Ecommerce and Retail Summit: Navigating of new era of buying

Marina Dziuge

Senior Research Manager at Euromonitor International

Marina Dziuge is a Senior Research Manager at Euromonitor International overseeing Food and Nutrition research across European markets.  She joined Euromonitor Consulting team in London in 2013. After over 4 years in Consulting, Marina has moved to manage Food and Nutrition vertical of the syndicated business.
Marina has a wide-ranging skill and experience set, having worked with a number of Euromonitor’s major clients. Marina has successful record of client collaboration, presentation and stakeholders’ expectations management. At the moment Marina is leading European research division, specialising in Food and Nutrition industry. With her team she is working on market sizing, competitive analysis, opportunity analysis and strategic analysis across 34 European countries.
Prior to Euromonitor Marina worked as a Business Consultant at Ernst & Young, mainly focusing on business processes and organizational structure improvement using 6 sigma and lean techniques. Then changing her career to Product manager in insurance business, where she engaged in the primary and secondary research while developing new products.
Marina gained a double bachelor’s degree with honours in Business Management, specializing in marketing and market research, at Vilnius Gediminas' Technical and Stralsund Universities. Marina continued her education with master’s  degree in EU Policy and Administration from Mykolas Romeris' University, followed by another master’s degree in International Business Management from ISM University of Management and Economics, where she was among the top 3 graduates.
 

Manol Goygadjiev

Manager Serdika Center

Manol Goygadjiev has over 15  years experience on the real estate market in Bulgaria. His career began at Wells Fargo Bank in Columbia, Maryland, USA as an analyst, where he structured residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) on the American fixed income market. Between 2005 and 2007, he was a Senior consultant at the Consulting and investment sales department at Forton, where he participated in the consulting and valuation of numerous office, retail and residential projects. Following this, he was the founder and manager of the Retail agency at MBL until 2011. There, he was responsible for the leasing of City Center Sofia. He joined the team of ECE Proektmanagement Bulgaria in 2012, where he was responsible for the leasing of Mega Mall and Serdika Center. After the sale of Serdika Center, he continued to work as part of the new team of Nepi Rockcastle and is currently the center manager of the shopping center. Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Retail Centers, which includes 13 of the major shopping centers in the country. Manol holds a Bachelor’s degree with a double major in Finance and International Business from Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland.
 

Prof. Jorij Abraham

Managing Director, Ecommerce Foundation

Prof. Jorij Abraham has been part of the international e-commerce community since 1997. He was an e-commerce manager at Bijenkorf (supermarket chain), TUI (Europe's largest travel organization), an online publisher at Sanoma Media, the largest media company in the Benelux ) and Consulting Director at Unic (European e-commerce implementation and strategic planning firm). In parallel with these activities, he co-founded two companies, eVentures Europe and vZine.
From 2013 to 2017, he was Director of Research and Consulting at Thuiswinkel.org (Dutch E-Commerce Association) and Ecommerce Europe (European E-Commerce Association with 25,000+ members in 20 countries). He is currently the Managing Director of the Ecommerce Foundation, whose mission is to promote global e-commerce. He is also a professor of e-commerce at the University of Applied Sciences, TIO.

Milena Dragijska

CEO of Lidl Bulgaria

Milena Dragijska has been managing Lidl Bulgaria since 2007, when the chain started on the Bulgarian market. Her career in Lidl Germany began as a regional sales manager for the Stuttgart and Karlsruhe regions, then she continued her professional development at the headquarters of Lidl, where she was responsible for various international projects for Lidl International.
She is a member of the Management Board of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Management Board of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, the Management Board of America for Bulgaria Foundation as well as the Management Board of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum, as well as Member of the Board, Association for Modern Trade.
 

