Financial Summit: Investment, Technology, Innovation

Iliyana Tsanova

Chief Risk Officer of the European Commission, Deputy Director-General, DG Budget

Currently holding the position of Chief Risk Officer of the European Commission (EC), overseeing the EU borrowing, debt management, and lending operations. Prior to that, she was Deputy Managing Director of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), EUR 26 billion-guarantee facility launched jointly by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank Group to support EUR 100 billion of investments in the European Union via debt and equity finance. She has over 13 years of experience in senior banking positions with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, UK. Iliyana has held several board positions in international infrastructure companies and investment funds. In 2013 and 2014, Iliyana was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in two consecutive caretaker governments in Bulgaria. She holds MSc in Finance from the University for National and World Economy, Bulgaria and a postgraduate diploma in Financial Management from George Washington University, USA.

Martin Gikov

Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth

Martin Gikov was the Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fund of Funds. He has held leading positions in the banking sector and worked in large international companies. He has a Master degree of Business Administration for senior management "Global Executive MBA" from the Vienna University of Economics, WU - Vienna and the State Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, USA. He has a Master degree in "Accounting Management" from The University of National and World Economy (UNWE). He holds a bachelor degree in Finance, Economics and International Business from Arizona State University - ASU. He also holds a number of certifications and licenses from NASD, ACCA and Harvard Business School.

Petar Chobanov

Deputy Governor in charge of the Banking Department and Member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank

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.

Peter Roebben

Chairman of the Country Team of KBC Group for Bulgaria, Country Manager of KBC Group for Bulgaria, Chairman of the Management Board of UBB, CEO of UBB

Peter Roebben is Country Manager of KBC Group in Bulgaria, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of UBB. Until his appointment at these positions, he was the Chief Executive Officer of KBC Bank in Ireland.

Peter Roebben started his career in 1992 as an account officer Corporate Banking for Kredietbank (now KBC) in London. From 1994 untill 1998 he was Director of the Iberia Representative Office in Madrid. After one year in Brussels as account manager for the group’s Multinationals Division, he became General Manager Corporate Banking in the Paris branch in 1999. From 2005 untill 2010 he was Executive Director Corporate Banking at CSOB Bank in the Czech Republic.

Between 2010 and 2017 he served as Senior Managing Director and member of the Executive Committee of K&H Bank & Insurance Hungary. Later in 2017 he becomes Senior General Manager Group Credit Risk at KBC Group’s Head Office in Brussels. In 2019, Peter Roebben was appointed Chief Executive Officer of KBC Bank in Ireland, which he held until his current appointment as Country Manager of KBC Group in Bulgaria, Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of UBB.

Peter Roebben has graduated from the University of Leuven, Belgium with a master degree in law. Later he has obtained an MBA from Vlerick Business School, Belgium.

He is fluent in Dutch, French, English, Spanish and German.
 

Nicola Yankov

Founder and Managing Partner, Expat Capital

Nicola Yankov founded Expat Capital in 2006 and has been a managing partner there since. 

He has held a number of senior management positions in multinational companies between 1995 and 2001, Kraft Jacobs Suchard and Solvay Sodi among them. He served as Deputy Minister of Economy in 2001-2003, where he was responsible for industrial sector development and regulation and was also Chairman of the Temporary Protection Tariffs and Quotas Committee. Nicola Yankov served as Deputy Minister of Transport and Communications between 2003 and 2005, where he was responsible for the management oversight of the government-controlled business entities in the sector, as well as for promoting private investment in public infrastructure such as ports and airports.

Nicola Yankov has a BSc degree in Consumer Economics from Cornell University in the United States (1994). He speaks English, Russian, and French.

Hristo Stoyanov

Mandat Manager, European investment fund (EIF) for Bulgaria

Hristo Stoyanov manages the business development activities of the European Investment Fund in Bulgaria.  He joined the EIF office in Sofia as mandate manager in 2011 responsible for the operations of a Bulgarian holding fund providing EU Structural Funds through SME-focused financial instruments including guarantees, start-up accelerators and venture capital. He is member of the Board of Directors of JEREMIE Bulgaria – investment  company, acting as an umbrella fund with diversified portfolio of 9 private equity funds and risk-sharing commitments to local credit institutions.

Alex Philips

Senior Vice President Financial Lines - FINPRO, Marsh UK

Alex Phillips is known as a dynamic and visionary insurance professional with an impressive track record spanning over 20 years. As the Head of Fintech and Marsh’s FI Innovation and Client Solutions Leader, Alex is at the forefront of revolutionizing the insurance industry.

