Mariya Gabriel

European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society

Mariya Gabriel is the European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society since July 2017. The overall objective within her overarching portfolio aims at the full realisation of the Digital Single Market. Her strategic vision has consistently placed European citizens at the centre of our policies, helping them acquire digital skills to succeed the digital transformation process. She has focused her efforts on putting forward an ambitious digital programme in the context of the next MFF, investing in HPC, AI, cybersecurity, but also the creative, audiovisual industries and media, bringing benefits to all European citizens. She has extensively engaged with external EU partners to enhance digital cooperation, in particular with the Western Balkans and the Mediterranean region. She is co-chair of the EU-Africa Digital Economy Task Force.

Tanya Mihaylova

Deputy Minister of Education and Science

Mrs. Tanya Mihaylova has a bachelor’s degree in ‘Automated Equipment of Mechanical Engineering’ from the Department of Automation of Discrete Production Engineering at the Technical University, City of Sofia, and completed at the same time professional pedagogic training. She has acquired additional qualifications in management and marketing, as well as in optical and medical equipment. Her professional path has been determined by her secondary education studies at the National Vocational High School of Engineering and Optics Precise ‘M.V. Lomonosov’, City of Sofia, where she graduated from the training and professional complex, specialty ‘Laser Technology’, where she held several positions including teacher, deputy director for educational and production activities, and director. She has received the 3rd Professional Qualification Degree.

Silviya Kancheva

State Expert, Minister of Education and Science.

Rumyana Kostadinova

Vocational Education and Training Directorate, Ministry of Education and Science

Assoc. Prof. Elissaveta Gourova

Director Administrative activities of the Centre of Excellence UNITe

Assoc. Prof. Elissaveta Gourova is Head of Masters Programme "Technology for knowledge and innovation" at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics of Sofia University "St. Kl. Ohridski". Director Administrative activities of the Centre of Excellence UNITe. Assoc. Prof. Gourova has a long-term interdisciplinary research and teaching experience in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT), e-skills, knowledge management and knowledge management technologies. She has expert experience with the preparation of the first Strategy for secondary schools training in ICTs and she was in charge for the preparation of the Strategy for Information Society in Republic Bulgaria as Head of Department Information Society and Information Technology" of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. As research fellow of DG JRC of the European Commission she worked in the areas of ICT, research, innovation and e-competencies. Presently, she represents Bulgaria in the H2020 ERC, MSCA и FET Programme Committee and in the Standing Group on Human Resources and Mobility at ERAC.

Prof. Ana Proykova, DSc, PhD

Research-professor at the Faculty of mathematics and informatics (FMI), Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski

Prof. Ana Proykova, DSc, PhD is a research-professor at the Faculty of mathematics and informatics (FMI), Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. She is the Science Director of UNITe (Universities for ScieNce, Informatics and Technologies in e-Society) Centre of Excellence in ICT. Prof. Proykova delivered lectures in High Performance Computing (HPC) for two decades for students enrolled in the master program "Distributed systems and mobile technologies" at the FMI. She has been the leader of Bulgarian teams involved in eleven research projects funded by the European Union Framework Programmes 5,6,7, Horizon 2020. For scientific achievements in low dimensional systems the Japan Society for Promoting Science and the Fulbright program awarded her. She was elected as a member of the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks of the European Commission in 2009, in 2013, and in 2016. In 2017 Prof. Proykova was elected as the Chair of the Strategic group Data, Computing and Digital Infrastructures (DIGIT) of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures. Being a head of the HPC laboratory in the Sofia Tech Park she is involved in training and education of business users, bachelor, master, PhD, and high-school students interested in the modern e-technologies. She is a co-founder and a board member of the Bulgarian Centre of Women in Technologies.

Dobroslav Dimitrov

Chairman, Bulgarian Association of Software Companies - BASSCOM

Assoc. Prof. Nikolina Nikolova

Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics - Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski

Assoc. Prof. Eliza Stefanova

Deputy Rector of Information Activities, Academic Staff and Administration, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski

Nadezhda Tsvetkova

Manager of RAABE Bulgaria

Nadezhda Tsvetkova started her professional development in 1999 as a consultant on the implementation of ERP systems "TechnoClass" and "MacHotel" in the Bulgarian software company "L-Class". Since 2003 she started working at RAABE Bulgaria EOOD as financial manager, and since 2009 she has become the Manager of the company. She holds a Master's Degree in Accounting and Control from UNWE and a Postgraduate Diploma in Law from UNWE, majoring in Digital and Direct Marketing, with a Six Sigma Green Belt certification.

