Speakers
Lilyana Pavlova
Mrs. Lilyana Pavlova holds a Doctor's degree of Economics, Master’s degree in "Public Administration and European Integration" and Bachelor’s degree in "International Economic Relations".
In 1996 she started her career at the Institute for the Development of Democracy. Then she successively held the positions: Finance Manager of Programme PHARE, ,,Program for managers’ training.", Office manager for project of PHARE - Tempus National Academic Center for management and capital markets; Expert on international projects at the Institute of postgraduate studies at the University of World and National Economy and Expert in the Coordinating unit for the ISPA Programme to the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works.
From 2002 to 2009 Mrs. Lilyana Pavlova was Head of Department "National Fund" to the Ministry of Finance where she was responsible for the financial management, control and monitoring of the pre-accession instruments PHARE, ISPA, SAPARD and Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund.
In August 2009, she became Deputy Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, responsible for the EU funds and programs’ management.
On 9 September 2011, she was elected as Minister of Regional Development and Public Works in the government of the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov - a post she held by the end of his mandate in 2013.
She was a Member of Parliament at the 42nd National Assembly.
On 7th November 2014, she was elected as Minister of Regional Development and Public Works in the second government of the Prime Minister Boyko Borisov.
Ivelina Vassileva
Born on 8 October 1969
1993 - Masters’ Degree in English Philology, Sofia University "St Kliment Ohridski", Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology
Postgraduate qualification in Preparation, Development and Management of Projects financed by the EU Funds in the University of National and World Economy, Sofia and in Control and Analysis of Corporate Activities, Academy of Economics, Svishtov
2009 – Specialization in European Administrative Practice, Burgas Free University
2004 – Training course in Strategy for Implementation of Projects organized by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
2001 – Training course in Project Management, University of Carlsberg, Sweden
1997-2001 – Representative of Ericsson Telecommunications Bulgaria for Burgas Region. 2001-2007 – Regional representative and Account manager for all key clients of the company
2004-2007 – Head of the Project Unit of the Water and Sewerage, Burgas
2009 – Deputy Mayor of Burgas
2009-2013 – Deputy Minister of Environment and Water
2013-2014 – MP in the 42nd National Assembly, Member of the Committee on the Environment and Water and the Committee on EU Affairs and Control of EU Funds
2015 – Elected MP in the 43rd National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria
Dobromir Simidchiev
Currently Dobromir Simidchiev acts as a chair of the board of directors of one of the water infrastructure funds in Bulgaria FLAG.
Until recently he was Chief Executive Officer of one of the biggest companies in the infrastructure construction business. The major professional challenge for him there was to restructure and transform the company to more sustainable and socially responsible partner.
Previously he was acting as Deputy Minister in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. His was responsible for the policy making in the water supply and sanitation sector and had to start a major national water reform. The reform was part of the efforts of the country to integrate in its national policies the principles of the water framework directive and to make the water utility business more bankable and sustainable. He was part of three consecutive governments and worked with three different ministers. During his time the reform built up pace and several important legal and institutional steps were taken and complete.
Before his governmental role he was part of the team of the Sofia water company – Sofia Water, part of United Utilities (200 – 2010) and Veolia (2010 – current). Initially he occupied technical expert positions until 2006 when he was appointed at managerial position. Since then he managed several departments and division and finished his career there as Capital Works and Engineering Services Director. In 2005 he appointed as Employee of the Year within United Utilities group.
Dobromir Simidchev was recognised on various occasions for his academic achievement during the university period (several awards for exceptional academic achievement), when he was acting as part-time teacher in engineering sciences.
Over the year Dobromir Simidchiev has several scientific publications in specialized magazines.
Jim Southworth
Jim Southworth is internationally experienced in the management of utilities. In carrying out various roles over many years in the water sector he has gained extensive experience including: operational management, capacity planning, asset management, rehabilitation strategies, capital planning, capital delivery, budget setting and control, rate structuring, demand management, organisational structuring and change management.
Engineering, operational and management experience within the UK water sector from 1976 to the introduction of regulation for the UK water sector in 1989 and through to 1992 with regulatory responsibilities in United Utilities provided the platform for Mr Southworth to develop a successful international career. This is evidenced through his involvement in a number of successful and major bids and the management of projects in many countries including: North America (Canada, USA and Mexico), South America, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East particularly GCC Countries. Mr Southworth has also undertaken due diligence on numerous utilities in over 40 different countries and produced strategies to improve all aspects of utility operational and organisational performance.
Mr Southworth retired from United Utilities in 2010 and set up his own independent consulting company which has developed a successful track record in the utility sector and has provided services to a number of major multi-national corporate entities and government bodies.