With an unwavering passion for cutting-edge advancements, Alex has played a pivotal role in launching our groundbreaking CADI (Challenger and Disrupter Insurance) wording exclusively designed for the fast-paced Fintech industry. This innovative insurance product is set to redefine the way Fintech companies manage risk and navigate the ever-changing landscape.

Renowned as a trailblazer and thought leader, Alex's expertise has positioned him as a driving force in shaping the future of insurance. His visionary insights and strategic guidance have propelled the industry forward, earning him accolades as a leading voice in innovation and client-centric solutions.

With an unwavering commitment to delivering unparalleled value, Alex Phillips is a sought-after luminary in the insurance and Fintech realms. His dynamic leadership and unwavering dedication to pushing boundaries make him a true catalyst for transformative change in today's buzzing financial landscape.

Prof. Dr. George Dimitrov

Chairman of the Board of Directors, Evrotrust

Prof. Dr. George Dimitrov is a leading expert in Information and Communications Technology, a founder and board member of Evrotrust Technologies, and the head of numerous working groups drafting Bulgarian and EU legislation. Prof. Dr. Dimitrov is also a part of an EU expert group on Remote eID/KYC and AML guidelines. He is an active member of several professional organizations such as the European Association for Biometrics, the International Telecommunications Union, and the IEEE Computer Society.

Konstantin Dzhengozov

Co-Founder and CFO, Payhawk

Konstantin Dzhengozov’s career started with management consulting. He later joined the software company Telerik, which was acquired for $262.5m by the US-listed Progress Software. Konstantin held different positions at Telerik/Progress, including leading FP&A, strategic planning and corporate development. He is a co-founder and CFO of Payhawk – the first Bulgarian unicorn and one of the fastest growing fintech companies with notable investors like Greenoaks, QED, Earlybird and Lightspeed. Founded in 2018, Payhawk is a global company spend management solution offering integrated company cards, bill payments, reimbursement of employees and customizable spending rules and governance. As a seasoned finance and investment professional, Konstantin has been recognized as CFO of the Year in EY’s annual business awards. In the summer of 2023, Konstantin completed an executive course at Harvard Business School.

Ivaylo Penev CFA, MBA

Executive Director and Head of Asset Management, ELANA Fund Management

Dimitar Georgiev

Head of the "Financial Markets" department and member of the Board of Directors, ELANA Trading

Rossen Ivanov

Managing Partner, BlackPeak Capital

Rossen is co-founder and managing partner of BlackPeak Capital, a private equity fund manager focused on investing in Southeast Europe. BlackPeak Capital manages two funds focused on providing growth equity to dynamic SMEs from Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia.  

Prior to establishing BlackPeak Capital, Rossen co-founded Entrea Capital, аn independent Bulgarian investment banking firm. Prior to Entrea, Rossen worked at McKinsey, the EBRD, and Procter & Gamble.  

Rossen holds an MBA degree from the Harvard Business School and a BA degree in Economics from the American University in Bulgaria.

Rossen is a member of the Board of Directors of Resalta, and BESCO – the Bulgarian Entrepreneurship Association. 

Victor Tchervenobrejki

Machine Learning Lead, Cloud Office

Victor Tchervenobrejki is the ML Lead at Cloud Office, where he applies his expertise in machine learning and AI to drive innovative solutions. His work includes creating NLP topic models, ensemble algorithms to predict customer behaviour, clustering algorithms for segmenting customers, and collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to leverage data science for business growth.

Assoc. Dr. Manyu Moravenov

Executive Director, Bulgarian Stock Exchange

Kosta Jordanov

Executive Director and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Bianor

Hristo Hristov

Founder & CEO, HR Capital

Hristo Hristov is an entrepreneur and investor, CEO of Darik Radio since September 2021.

Hristo’s experience includes working as a journalist at BBC London and Darik Radio. He holds a Law degree from the Sofia University and is a mentor in several startup organisations. 

In 2005, Hristo founded a digital news site Dariknews, which later acquired Netinfo and thus created the biggest digital media company in Bulgaria. Hristo was the CEO of Netinfo, part of Nova Broadcasting Group, from 2013 to 2019. In this period, the company grew threefold by entering into new verticals and expanding the content offering.

Hristo is an investor in various successful digital projects, such as Grabo.bg, ebag.bg, Broshura.bg. He is part of the board of Endeavour, investment partner in Eleven, board member of BESCO (Bulgarian startup organization), part of the consultative committee of Cedar Foundation, mentor in Founders Institute, and part of the boards of the investment funds – Doverie, Convenience, Eight Investment.

