network and Head Office team. Since 2007 Tzvetanka has been involved in the coordination and development of alternative distribution channels, being recognized for her significant contribution and the introduction of innovations in Retail and other areas of the bank. 
In September 2013, she was appointed as a Head of Retail Division, and a Member of the Management Board.
In 2017 she  was appointed as a Head of Global Banking Services Division within UniCredit Bulbank successfully implementing multiple strategic and transformation projects.
From March 2020 till June 2021 she holds the position of Deputy CEO of UniCredit Bank Romania. Tzvetanka Mintcheva has a degree in economics and an MBA in international business.
Since September 2021 she is a member of the Management Board of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria.

Vassil Terziev

Managing Partner at Eleven Ventures

Vassil Terziev is a Managing Partner at Eleven Ventures, an early stage VC fund focused on the SEE region. Prior to Eleven, Vassil served as Chief Innovation Officer of Progress Software (NASDAQ: PRGS) which he joined with the acquisition of Telerik, the co-company he co-founded in 2002. As CEO of Telerik he played a key role in the successful growth of the company from a start-up to a leading global provider of developer tools used by millions of developers in over 130,000 clients, including 450 out of "Fortune 500®"companies. 
As an active supporter of the Bulgarian innovative ecosystem, Vassil is a Founding Board Member of Endeavor Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Innovation Hub, as well as one of the most active angel investors. With his former founders at Telerik he is also co-founder of Telerik Academy, the leading educational initiative for digital technologies in Bulgaria, and CampusX, the biggest incubator for technology startups and scale-ups in SEE. 
Vassil holds a Bachelor degree in Business Administration from the American University in Bulgaria.

Mehmet Selcuk Atici

Partner at Earlybird Venture Capital

Early stage tech investor at Earlybird Venture Capital. Part of the Earlybird Digital East Fund since its inception, he covers companies based in Eastern Europe and Turkey. As one of the largest VC firms in Emerging Europe with committed capital of $300m+, they  invest in ambitious tech ventures hailing from the region.
Their portfolio includes some of the multi-billion-dollar startups in the region, including UiPath, Peak, Trendyol

Sasha Bezuhanova

Founder and chairperson of MOVE.BG​

Sasha Bezuhanova is a senior executive, angel investor in sustainable startups and philanthropist with a 20-years executive business career in HP and a multi-dimensional track record of service to society.
She is the founder of MOVE.BG - non-partisan platform for collaboration in finding sustainable solutions for the state, economy and society via innovation, participation and co-creation. Sasha is the and initiator of Green Restart Coalition – collaborative network for green innovation and policy agenda, EDIT.BG – open network initiative for digital innovation, as also The ChangeMakers – multidisciplinary community engagement initiative bridging digital, green and art innovators.
Sasha is Chair of the Boards of WWF CEE and Bulgarian Center of Women in Technologies, Member of the Investment committee of European Innovation Council and Advisor in GreenTech Allience. She is also a mentor and angel investor in a number of technological and sustainability startups.
Sasha was named Digital woman of Europe for 2013 and one of the Top 100 Challengers in New Europe 100  for 2015 and holds many other national and European awards for her contribution to social development.   
She is an Honorary Consul of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to Bulgaria.
Sasha Bezuhanova holds an Executive Master’s Degree in International Negotiations and Policy Making from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, Master's Degree in Electronics from the Technical University of Sofia, and Executive qualifications from INSEAD, Stanford and others.

Miroslav Vichev

Chief Executive Officer, BORICA

Miroslav Vichev is a Chief Executive Officer of the payment and card operator BORICA. He has over 30 years of experience in the field of information technology for the banking sector. Before joining the company, he held a number of leadership positions - Head of "Applied Systems" at the Bulgarian Postbank, Director "Management Consulting and IT" at Deloitte & Touche, Head of "Consulting Department" at Microsoft Bulgaria, IT Director at HVB Bank Biochim, CEO of DSK Bank. He was also a member of the Supervisory Board of the "DSK Rodina" pension company, member of the Board of Directors of the "Cash Service Company AD" and a member of the Board of Directors of OTP Bank (Russia), Deputy CEO of "Information technologies and Operations" of OTP Bank (Hungary). In 2021 he has been awarded as "Manager of the year" in the most prestigious business contest in the country. Mr. Vichev is a former graduate of the Technical University of Sofia.
 

