Participants
Ivaylo Moskovski, Minister of transport, information technology and communications
Ivaylo Moskovski was born on July 19, 1972, in Pleven. He holds a Master's degree in Financial Management from the Academy of Economics in Svishtov and a Bachelor’s degree in Public Finance from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia.
Between 2009 and 2011 he served as Deputy Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications and Head of the Managing Authority of OP Transport in the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications.
From May 2011 to March 2013, Ivaylo Moskovski served as Minister and Head of the Managing Authority of OP Transport in the Ministry of Transport, Information Technology and Communications.
From May 2013 to August 2014 was a member of 42 National Assembly and the Commissioner for Transport, Information Technologies and Communications and a member of the Energy Committee.
Ivelina Vassileva, Minister of environment and water
Ivelina Vassileva was born on October 8, 1969, in Burgas. She holds a Master’s degree in English philology from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She is specialized in Switzerland and Austria.
She is director of the department of Project management in Burgas from 2004 and 2007. Later she becomes manager at the European information center in Burgas.
She was an MP in the 42 National Assembly, in 2012 Vassileva is deputy minister in the Ministry of environment and water.
Nikolay Nankov, Deputy minister of regional development and public works
Nikolay Nankov is born of December 19 , 1983, in Sevlievo. He holds a Master’s degree in Regional development and management from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
At the end of 2014 Nankov was elected vice-chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional Policy. Nankov held the same position from 2011 to 2013.
Between 2009 and 2011 he is governor of Lovech district.
Rakesh Tripathi, Senior Transport Specialist, The World Bank
Tony Thompson, Country Manager for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, Europe and Central Asia
Antony (Tony) Thompson, a dual Irish and British national, is Country Manager for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Mr. Thompson came to Bulgaria in August 2014 following four years working as Manager for Strategy and Operations at the Human Development Network, based in World Bank Group Headquarters in Washington, DC.
Tony Thompson joined the World Bank Group in 1992 as part of the Young Professional Program, working in the East Africa Human Development Department of the Middle East and North Africa Country Operations Department. Since joining, Thompson has worked in several different capacities, including Operations Officer, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, Operations Advisor, and Sector Manager. Throughout his career in the World Bank he has worked extensively in financial sector, private sector development, and tax administration.
Thompson’s other areas of expertise include human development, health, and financial sector reforms.
Prior to joining the World Bank Group, Mr. Thompson worked as a Hospital Administrator in the Manyoni District of Tanzania, where he managed a rural teaching hospital and oversaw an extensive community health care program aimed at vaccinating children under five.
Thompson holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) from the University of Ulster and a Masters of Business Administration (Honors) with a specialization in Finance from the University of Chicago. He speaks English and Kiswahili. He is married with three children.
Petar Dikov, Deputy Chair, Bulgarian forum for transport infrastructure and Chief architect, Sofia Municipality
Petar Dikov was born on September 19, 1953. He graduated from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy.
He has 29 years of service at the National Center for Regional Development, where he was deputy executive director. He was also head of design studio ProArch and the Research and design institute for regional and urban planning and architecture.
Since February 2006 Dikov is chief architect of Sofia Municipality.
Dikov serves as deputy chairman of the Bulgarian forum for transport infrastructure since its establishment on September 26, 2014.
Sevdalin Valnarov, Executive director, Rubicon Engineering
Sevdalin Valnarov was born in 1966. He graduated from the High school of mathematics in Ruse and Todor Kableshkov University of Transport, majoring in Transport construction. He is qualified construction engineer.
From 1989 to 1997 Valnarov was an officer in the Ministry of Transport army.
From 1999 to May 2014 Valnarov is owner and manager of Rubicon Engineering Ltd., which deals with independent oversight in design and construction. In May 2014 the company transformed to а Single-member stock company (EAD) аnd he becomes executive director.
Presently serves as deputy chairman of Bulgarian association of consulting companies in railway construction.
Veneta Krasteva, Managing Partner, The CITY Media Group
Veneta Krasteva is managing partner of The CITY Media Group – the most influential media platform, providing information and marketing solutions in the fields of regional and urban development, investment projects, architecture, construction, strategic infrastructure and building construction.
The portfolio of The CITY Media Group includes:
"Stroitelstvo Gradat" Weekly Newspaper (published since 1997), National contest "Building of the Year" (since 2002), Annual conference "Strategic Infrastructure and Investments" (since 2006), BalRec conference for investment projects and property (since 2007), The CITY Forum and The CITY Exhibition (since 2012), The City Academy Awards contest for students and young professionals (since 2014) and Annual Infrastructure Awards (since 2015).