Tzonka Ivanova - Terzieva

General manager, Direction Marketing and Supply, dm Bulgaria

Tzonka Ivanova - Terzieva is part of the Management board, which founded dm Bulgaria in 2009. She possesses extensive previous experience in the retail sector.
Since the establishment of the company, she took the role of Head of Marketing and Supply Department. In 2011 Tzonka Ivanova-Terzieva was appointed as procurator of dm Bulgaria and between 2013 and 2015, she was leading also part of Sales Department.
As of January 2017 she is General manager, Direction Marketing and Supply.
 

Radomir Milanov

Managing Director of SAP Bulgaria

Radomir Milanov, born in Dobrich, graduated in Macroeconomics from the University of National and World Economy. He further completed an MBA at Henley Business School, University of Reading, England. Radomir has worked for IBM for over 11 years and has held various international management roles. He became part of SAP’s local team since 2016 as Director of Sales,  and  he was responsible for SAP’s sales and business strategy in the banking, finance and insurance, energy, utilities and telecommunications sectors in Bulgaria, as well as for the development, management and expansion of the company's partner network in Bulgaria. Since May 2018, Radomir holds the position of Managing Director of SAP Bulgaria.

Donika Rizova

Communications Director of the Association for Modern Trade

Donika Rizova is Communications Director of the Association for Modern Trade.
She is a well-known name on the television screen, children's writer, travel blogger and ambassador for a number of educational campaigns.
Donika  is a regular guest-lecturer in universities and schools, and an established analyst on media topics.
 
 

Svetoslav Gavrilov

CEO of FANTASTICO GROUP

Svetoslav Gavrilov is the CEO of FANTASTICO GROUP. He has been with the company for 22 years, going through almost all levels in the professional hierarchy. His career began at a FANTASTICO supermarket when he was a student. Then he went on to work at the company headquarters, where he held various positions before he eventually became a CEO – Sales Associate, Sales Director, and Chief Sales Officer. Svetoslav Gavrilov has graduated from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia.
 

Ivaylo Ivanov

Manager of NewPay and the P2P landing platform iuvo, Member of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Fintech Association

Ivaylo Ivanov is founder and CEO of NewPay and the P2P landing platform iuvo. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Fintech Association. Ivaylo is financial technology expert, has a Master's degree in Business Administration from Cotrugli Business School and is a member of ACCA. He has extensive experience in business development, consulting and project management.
NewPay is an alternative way to pay when shopping online. With NewPay customers quickly and easily finance their purchases without disruption of the shopping experience. Shoppers can choose from two options when paying with NewPay – delay their payment for 15 days without any interest or fees or pay in 3 or 6 monthly installments.
NewPay is new product in the portfolio of the non-bank financial holding Management Financial Group (MFG). MFG develops various business models related to digital and alternative payment methods, fintech, consumer lending, financing of small and medium enterprises, credit cards, P2P landing, etc.
 
"Buy now, pay later" is among the top fintech trends of 2020 *
 
* According to an analysis by Chris Skinner at TheFinanser.com. Skinner is the author of the bestseller Digital Bank and is the chairman of the Financial Services Club - a network of leaders in financial services.

David Adelman

Founder, The Adelman Group

David is a prominent retail strategist, blogger, retail authority and has recently been named a Top 100 Retail Authority by Rethink Retail.
He has been interviewed and written numerous articles on today’s dynamic retail environment. Before founding T.A.G, a retail customer experience consulting company, David spent over 25 years in retail store brand development, sales, marketing, and operations.
David has successfully been at the helm of eight unique retail operations through his tenure in Canada. He has worked with major international brands, including Natuzzi, Palliser, Thomasville, and Bauhaus.
Associations
Customer Experience Professional Association (CXPA)
Retail Industry Professional Association
Retail Council of Canada member.
Royal Roads University, University of Victoria, Guest Lecturer, Judge Final B. Commerce Capstone presentations, mentoring, coaching students.