Vanya Manova

Country Manager for Mastercard for Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo

Vanya Manova is a Country Manager for Mastercard for Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo and she’s responsible for managing the development of regional business and market strategy for the highly dynamic Balkan countries. Since March 2019, she has been responsible for developing and implementing the company's strategy to support the growth of card and electronic payments across the four countries, to introduce Mastercard's innovations and technology solutions, and to build long-term partnerships with key customers, government, and public sector.
 
 

Hristo Borisov

Co-Founder & CEO, Payhawk

Hristo Borisov’s career began as a developer at "Telerik", he then went on to lead a big part of the company’s product strategy as Director of Product. In 2018, he founded Payhawk, which became one of Europe’s fastest-growing fintech companies, valued at 1 billion bulgarian leva. Since its inception, Payhawk has gathered over 235 million BGN in funding from some of the world’s most successful risk capital funds - Greenoaks, QED, and Earlybird.
Hristo is a recipient of the team award "John Atanasov" for his contribution to society as co-founder of the mobile application "Grajdanite". He graduated from the American University in Bulgaria.

Martin Macko

Chief Executive Officer, Bearning

Martin is the CEO and founder of consulting company Bearning. He has over 27 years of international experience in banking, financial markets, assets & liabilities management and fintech. 
He was heading Treasury department of an international bank in CEE. Since 2007, when he founded Bearning, Martin acts as a lecturer and consultant on related topics such as treasury and balance sheet management, FTP, interest risk and liquidity, bank management, bank regulation and fintech.
Martin has been a frequent lecturer on many workshops and seminars, and a visiting lecturer on the Comenius University in Bratislava. He is a holder of several degrees and qualifications: Ing. (equiv. MSc.) from the Slovak technical university, ACI Diploma (the Financial Markets Association), Certified Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst (FMVA)® and Certified Banking & Credit Analyst (CBCA)™ and Capital Markets & Securities Analyst (CMSA)® from the Corporate Finance Institute.

Sarel Tal

VP EMEA, Rapyd

Sarel Tal is Vice-President EMEA at Rapyd, a global Fintech-as-a-Service provider. He leads the company’s growth strategy and Business operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 
A payments expert and serial entrepreneur working in both venture-backed scale-ups and enterprise businesses. Sarel has held a variety of roles as a Founder and CEO, as well as senior operational positions. 
Sarel holds a Master of Science in Management Studies from Boston University, and a BsC. in Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University.

Petr Baron

CEO at TBI

For more than 5 years, Petr has been leading TBI, Southeast Europe’s Challenger Bank and BNPL leader in the region. He has rich background in finance and fintech across many European markets. As the driver of one of the most profitable banks in Southeast Europe, he believes the key for success is building performing teams and focusing on creating unique cultural environments for them to flourish. Petr holds a BSc in Investment and Financial Risk Management from the Cass Business School, UK, and is an active Angel Investor and Mentor of European start-ups.

Goran Angelov

Founder and CEO, IBS Bulgaria

Goran Angelov is the founder and manager of IBS Bulgaria (IBS), one of the leading IT companies in the country with a focus on the financial industry, analytics solutions and system integration. IBS is currently implementing key projects in leading banks related to digital transformation, PSD2 regulation, infrastructure modernization and information asset management. Goran Angelov has an engineering degree in production automation. He has more than 20 years of experience in the field of information and communication technologies and participation in a number of successfully implemented large-scale IT projects for business and the public sector.