Julian Sofroniev

Owner and CEO, Biodit

Alexander Nikolov

Founder and CEO, AI Solutions

Customer success is his foremost commitment. With over two decades of experience in the financial sector and leadership roles within one of the world's largest technology and service IT companies, his is dedicated to leveraging new technologies such as Digital Innovation, Data, and AI to drive additional revenue for our customers. His focus is on delivering innovative solutions that enhance customer outcomes and drive sustainable growth.

Mircea Gologan

Head of Cash Loan Market, DSK Bank

Visionary and action driven senior manager with 15+ years of Retail banking experience covering both client-facing positions and responsibilities, as well as complex problem-solving or integration projects and lending business development programs, across multiple markets in SEE region. 
Consistent track record of successfully launched new or enhanced existing Retail lending products across multiple channels, with a technology and design emphasis which leads to high-performance results. 
After a successful career in other two countries where OTP Bank operates (Romania and Hungary), he joined DSK Bank in Jul.’23 as Head of newly established Cash Loan Market, where DSK is the dominant market leader for many years now. 

Rositsa Chopeva

Managing Partner, xFigure Finance

Svetlozar Dimitrov

Managing Partner, euShipments.com

Vyara Savova

Senior Policy Expert, European Crypto Initiative (EUCI)

Vyara Savova is a web3 & human rights lawyer based in Sofia, Bulgaria. She is a Senior Policy Expert with the European Crypto Initiative (EUCI) - a Brussels-based non-profit that aims to shape EU regulation to favour open, permissionless, decentralised applications leveraging blockchain technology, as well as a PhD candidate focusing on privacy and legal automation through the use of smart contracts.

Momchil Elenkov

Fintech BD Director, Rakuten Viber

Momchil Elenkov is the Fintech BD Director for Rakuten Viber. His main goal is to enable key fintech features within the app by establishing a network of trusted partners focusing on BaaS and payment service providers, banks, utility, rewards and cashback providers. Momchil has a strong telco and B2B background, managing mobile products and services, CRM campaigns and implementing B2B2C business development strategies. 

Rolandas Juteika

CEO & Chairman of the Board at Revolut Securities Europe, Head of Wealth and Trading (EEA), Revolut

Vladislav Dramaliev

Director of Marketing at IPOR.Labs

Vladislav Dramaliev is one of the leading figures in the Bulgarian blockchain community. He co-founded the first website for bitcoin trading in Bulgaria in 2013, and subsequently participated in the creation of the Bulgarian Bitcoin Association and the first monthly meeting dedicated to crypto and blockchain - Sofia Crypto Meetup. He is the founder of the non-governmental organization Bithope, whose goal is to help promote crypto-donations for various causes. Co-founder of O2K.tech - an online training and consulting company focused on crypto. He plays a key role in the æternity blockchain project, was the marketing manager at Mettalex, a decentralized commodity derivatives exchange, and is now the marketing director at IPOR Labs, a DeFi platform for TradFI tools in the crypto sector.

Emiliyan Enev

CEO, ReCheck

ReCheck develops several products, including Air (a platform for monitoring air cleanliness), Green Box (a real estate data collection and analysis solution), ReCheck Wallet (a digital wallet) and SDK (a tool for the secure transfer of sensitive data) . The company is registered in the Netherlands.

Plamen Andonov

Founder, Crypto Revolution Conference

Plamen Andonov, founder of the Crypto Revolution conference and one of the most influential voices in the local crypto ecosystem. His Youtube channel is often the first step for many Bulgarians in the world of crypto and Bitcoin in particular.

Philip Matov

Co-Founder, Belayer

Victoria Hristova

Executive Director and Member of the board of Directors, Fund of Funds 

Stefan Weber

Senior Director, Software Development, Telelink Business Services

Stefan Weber is a Senior Director at Telelink Business Services. Telelink is a leading service provider in Eastern Europe, headquartered in Sofia, Bulgaria. Stefan spearheads the Application Services department, a full-service practice that develops, operates and maintains customized enterprise applications and digital products across diverse industries. Stefan's guiding principle is "Don't solve problems, build capabilities," and he advocates platform-based digital transformation. Despite not being a proficient speaker, Stefan is a recognized expert in high-performance low-code and hyper-automation.