Nedim Begovic, Expert, South East Europe Transport Observatory
Nedim Begovic is a regional railway expert at South East Europe Transport Observatory (SEETO) and a graduate of the Faculty of Traffic and Communications (University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina). In SEETO he has been employed since 2010, where he is involved in preparation of the regional transport development plans, facilitation of rail reform process in the Western Balkan and monitoring the performance on the SEETO Comprehensive Network.
Kenneth A. Lefkowitz, Managing partner, New Europe corporate Advisory
Kenneth Lefkowitz is an investment banker with rich transaction experience including privatization/M&A advisory, asset management, real estate development, licensing tenders, and private placements, with completed transaction volume in Bulgaria in excess of EUR 210 million. Mr. Lefkowitz has been working in CEE/SEE since 1995 from a base in Bulgaria, covering also Romania, Albania, Macedonia, and Kosovo, and with transaction experience in Hungary and Turkey. He joined EPIC Bulgaria (now NECA) in 1997, having previously managed a boutique investment research firm. From 2000 to 2003 he served as Director of Nadejda Privatization Fund. Mr. Lefkowitz also served on the Board of Directors of cosmetics leader Alen Mak. He is a past president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, and a co-founder of the Bulgarian Wind Energy Association. Currently, Lefkowitz is a member of the Advisory Board of Bulgaria’s Institute for Market Economics.
Iliyana Tsanova, Director, EU Funds Co-financing and Financial Engineering, EBRD
Iliyana Tsanova was born on January 19, 1976. She holds a Master’s degree in Finance from University of National and World Economy, Sofia, with a postgraduate certificate in Finance management from George Washington University.
Tsanova was deputy prime minister in the 88th and 90th caretaker government in Bulgaria.
From 2003 to 2014 she worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Between 2006 and 2014 Tsanova worked at the EBRD in London. She has gained a valuable experience in structuring, negotiating and implementing in equity and debt financing of infrastructure projects in countries from Southeastern Europe, Ukraine and Russia, as well as in co-financing of projects with EU Funding.
Donald Mishaxhiu, Senior banker – transport, EBRD
Donald Mishaxhiu has over 15 years of experience in financing infrastructure projects in both public and private sectors. He has been involved in various infrastructure operations from project origination to structuring and monitoring including construction and rehabilitation of urban, regional and national roads, airports, sea ports, railways etc. Currently works in the Transport Team at the EBRD Headquarters in London as Senior Banker with responsibility for new business development and portfolio in the Western Balkans. Prior to this role he was responsible for the EBRD operations in the transport and power sectors in Albania, and the implementation of a regional EBRD renewable energy and energy efficiency facility in the Western Balkans.
Kamil Blazek, Head of Kinstellar’s Regional Infrastructure Practice
Kamil Blažek is a corporate and projects partner with Kinstellar based in its Prague office. He also heads the firm-wide Projects & Infrastructure practice at Kinstellar. Kamil has 20 years of advisory experience in the Czech Republic, Eastern Europe, CIS countries and China. Kamil started his career at a Czech law firm in Prague. Since 2000, he has been with the leading global law firm Linklaters and (since its establishment in 2008) with Kinstellar.
Kamil has substantial experience in the areas of corporate finance and M&A, projects, infrastructure & energy, and real estate & construction. He has advised many international and regional clients, including: financial institutions such as the EBRD, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, JP Morgan, Erste Bank, Raiffeisenbank, Unicreditbank, Gazprombank, and China Development Bank; infrastructure sector players such as Allianz Capital Partners, Borealis, Hochtief and Vinci; energy conglomerates such as RWE, E.ON, EnBW and CEZ; and real estate clients such as ECE, ECM and Unibail.
His recent significant transactions include advising: Allianz and Borealis on the EUR 1.4 billion refinancing of the Czech gas transmission system operator, Net4Gas; Korean tyres manufacturer Nexen Tire on its EUR 800 million greenfield investment in the Czech Republic; and Net4Gas on the construction of a Czech-Polish gas interconnector pipeline.
Kamil is also significantly active in the area of Foreign Direct Investment and, inter alia, holds the position of chairman of the Czech Association for Foreign Investment.
Kamil is a regular speaker at various local and international conferences and speaks Czech, English, German and Russian.
Rayna Dormishkova, director "Institutional Relations" at The City Media Group
Rayna Dormishkova, journalist and diplomat
She has a masters degree in Theatre studies. Specialized in Israel, England and Belgium
From 2003 - 2008 she worked as bulgarian cosulate in Tel Aviv, Israel
From 2008 - 2011 she worked as head of "Public Relations" department in the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works
As of December 2011 she is the director "Institutional Relations" at The City Media Group
Galina Vassileva, deputy - head of the managing authority of "Operational programme on transport"
Galina Vassileva, Deputy head of the managing authority of “Operational Programme on Transport” The objective of the “Operational Programme Transport” is the development of rail, road and water infrastructure, and promoting the development of combined transport in accordance with transport policy of EU.