Vladislav Dramaliev

Продуктов и Маркетинг мениджър, Mettalex

Vladislav Dramaliev is one of the founders of the Bulgarian Bitcoin/blockchain community. Since 2013 he has founded several crypto brokerages and the first bitcoin-only charitable foundation in Europe. He is currently Product and Marketing Manager of the blockchain-based commodity derivatives exchange Mettalex and is developing a series of online courses dedicated to crypto assets taxation - @O2K.tech. Vlad is also the Founder of the BitHope Foundation, owner of BitHope.org platform for cryptocurrency donations. He is the Co-Founder of Sofia Crypto Meetup, the oldest and largest monthly blockchain event and online community in Bulgaria, Co-Founder and Member of the Managing Board of the Bulgarian Bitcoin Association, member of MENSA, an early adopter of technology, and a speaker in the sphere of Bitcoin, DeFi, Web3, and blockchain.
 

Kalin Radev

CEO, Software Group

Kalin Radev is the CEO of Software Group (SoftwareGroup.com), a global technology company specialized in digitalization and integration solutions for institutions that provide financial services. He brings 25+ years of professional experience in IT, 20+ of which in banking, financial inclusion, and microfinance. Kalin has extensive international experience leading strategic projects in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America. His expertise has been crucial for carrying out more than 100 projects around the globe, focused on developing IT strategies and designing solutions that drive digital transformation and enhance efficiency. Kalin is Chairman of the Indian-Bulgarian Business Chamber and co-Chairman of Endeavor Bulgaria’s Board of Directors.
 
About Software Group:
Software Group is a global technology company specialized in digitalization and integration solutions for financial service providers. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria, it currently serves a worldwide client base in more than 70 countries from 9 regional offices located in Australia, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines and the USA. The company’s vision is to accelerate financial inclusion by creating cutting-edge technology solutions. Some of Software Group’s customers are organizations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MasterCard & MasterCard Foundation, International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank, Asia Development Bank, 7 of the 10 biggest Microfinance networks, Asia Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU), Allianz Bank Bulgaria, Atlantic Bank, Bank South Pacific, Commercial International Bank Egypt, and others. Visit us at: https://www.softwaregroup.com
 

Georgi Manolov

Business Development Manager at Nexo

Martin Oresharski

Trusted Services Director, BORICA

Martin Oresharskii is a Trusted Services Director at BORICA. He started his professional development in the Company in 2007 as an expert in the Sales Directorate. Over the years he has held a number of expert positions, and in 2016 he took over the management of the company's sales offices in western Bulgaria as a "Regional Manager". Its activity over the years is closely related to both trade relations and the development of electronic and certification services offered by the Company. In 2020 he held the position of Business Development Manager, focusing entirely on the development of Trusted Services. He is currently responsible for one of the company's strategic projects related to the implementation of innovative solutions for remote signing and remote identification. He holds a bachelor's degree in Informatics and a master's degree in Business Administration.
 

George Robev

Regional Business Development Director - Europe and Central Asia, Software Group

George Robev is leading the business operations of Software Group in Europe and Central Asia. He is a technology manager with over 17 years of experience in the IT sector and has held key leadership positions at companies such as IBM, SAP and SAS Institute. One of the ideologues behind the creation of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (Bulgaria), part of the EU initiative PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe).
 

Calin Mihai Rangu

Director of Resolution Directorate in Romanian Insurance Guarantee Fund (FGA)

Călin is acting as Director of Resolution Directorate in Romanian Insurance Guarantee Fund (FGA), and Dean of Business Administration and Economical Sciences Faculty AT Danubius University. Previously he was Director in Financial Supervision Authority, Ex-Vice-president of EIOPA InsurTech Task Force, President of FSA Shareholder Group in Consumer Protection, member of European Forum for Financial Innovation. He has broad experience in Fintech, management, banking, insurance, operational risks, consumer experience, IT and financial services, products and technologies.
Călin is double licensed in economics and engineering, Ph.D. in neural networks applied in financial series processing, MBA graduate in banking and finance, University Lector, MBA Lector. He acted over 13 years as a director in National Bank of Romania and Raiffeisen Bank, and as general director of the Romanian subsidiary of Raiffeisen Informatik Austria Group. He is co-founder of the CIO COUNCIL association.
He published over 150 articles, and two books, being organizer or speaker in major Romanian conferences related to the insurance sector, consumer protection, FINTech, financial and banking sectors, IT, cyber-fares, operational risk management, or management and processes.