Radoslav Rusev
Member of the Board of Directors
Manager and consultant in the WSS sector with more than 15 years of experience in operational companies, state administration and, towards the current moment, and active participant in a series of key international projects in the region.
Radoslav Russev holds a BA in business administration from Sofia University, a Diploma in Financial Management from ACCA and faces a forthcoming graduation from an MBA programme at Warwick Business School, UK.
He started his professional career in the water sector in Sofiyska voda AD and in the period 2001 – 2011 held a series of expert and management positions in the company, the roles including management of commercial and operational processes, regulatory and business planning, project management and investment planning.
In 2015 he participated in a World Bank – funded project for restructuring of the water operator in Durres, Albania where he was responsible for a comprehensive review of commercial processes as well as improving operational efficiency. In parallel Radoslav Russev undertook various consultancy projects in the WSS sector in South East Europe oriented again towards increase of operational, commercial and financial efficiency of water companies in Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro and Moldova.
Patrick Swartenbroekx
Patrick Swartenbroekx (°1961), Civil Engineer, graduated in 1985 at the Free University Brussels and started there his career as assistant of the International Program of Hydrology at the Laboratory of Hydrology. In 1992 he joined the Flemish sewerage and treatment company Aquafin at its start-up where he became Head of the Modelling Department.
One of the major outcomes of his department was a set of guidelines, called the Hydronaut procedure, which became the Belgian Standard for Sewerage Design and Asset Management.
During this period Patrick became also board member of Aquaplus, Aquafin’s sister company, was appointed chairman of the International Modelling Users Group IMUG and coordinated several European funded research projects as Aquafin representative.
In 2003 he left Aquafin and started his own company HydroScan (www.hydroscan.be). He also set up two sister companies, Hydroservices and Inneautech to form the Hydroscan group. The HydroScan group offers today, from its unique international scope and expertise with a highly specialized international staff of over 30 people, a complete ‘end-to-end’ service to authorities, municipalities, water companies and all other water stakeholders to realize their operational sewage and drinking water management.
Mella Shvartz
Director of Sewerage Infrastructures Development Administration
Israeli Governmental Authority for Water and Sewage
Her responsibilities including: Engineering examination of professional development programs within the framework of an inter-ministerial committee; assist in loans and grants for the construction of logistical, operational and sewer infrastructures; professional guidance from initiation to completion of the construction projects; coordinator of the involvement of government agencies into development projects.
She is Master degree (M.Sc.) in Civil Engineering, specialization in water, sanitation and other infrastructure sectors - Polytechnic Institute, Iassy, Romania
Mariana Iteva
Veolia Industrial Development Director for Central and Eastern Europe
Ms. Mariana Iteva has been with Veolia since January 2010.
Prior to taking up her latest position in Veolia, Ms Iteva was a Country Director for Bulgaria (July 2013 – June 2015) responsible for the water and energy activities of Veolia in the country. She is a member of the board of directors of Sofiyska Voda (25-year water concession in Bulgaria) and of Yereval Djur (10 year water lease contract in Armenia). She was also CEO of Sofiyska Voda (the water and wastewater operator providing services to 1.5 million people in Sofia) between Jan 2013 and April 2014.
Before joining Veolia the professional background of Ms. Iteva includes her work for two British water companies: Cascal - as a representative for Bulgaria and Eastern Europe (2007 – 2009), and Severn Trent – for Eastern Europe (1999 – 2007), and in the period 2003 – 2006, as their representative in Russia.
In 2009 Mariana received a 3-months’ secondment at UK Trade and Investment section of the British Embassy in Moscow in order to study the water supply and sewerage sector in Russia and identify potential business opportunities with a focus on innovation and capability building.
She has worked on various projects funded by the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development which contributed to the enhanced institutional capability and resilience strengthening of various public water utilities in Central and Eastern Europe.
Ms. Iteva has a Master’s degree from the Sofia University Kliment Ohridski and MBA diploma in International Business Development from Aston University in Birmingham, Great Britain.
Georgi Nalbantov
Georgi Nalbantov is leading the Data Analytics in Bulgaria. He specializes in the development and implementation of advanced data analytics solutions: designing forecasting models, cost effectiveness models, predictive analytics, quantitative modelling, statistics. He has also contributed to projects in the area of business intelligence, databases, Decision Support Systems, clinical outcomes prediction models.
Georgi has more than 10 years of experience in analytics with focus on financial, healthcare, life science, marketing and energy sectors. Before joining Deloitte, Georgi obtained his PhD in Econometrics from Erasmus University Rotterdam and worked in the computer science department of Maastricht University as well as a senior data analyst at Maastro clinic in the Netherlands and was head of research for a London-based hedge fund for 6 years.