Speakers

Nona Karadjova Nona Karadjova

Nona Karadjova is Minister of Environment and Water. She graduated from the University of National and World Economy in Economics and Labour Organization and specialized in Public Administration at the International Training Institute of Washington.
During the period 1981 – 1991 Ms Karadjova worked in the Regional Economy and Economic Affairs of Environmental Protection Department at the BAS Institute of Economics. Until 2005 she worked in the Ministry of Environment and Water, after which she became a consultant in project management in the field of environment and ecology.







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Delian Dobrev Delian Dobrev

Delian Alexandrov Dobrev was born in 1978 in Haskovo. In 2002 he graduated as an economist at Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, USA. He has specialized in accounting and finance at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Dobrev is an expert in European Project Management, financial and tax legislation. His professional career started in the consulting firm KPMG in Toronto, Canada and Newton Finance Management Group - Sofia, Bulgaria. After returning to work in Bulgaria Dobrev starts working at the Regional Administration of Haskovo and as a project manager with a European funding agency to support the development of small and medium businesses, District Court - Haskovo, Alliance for Regional Cooperation and Development and others. Until his appointment as deputy minister deputy, he is member of the Budget and Finance Committee and the Committee on economic policy, economy and tourism in Parliament, where he was elected deputy chairman.
He was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy and Energy on 18 May 2011. As a Minister he was elected by Parliament on March 21, 2012.

Tove Skarstein Tove Skarstein

Present position:
2006-  Ambassador to Bulgaria
2004-2006  Ambassador on Trafficking issues/Senior Adviser, Section for OSCE, Council of Europe and CFSP Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Oslo, Norway
Education:
1975-  MA, University of Oslo, Norway (Political Science, French, Spanish and English
2000-  Master of Management, Oslo School of Economics, Norway
Various leadership training
Previous posts:
2003-2004  Lecturer at Norwegian Defence College
2003-2000  Counsellor, Delegation to NATO, Brussels 
2000-1996  Senior Executive Officer, Department for Balkan Affairs, Ministry of foreign affairs. Oslo
1996-1994  Deputy Director, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oslo and Geneva,
1994-1992  Programme director of NARV in cooperation with UNHCR, Vietnam
1992-1980  Adviser, Head of Unit, Deputy Director General in Immigration Department, Ministry of Labour and Local Government, Oslo, Norway
1979-1977  Senior Executive Officer, Department of Training, Ministry of Administration, Oslo, Norway
1977-1975  Information Officer at State Loan Bank for Education, Oslo, Norway
Languages:  Norwegian, English, French, Spanish and some knowledge of German

Aziz Bouzaher Aziz Bouzaher

Aziz Bouzaher, an Algerian/American national, is a Lead Environmental Specialist and the Climate Change Coordinator in Europe and Central Asia Vice presidency of the World Bank. His expertise includes environmental policy and institutions, environmental economics and natural resource management, and climate change/green growth.
At the World Bank, Mr. Bouzaher has done extensive analytical and investment project work in these areas. He also has extensive country and regional experience, including in North America, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Europe.
Mr. Bouzaher holds a PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering and Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA, and has published extensively in the areas of integrated ecological and economic modeling, environmental policy and natural resource management, and the economics of climate change.
Prior to joining the World Bank in 1994, Mr. Bouzaher was on the faculty of the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign and Iowa State University, USA.







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Daniel Berg Daniel Berg

Daniel Berg was appointed EBRD’s Director in Bulgaria in July 2010. In this position, he is responsible for the Bank’s operations in the country, which includes monitoring a portfolio of approximately Euro 1 billion and developing new investments of around Euro 200-250 million per year.
Daniel joined EBRD in 1995 as an Advisor in the US Executive Director's Office. He transferred to EBRD’s Banking Department in 1997, where he worked for the Financial Institutions Team. 
In 2000, he moved to Kazakhstan and as a Principal Banker, implemented investments across sectors – including manufacturing, infrastructure and financial institutions. From Kazakhstan, in 2004, Daniel was appointed Head of Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, managing the office and overall operations. He was asked to assume a similar role in Albania from 2007-2010, i.e., until his most recent appointment in Sofia.
Prior to EBRD, Daniel worked as an economist in the US Department of Treasury.  He is educated in the US, at Rutgers College and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Martin Zaimov Martin Zaimov

Martin Zaimov is Executive Director of the "Regional Urban Development Fund" AD and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Société Générale Expressbank.
He graduated from the Technical University in Sofia and also has a master degree in economics from the London School of Economics and a Diploma in Economics from Birkbeck College in London.
He was Vice-President of the Sofia Municipal Council, head of  the currency board and the BNB Deputy Governor from 1997 to 2003. He has also worked at an international trading company Louis Dreyfus and he is the  founder of its Bulgarian office.
Martin Zaimov is a member of the boards of the Institutefor Market Economics,Paideia Foundation and the Center for Advanced Studies.