Daniel Vines

Vice President, Inside Sales & Freight, FedEx Express Europe

With a career starting in TNT Customer Services in 1998, Dan moved quickly into Sales. Following many successful years in TNT, Dan joined FedEx Express in 2017 as MD Sales and has been in his current role since July 2018. Dan has broad experience leading and supporting Sales, Marketing Commercial and Operational teams across Europe. Today he is responsible for the dynamic European Inside Sales team, driving the business results within our digital, small, and medium customer base and the European Freight Sales teams targeting growth across the FedEx Freight portfolio. Being commercially focused, results driven and passionate about his team, Dan loves a challenge and highlights the fantastic opportunity for FedEx within eCommerce, freight and the SME base in Europe.
 

Krassimira Raycheva

Country Manager Visa, Bulgaria

Krassimira Raycheva is Country Manager of Visa for Bulgaria, in charge of the company’s business interests in the country. Her role is to promote Visa products and services among the Bulgarian financial institutions. Krassimira is responsible for the company’s relations with the banks and other organisations working in the cashless payments sector. She is also responsible for implementing Visa new and innovative methods of payment in Bulgaria, including contactless and digital payments.
Krassimira has been working for Visa since 2004. Before that, she was managing various projects in the banking sector for IBM Bulgaria. She has experience in a commercial bank as the Head of its Cards Payments Department.
 
 

Silviu Gugui

Country Manager, eMAG Bulgaria

Silviu Gugui is the Country Manager of eMAG Bulgaria. eMAG is a leading online retailer, founded in 2001 in Romania, now with subsidiaries in Bulgaria and Hungary, too. For more than 20 years, the company has been constantly investing in services based on technologies that help customers save time and money.
Silviu joined eMAG Romania in 2016 with demonstrated history of working in both Telecommunications and Electro-IT industries. Ambitious and goal-oriented, he believes that business needs constant investments to gain sustainable growth and lead the industry. His knowledge and skills in Coaching, Leadership and Team Management also help him develop a great team of professionals.
Silviu Gugui has completed an Accelerated Management Program at Yale School of Management.

Panayot Ivanov

SVP TBI Bank

Panayot joined TBI Bank in 2019 and currently leads strategically important projects that propel TBI along its journey of a digital challenger and ‘buy now, pay later’ leader across Southeastern Europe.
His professional career starts in 2013 and along the way he has taken several roles in management consulting and financial and business analysis across Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Poland, and Southeastern Europe.
Panayot has a bachelor’s degree from the American university in Bulgaria in Business Administration and Economics and holds an MBA from Кellogg School of Management, USA.

Hristina Chantova

Chief Marketing Officer, TiBuy

Hristina Chantova holds the position of Chief Marketing Officer at TiBuy - a mobile application that aims to transform consumer behavior and shopping habits through an innovative loyalty program.
Hristina has experience in brand building. She manages people and processes to create a distinctive digital and media presence of the brands. Her key goals as a professional are to attract the right audiences for the business, successful brand positioning, creating a sustainable relationship between customers and companies and defining the right marketing strategies for the company’s growth. She skillfully studies the consumers behavior and their attitudes, which plays an extremely important role of any business development.

Georgi Malchev

Managing Partner, Xplora BG

Georgi Malchev has over 24 years of business, management and marketing experience - he has been a journalist, management consultant, chief operating officer, chief business development officer, board member.
Managing partner at Xplora (https://xplora.bg) - an integrated digital marketing agency. The agency has over 90 current clients in Bulgaria and Europe, including Schneider Electric for Bulgaria and for Israel, Nedelya The Cake Company for Bulgaria and for Romania, United Bulgarian Bank, DZI Insurance, Aladin Foods, Skoda, Tombou, Wienerberger, Neterra, Helecloud, dev.bg, TekExperts, Primexetc.
Managing partner at Xplora Academy (https://xplora.academy) - a platform for digital marketing courses.
He teaches digital marketing, communications and advertising at New Bulgarian University, International Business School and University for National and World Economy. Board member of IAB Bulgaria between 2016 and 202.
Georgi Malchev lives with #ExtremeOwnership and #LeadByExample - more at his personal blog https://malchev.net

Marko Naumov

Retail Vertical Leader of NielsenIQ Bulgaria

Lora Sabeva

Managing Director at Econt

Lorа Sabeva is а Managing Director at Econt. She has been involved with the company since 2006. Lora is responsible for Logistics Network and Intelligent Technologies. She is also involved in projects related to innovative business solutions.
 