Aleksandar Nikolov

Managing Director of Kyndryl Bulgaria

Aleksandar Nikolov is Managing Director of Kyndryl Bulgaria, focusing on delivering first-class services to the clients, helping them to innovate and grow.
Alex brings more than 20 years of business and technical experience in the IT sector across Bulgaria, working on complex IT projects.
He has strong leadership, technical, services and project management background.
In 2017, he was appointed director of IBM Global Technology Services in Bulgaria, where he contributed to expanding the business in the country and delivering first-of-a-kind services projects for the region, with large accounts across industries.
Alex holds a master degree from the Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and a bachelor degree from the Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria. He has leadership and professional certification from London Business School, PWC and IBM training Academy.
 

Lukas Alner

Co-founder and CEO of Diagnose.me

Lukas Alner is the co-founder and CEO of Diagnose.me - a multiple award winning online platform connecting patients with highly specialized medical experts from around the world and bringing medical innovations closer to patients independent on their local health care system. Diagnose.me provides a range of digital health services for the insurance industry, including AI based Symptom Checker AIDA and AIDA Coach - a virtual coach rewarding users for their healthy behavior.
Before founding Diagnose.me Lukas led several market leading companies to successful exits (leading ISP exited to Norwegian Telecom - Telenor); No.1 portal site in Slovakia (exited to Slovak Telecom - owned by Deutsche Telekom), making him a successful series entrepreneur. Lukas is also a partner at Interklinik – a leading private clinic in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Vladislav Iankov

Sales Director at Equinix Bulgaria

Vladislav Iankov became Sales Director at Equinix Bulgaria in January 2016. He has more than 20 years’ experience in creating consultative techniques and strategies for the DC&IBX business development opportunities between Europe and Asia.
Earlier in his career, Vladislav was a Co-founder and Sales Manager of 3DC (acquired by TelecityGroup in 2013).
Vladislav holds a bachelor`s degree in Computer Science and Economics from University of National and World Economy.

Maxim Kolev

Chairman of the Management Board and Executive Director of the Bulgarian National Guarantee Fund

Maxim Kolev is Chairman of the Management Board and Executive Director of the Bulgarian National Guarantee Fund. He has a long experience in the insurance industry and previously hold the position of General Manager at Nova Ins insurance company, part of Vienna Insurance Group. Maxim Kolev holds a Master’s Degree in Economics, an Executive MBA from the University of Sheffield and a diploma in Strategic management from the Chartered Management Institute, Great Britain.

Ani Angelova

Member of the Management Board and Executive Officer of Raiffeisen Bank Bulgaria

Ani Angelova is Member of the Management Board and Executive Officer of Raiffeisen Bank Bulgaria. She is an experienced Retail Banking Director with a demonstrated history of delivering business results in the banking industry. Skilled in Sales management, Digital Transformation, Banking, People Management, Business Strategy and more important its execution. Professional graduated from RSM Erasmus Graduate School of Business with continued education in top European business schools IESE University of Navarra, INSEAD, IMD Business School.

Milena Georgieva

"Digital Projects and Transformation" Director, DZI, member of КВС

Milena Georgieva is "Digital Projects and Transformation" Director at DZI, member of KBC. She has experience in the financial area for almost 20 years. Currently she is responsible for the digital transformation of the Company, the start of new digital platforms for the end customers and intermediaries, as well as change management, related to the modern customers’ needs and expectations. She starts her professional development in DZI in 2008 as a Marketing Manager, leading marketing campaigns and launching the first online services. Back then DZI enters in top 3 of the insurers by revenue and market share. In 2013 she held the position of "Customer Service Management" Director, having a key role in executing the DZI strategy, which led to the best profit results of the company in the last 20 years. Successfully implemented Microsoft’s CRM D365 to enable sales and customer service. At the end of 2021 together with her team she successfully started the newest portal for insurance sales and services of DZI – go.dzi.bg. She holds Master’s degree in Marketing.