Evtim Chesnovski

Partner, Integral Venture Partners

He is a partner at Integral Venture Partners - private equity and growth equity firm focused on CEE. Prior to that he was with MidEuropa Partners - largest private equity firm focused on CEE. He started his career with the M&A execution group team at BNP Paribas in London.

Mihail Todorov

Project Management Director, Head of the "Digital Transformation" program, Groupama

Mihail Todorov has a career entirely in the insurance sector. He has twenty years of experience in the IT field, fifteen of which in the position of IT manager at ING and SogeLife. He developed the IT and digital projects in Groupama Bulgaria for 4 years. He has managed numerous projects related to IT infrastructure, IT security, BI and online applications, company integration, and many others. He graduated from the Technical University in Sofia with a masters degree in Communication Technologies

Blagovest Belev

Founder, BlockChain.bg

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 financial service providers. 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.

Mirco Rohr

Director Solutions Consulter EMEA, RiskRecon, Mastercard company

He has joined RiskRecon from LogRhythm where he worked as Senior Enterprise Sales Engineer. He worked as Mobile Security and Threat Prevention Specialist at Checkpoint. Before this, he was responsible with Forensic Technology Services for Cybercrime at PwC as leading Manager; worked as a CISO for a subsidiary of American Express. Between 2008 and 2011, in his role as Security & Technology Evangelist worldwide at Kaspersky, Mirco promoted the technologies of the company, closely monitored the changes in the market and acted as an internal adviser for new opportunities. Before his roles as Evangelist, Mirco was already a valued member of the team at Kaspersky Lab holding positions like technical manager 2004-2006, Consulting Manager at InfoWatch a Kaspersky Subsidiary between 2006 and 2008. In his last position, he was mostly in charge with DLP, ILP as well as Information and Data Security. 

After studying law, Mirco Rohr trained in IT with focus on Systems Integration and went on to work as a Technical Consultant at Asapcom until 2004.

Pavel Kaminsky

Founder & CEO, 7Security

Pavel Kaminsky - PCI QSA, 3DS, QPA, CISSP, CISA, CEH, is the guy Fintech founders call when they need to implement secure payment environments and cost-efficient PCI DSS. He is a mentor at Level39, Startupbootcamp Fintech & Cybersecurity, a member of the Advisory Board at MPE Berlin, and a regular lecturer at various Fintech and IT security conferences. Pavel is also the founder & CEO of 7Security GmbH - a QSA company authorized to provide PCI DSS certification to merchants and payment service providers worldwide. He works with startups daily, helping them find flexible solutions tailored to their ambitions for growth. Pavel is a brainiac at smart scope reduction scenarios, making projects cost-efficient and effortless with the use of serverless cloud components (AWS, GCP, Azure, CF, and others) that optimize the PCI implementation and maintenance.

Hristian Drensky

Vice President Strategy and Partnerships, NOTO - 360 Fraud and Compliance

Is an experienced professional with more than 15 years in the fintech domain and is currently the Vice President for Strategy and Partnerships at NOTO. 

NOTO is a FRAML platform designed to address all financial crime threats. The platform is used to combat fraud and money laundering in any vertical or industry across the payments ecosystem.

Nora Tusheva

General Manager Compliance, United Bulgarian Bank

Nora is the GM Compliance in UBB, responsible for overall risk management in the areas of AML, anti-fraud, embargo, consumer and investor protection, and data privacy. UBB Compliance team is committed to identify and analyze the risks and threats, which may arise in any of the compliance areas, to address adequate risk management measures and to monitor how these risks are kept under control within the organization.

Sirma Penkova

Journalist, Capital

Sirma Penkova has been a business journalist at "Capital" for ten years. In the last five years, she also covered the communication and media sector in Bulgaria. She is the editor of the annual marketing edition of "KMarketing Factbook".

Mila Taneva

CEO and Co-Founder of iUX

Natural born risk killer. International Business Consultant specialized in Risk Analytics and one of the most dedicated and skilled executives in the FinTech world. Led numerous successful teams and projects in data science, political analysis, effective project governance and new product development for international markets. 
Passionate about delivering facts, truth, and rational decision-making.
iUX is the risk intelligence startup to watch in 2023. Delivering unmatched depth of user-friendly risk intelligence to clients. Endorsed by EIB in its first fintech investment in the CEE. Making risk controllable & transparent. Partner with IBM. Born international, Born in the cloud. Reduces notification periods in the economic environment by 90 times.

Alexei Lazarov,

Editor In Chief, Capital

Ognyan Georgiev

Editor, Capital Weekly

Todor Todorov

Editor, Capital Weekly