Angel Kanchev

Founder & CEO, BRIGHT

Angel is the founder and CEO of BRIGHT. With the mission to create value by bridging the gap between Business and IT, BRIGHT is solving complex business problems with innovative technologies such as AI & Machine Learning, real-time data analysis, process digitalization and cybersecurity.
Angel is a graduate of Harvard Business School and holds a Master’s Degree from the Technical University in Sofia.
 

Peter Pavlov

CЕО at Maxima Bulgaria Eood

Peter Pavlov has over 15 years of experience in the retail sector. Since 2005 he has been working at Maxima Bulgaria, where his career has been developing consistently. During this time he has held various management positions, as since 2017 he has been the Chief Administrative Officer of the company managing the T MARKET stores, and since July 2019 he has been the CEO.
 

Yanitsa Dimitrova

Head of Ecommerce Development team at Econt

Yanitsa Dimitrova has broad experience in developing e-commerce in Bulgaria. She has worked for some of the biggest brands in the industry, helping hundreds of online retailers improve their performance and increase their market share. She is currently the Head of Ecommerce Development team at Econt. Together with her team, she works on innovative solutions for merchants and their customers. Her team's main tool is building online platforms to support e-commerce.

Lubomir Punchev

Managing Director of Econt Financial Services

A long-time manager in UniCredit Bulbank. First started in documentary operations, went through being a director of а bank branch, retail banking and member of the management board of UniCredit Bulbank. He has an international career at UniCredit Bulbank-Vienna as Head of Retail Sales at UniCredit CEE and Member of the Retail Banking Board in Ukraine. He has then been a Managing Director of Bank Piraeus and until recently Member of the Board, BD at Raiffeisenbank Albania. As of November 11, 2021 he will be a Managing Director of Econt Financial Services- an e-money issuance and operations company, aiming to launch a digital wallet to close the overall business process in the Econt Group by introducing digital forms of payment.

Georgi Linkov

Creative Director, Studio X

Georgi is the co-founder and creative director of Studio X. He has been involved in graphic and web design, UX and UI for more than 15 years. He has won a number of awards in the web field. There are over 30 articles on the problems of interactive design and user experience. He has participated in the development of digital projects for some of the largest companies in Bulgaria and abroad.

Nikolai Nikolov

Director Business Planning and Development, bERS

Nikolai Nikolov is Director Business Planning and Development from 2012 at bERS - a Bulgarian group of companies with more than sixteen years of experience in provision of warehousing, (international and domestic) transport, logistics and micro-distribution services for retailers (supermarkets), importers, distributors and eCommerce merchants in Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia. bERS also provides solutions for trade and logistics distribution of goods to the modern retail and traditional trade shops in Sofia and the interiors.
 As an alumnus of the American College of Sofia and a graduate of Rotterdam School of Management at Erasmus University, the Netherlands, after that Nikolai has structured and managed solutions for leading organizations, amongst 3М International, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, Coca Cola HBC, Mondelez, Intersnack, Generali Bulgaria Holding, Iberdrola Immobiliaria, Metro Cash & Carry and Rewe Group/Billa Bulgaria, with regards to transactions with real estate and outsourcing of non-core business processes and digital solutions.