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Pavel Chudoba Pavel Chudoba

Pavel Chudoba has more than 20 years experience in the water and wastewater sector. Since 2008 he is a Technical Director at Veolia Water Europe. Prior to this he was a Technical Director for Central Europe and Russia. Mr. Chudoba is now also a member of the Executive committee and administrator of Veolia OZE (subsidiary for renewable sources of energy).  He has a PhD Degree from The School of Engineering,Toulouse and a Chemical Engineer Degree from Тhe Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague. 

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Zornitsa Yordanova Zornitsa Yordanova

Zornitsa Yordanova – 32 years old, has graduated in "Bulgarian and French philology" at the Plovdiv university "Paisiy Hilendarski", and after that – "International economic relations" at the University for National and World Economy – Sofia. She operates in the field of sales since 2001, and prior to her appointment at CEZ, she has occupied the position of brand manager at Bulgarian-American holding. Since 2005 she is working at CEZ in Bulgaria and has occupied different operational and managerial positions. At 2008 she is appointed director of "Marketing and Sales support" at CEZ  Electro Bulgaria AD. 

Sophie Nenova Sophie Nenova

Sophie Nenova graduated UCTM in Sofia with speciality "Organic Chemical Technology"
At present she is enrolled with the masters programme "Information Security and Knowledge management"
Since 2006 Ms. Nenova works in the Executive Environemnt Agency, "Permits for GHG and Registry for ETS" dept.

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Nikolay Kotsev Nikolay Kotsev

Nikolay Kotsev is responsible for the management of international and public projects of UBB and the management of businessproducts aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. 
He graduated at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) and specialized inJapan.
His professional development goes through the management of projects related to the construction of clusters and funding schemes for high-tech projects in the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism, and industrial studies and research.

Krassimir Dachev Krassimir Dachev

Krassimir Dachev graduated from Law School in 1974 at Sofia University "Kliment Ohridski" and had a specialization in American law and legal institutions in Salzburg, Austria.
His working experience includes the National Committee for Space Research (1978 -1989), the International Bank for Trade and Development (1991-1997) and Metal Technology Group "Angel Balevski" AD (his own company which created in 1997). Dachev is also Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Svilosa AD - Svishtov and Metal Technology Group "A. Balevski "Holding. He is a member of Business Advisory Council for Southeast Europe (BAC for SEE), Vice-President of BCCI - 2004 - 2009, and since 2009 a member of the Board of BCCI.  He is also chairman of the Association of Bulgarian producers of wood and Association Technological Platform based on the forestry sector in Bulgaria.

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Julian Popov Julian Popov

Mr. Julian Popov is a noted Bulgarian journalist, writer, philologist, and political analyst who has lived in London since 1994. Popov works as a consultant in institutional development, public relations, and educational policy. His clients include the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Commission, the British Open University, the European Climate Foundation, the European Association of Distance Learning Universities, among others.Popov is the honorary secretary and treasurer of the British non-profit organization Friends of Bulgaria, as well as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian School of Politics and of the Managing Board of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation. In 1990, he became Executive Director of the New Bulgarian University (NBU). He is also a founder and served briefly as Director of the NBU School of Management, established jointly with the Business School of the Open University (UK). Since 1995, Mr. Popov has been a Member of the Board of Trustees of the New Bulgarian University.

Nikola Gazdov Nikola Gazdov

Nikola is among the founding members of the Bulgarian photovoltaic association (BPVA) and Chairman of the Board of the association since 2009.
He is Managing Director of Renergy Ltd – a Bulgarian project developer active in the field of RES and e-mobility. In April 2011 Nikola joined juwi Solar GmbH as head of juwi’s Bulgarian office.
Nikola holds a Master’s degree from the honors MA program ‘East European Studies’ at LMU Munich. Prior to that he has studied Political science in Munich and International Political Economy at the University of Birmingham, UK.