Ulrich Buechsenschuetz

Solution Consultant, Risk & Compliance at Refinitiv, an LSEG Business

Ulrich Buechsenschuetz is a solution consultant focusing on KYC/AML and third party risk management programs. He has joined Thomson Reuters, the predecessor organisation of Refinitiv, in 2014. Before this, he has led a team of due diligence and investigations consultants at major international risk management consultancy Control Risks.
His experience includes project work in the German-speaking countries and Eastern Europe. In Bulgaria, he advised financial institutions as well as major international energy and infrastructure comanies on political and compliance risks.
 

Veselina Markova

Fintech Lead at Eleven Ventures

Gerald Gruber

CCO at bunq

Gerald Gruber is CCO at bunq - an Amsterdam based challenger bank with a commitment to make our planet a greener place and its customers CO2 free in less than 2 years. He is in charge of international expansion and strategic partnerships.
bunq is a neo-bank, founded in 2012 by serial entrepreneur Ali Niknam (1981) after he secured the first European banking permit in over 35 years. He set out to radically change the traditional banking industry and was bunq’s sole investor until 2021, financing the company with €98.7m of his own money. This provided bunq with the freedom and independence to build a bank rooted in the wants and needs of its users. In April 2021, their deposits surpassed €1 billion for the first time, having doubled in 2019 and then again in 2020.

Peter Barath

Regions marketing and partnership director, WWF-CEE

Peter Barath (HU) has 25 experience in all fields of marketing and corporate communication in various leadership positions both at agency (Publicis, DDB) and at the advertiser side (Vodafone). His experience includes marketing and brand work with FMCG brands, with the telecom and IT industry as well as CEO level company management and senior position in the public administration sector. Peter joined WWF-CEE in 2020 March, as regions marketing and partnership director.
 

Angel Mateev

Head of Retail Banking Sector at Postbank

He is in charge for Retail Business covering wide area of responsibilities including Strategic Development and Innovations of Individual, Premium and Small Business Segments, Branch Network, Digital Banking and CRM. Mr. Mateev started his banking career 22 years ago and he held various managerial positions including Branch Manager, Regional Manager and Head of Small Business Banking.
 

Stanislav Oparanov

Associate Director at Protiviti Milan and Protiviti Bulgaria

Stan Oparanov is an Associate Director at Protiviti Milan and Protiviti Bulgaria. Stan is one of the leaders of Protiviti Bulgaria, which focuses on the use of technology and innovation in management consulting, risk management, compliance and internal audit. He has strong experience in combining traditional professional services with enabling technologies and leading digital transformation programmes in financial services. Prior to joining the leadership team of Protiviti Bulgaria, Stan spent 10 years working in London. Stan is a chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW) and holds a BSc in Economics from Durham University, UK and an MSc in Banking and International Finance from Bayes Business School, UK.
Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and our independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, governance, risk and internal audit through our network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries. Named to the 2021 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For® list, Protiviti has served more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 and 35 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Ludmila Petrova

Head of Marketing, CX and Engagement leader - BNP Paribas Personal Finance Bulgaria

Ludmila Petrova is Head of Marketing, CX and Engagement leader of BNP Paribas Personal Finance for Bulgaria. She has more than 20 years experience in marketing with focus on communications. Ludmila has started her career in the marketing communications function of a leading trade fair organizer, and has held positions in an event venue, professional media, and marketing communications agency before joining BNP Paribas Personal Finance 10 years ago. Enjoying the challenges at BNP Paribas Personal Finance, she has changed 4 positions with ever broader scope of responsibility. Leading teams for more than 15 years, she been a driver to the delivery of multiple digital solutions, sustainability events and CX initiatives. She holds a master degree in International Economic Relations. Ludmila is also a volunteer to the cause for promoting sustainable consumption and financial literacy.

Sergey Panteleev

General manager of Varengold Bank Sofia Branch

Sergey Panteleev is the general manager of Varengold Bank Sofia Branch. His professional path includes the largest Bulgarian bank by assets, where he was Business development manager and head of the Financial Institutions Group Department in the Corporate, Investment and Private Banking Division. Sergey Panteleev has more than 14 years in the banking sector, specializing in corporate and investment banking and structured finance. He holds a Master’s degree in Corporate and Investment Banking from Bocconi University in Milano and in International Economics Relations from the University for National and World Economy in Sofia.