Nikola Minkov

Founder & CEO at Serpact

Hrabrin Ivanchev

Manager of Kia Bulgaria

Hrabrin Ivanchev is a Manager of Kia Bulgaria and other companies in the automotive sector. Chairman of the Board of the Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

Michael Davis

VP of Global Store Technology, Domino’s Pizza

Michael Davis has built two Global Point of Sales systems over his career.  One POS system was sold to Domino’s in 2000.  Michael joined Domino’s as a consultant to help customize and deploy Domino’s Pulse to 80 markets over the years and more than 16000 stores.  In more recent years, Michael drove the Supply Chain Technology strategy moving to SAP for the Supply Chain Centers and building a highly redundant Payment system processing over $9 billion a year.  Today, Michael is responsible for Store Technology strategy, Global IT Relationship Management, and Store/Customer interaction Innovation Development.

Rossen Mollov

Managing partner in Quick Cargo Bulgaria

By education - marketer / bachelor from UNWE / and master's degree IIE / International Economic Relations /. In his professional career as a freight forwarder and manager at Quick Cargo, he has more than 17 years of business experience in organizing, managing and implementing various types of international cargo deliveries, logistics and warehousing operations. Active participation in organizing the logistics of many charitable and socially oriented campaigns - Caps for the Future, Pass On, Ceylon Project and others with a humanitarian and humane character to save animals and people. His and Quick Cargo team goals and mission is to unite and improve the image of The transport industry! He participates in the development of a digital innovative information platform to support the transport industry, with environmental and economic focus.

Gergana Dimitrova

Corporate Communications manager of Kaufland Bulgaria

Gergana Dimitrova is Corporate Communications manager of Kaufland Bulgaria. In this role she is responsible for the strategic management of public communications, for the corporate social responsibility policy and for the development of the internal communication.
Gergana Dimitrova has many years of experience as part of Kaufland Bulgaria team. During this period she has occupied different positions and contributed to the realization of many projects in the field of the administration, learning and development and employer branding.

Krasen Kyurkchiev

Founder and CEO, Ficosota

Krasen Kyurkchiev is the founder and CEO of one of the biggest Bulgarian FMCG companies- "Ficosota". He graduated from the High School of Mathematics in Shumen and The University of Forestry in Sofia. Shortly after that, he managed to develop the company to the stage of being one of biggest producing companies in Bulgaria, having
several highly known brands across 70 countries and 6 continents- Savex, Teo, Milde, Emeka, Semana, Pufies, Mareti, Kubeti and My Motto. In 2011 Krasen received "Entrepreneur of the year" award from European Business Awards.

Lubomir Nokov

Co-Founder and CEO, Harmonica Foods

Sam Gearing and Josh Carter

Founders and Directors, Fiole

Kristin Mejaes

Logistics and supply management team leader at ALSO Bulgaria

Kristin Mejaes is a Logistics and supply management team leader at ALSO Bulgaria, part of the ALSO Group. ALSO Holding AG is one of the leading technology providers for the ICT industry, currently active in 27 countries in Europe and in a total of 93 countries worldwide via PaaS partners. The ALSO ecosystem offers around 110 000 resellers hardware, software and IT services from more than 700 vendors in over 1340 product categories.
Having more than 10 years of experience in the field, Kristin is responsible for the overall management of logistics. In addition, she takes care of the company reputations within her span of duties.
 

Stoyan Tachev

Procurator of BILLA Bulgaria, head of the Project and Process Management Department, and Corporate Responsibility Coordinator

Stoyan Tachev is a procurator of BILLA Bulgaria, head of the Project and Process Management Department, and Corporate Responsibility Coordinator. He has been working for the company since September 2008.
His vast professional experience, accumulated for almost 20 years in the retail industry, passes through various positions in international retail chains in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Romania and Croatia.
In recent years, Stoyan Tachev has been developing, managing and implementing projects of strategic importance for BILLA Bulgaria. Its portfolio of projects in the field of sustainable development contributes to the positive results of the company in this direction, in implementation of the strategic priorities of REWE Group.