Assoc. Prof. Teodosi Teodosiev

Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Shumen University

Assoc. Prof. Teodosi Teodosiev is the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs of the Mathematics and Computer Science of Shumen University, Bulgaria. He is Associated Professor of Informatics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science. As a lecturer and researcher, Teodosi Teodosiev works in the field of programming and artificial intelligence. His teaching activity is related to the preparation of future teachers in mathematics, informatics and information technology, as well as working with teachers in postgraduate programs at the Shumen University. He has repeatedly participated in the jury of national student programming competitions. Teodosi Teodosiev serves as a supervisor of a scientific package part of a project to create a centre of excellence in the field of ICT "UNITe" (a consortium of five leading Bulgarian universities - Sofia University, TU-Sofia, Ruse University, Burgas University and Shumen University).

Prof. Dr. Natalia Futekova

Member of the Managing Board of BAIT

Prof. Dr. Natalia Futekova is a managing partner of erp.bg – one of the leading Bulgarian companies for business software development. She combines successfully her entrepreneurial career in the sphere of technologies with her academic and scientific work, along with active participation in educational and other types of social causes. Her scientific interests are in the areas of the development of ERP systems and other business software solutions, business management and the implementation of information systems. Prof. Dr. Natalia Futekova participates actively in different initiatives in support of education, culture and entrepreneurship. She is a member of the jury of the initiative "Innovators in education" and also a mentor of Start it Smart, where she provides guidance to young entrepreneurs to develop and achieve their ideas through personal mentor meetings, advice, strategic partnerships, provision of key resources etc.

Vesselka Voutkova

Director Corporate Communications at VIVACOM

Vesselka Voutkova has been Corporate Communications Director at VIVACOM since 2013. Before that, she was Regional Business Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa at Sony Mobile Communications, Germany. For many years she was Communications Manager at Ericsson Telecommunications Bulgaria EOOD and later as Regional Marketing Manager for the Balkans in Sony Ericsson - Bulgaria.

Kaloyan Borovinov

Special Projects Management, M2M Solutions and Innovation Senior Expert at Corporate Sales Departament, VIVACOM

Kaloyan Borovinov is a Senior Specialist in "Special Project Management, M2M Solutions and Innovation" at VIVACOM's Corporate Sales Directorate. He has Master's Degree in Business Administration from University of Plovdiv "Paisii Hilendarski" and has been part of the company since 2006.

Radosveta Drakeva

Business analyst, Management Information Systems in Education, AdminSoft Plus

Radosveta Drakeva has been working in the field of development and implementation of Management Information Systems in education since 1998. She is a specialist in Education Management, with vast experience as a headmaster and deputy director in secondary education, and further specializations in Computerization of social systems and Project management in IT. She has extensive experience in development, implementation and support of Management information systems in education, including MES and IT tools for schools, kindergartens, adult vocational training centers. She leads the teams for developing the Information systems of the Ministry of Education and Science and the National Agency for Vocational Education and Training. She is involved in number of educational analysis projects. Member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Research in Education.

Nely Georgieva

Deputy Principal for Academic Affairs, IT and Innovation at NPMG "Acad. L. Chakalov" - Sofia

Associate Professor Toni Chehlarova, PhD

Head of the Education in Mathematics and Informatics Department, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Academician Petar Kenderov

Associate Member of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Ralitsa Voinova

Senior Expert of Informatics and Information Technologies, Regional Education Directorate - Sofia City

Dr. Eng. Milena Yordanova

Head of Software Applications Department, Teza Ltd.

Valentina Terzieva

Asistant, Institute of information and Communication Technologies - Bulgarian Academy of Science

Elena Paunova-Hubenova, PhD

Institute of information and Communication Technologies - Bulgarian Academy of Science

Dobromir Bobev

Managing Director, iSchool