Lazar Lazarov, Head of Management board, Bulgarian Road infrastructure agency
Lazar Lazarov was born on October 2, 1969. He holds a degree in Road Construction from the University of architecture, civil engineering and geodesy (UACEG), Sofia.
From March 1995 to August 1995 Lazarov was leading engineer in asphalting of Hemus highway Ltd.
Between 1995 and 2007 he was head of sector and head of department ‘Structural properties of pavements’ at the Central Institute of road technologies, national and European standards of Road infrastructure agency (RIA).
From 2007 to 2010 he was director of the Central Institute of road technologies, national and European standards.
In 2010 and 2011 Lazarov is member of the Managing board of RIA, after that he becomes chief director of International fair Plovdiv Ltd. From August 2014 Lazarov is again chairman of the Managing board of RIA.
Assen Antov, executive director of NCSIP
Asen Antonov, Executive Director of NCSIP, National Company Strategic Infrastructure projects National Company Strategic Infrastructure Projects was created with amendments to the Roads Law in 2011. The company is a state enterprise subordinate to the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works. The company is a named beneficiary under Operational Programme Transport as from December 2011. Past positions: Expert of department of “ The Phare programme”; Head of sector “ Pre- control” in Instrument of Structural Policies for Pre – Accession ( ISPA ); Co – founder of consulting firm.
Hristo Alexiev, dep. director of Bulgarian Railway infrastructure national company
Hristo Alexiev, Deputy Director of “ National railway Infrastructure company” “National railway Infrastructure company” is Bulgaria's state railway infrastructure company, established as an entity on 1 January 2002. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia near Sofia Central Station. Bulgaria is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). The UIC Country Code for Bulgaria is 52. Past positions: Deputy General Director and Advisor of the Board, “ National railway Infrastructure company”; Projects Manager in local government; Expert Advisor to the Cabinet of the Minister of Transport.
Stoyan Bratoev, CEO of Metropoliten EAD
Stoyan Bratoev, CEO of METROPOLITAN EAD Metropolitan is owned by Sofia Municipality and serves rapid rail transport – the metro in Sofia. Its main purpose is to provide quick and safe transport for passengers. Its activity is oriented to investors’ control over design and construction and maintenance of sections put into operation.Past positions: Technical Manager of first projects for the subway in Sofia; Senior associate of Research Institute of Building Materials; from 1992 is CEO of Metropolitan EAD.
Nikolay Valev, deputy chair, Trace Group Hold
Nikolay Valev is deputy chair of the Board of directors of Trace Group Hold Ltd and is responsible for the international activities at the holding. He is CEO of Trace International, which heads all the offices outside Bulgaria.
Nikolay Valev has a rich international experience.
For more than 10 years he has worked for the diplomatic missions in Republic of Serbia and the countries from the Persian Gulf – Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
He speaks fluently four languages – English, Arabic, Serbo-Croatian and Russian languages.
Margarita Popivanova, CEO, Patishta AD
Margarita Popivanova is Executive Director of Patishta Plovdiv since March 2014.
Previously worked four years in the industry. She has over 10 years of experience as a manager in the financial sector. Economist, graduated from the University of World Economy.
Patishta Plovdiv AD is a Bulgarian private company, founded in 1993. The company is specialized in work on infrastructural construction projects. Since its founding the company carry projects primarily on the "Republican Road Infrastructure" and work on "Transit roads I", "Transit Roads II" and "Transit Roads III", financed by the European Union and the state budget of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Konstantin Zhiponov, CEO of EKJ Bulgaria
Konstantin Zhiponov was born in 1952. He holds a Master’s degree in "Transport Construction" from UACEG.
An expert, with 37 years of experience in infrastructure design of equipment of railroad lines and roads.
Zhiponov gets his experience in IPP "Transproekt" as a designer, group leader and leading designer and has designed equipment in Algeria and Syria.
He has taken part in the expansion of port Burgas - terminal 2a project as an expert from the japanese PCI.
From 2001 to 2010 he works as an engineer on the Danube bridge at Vidin - Calafat in Unit Implementation and Project Management.
Since 2013 he works as CEO of Bulgarian-Danish company for design and consultancy assistance in design - EKJ Bulgaria.
Evgenia Karadzhova, general manager of ESRI
Evgenia Karadjova is General Manager of ESRI Bulgaria. She has received a M.
Pavel Dikovski, Chair, Bulgarian Branch Chamber “Roads”
Pavel Dikovski was born in 1948 in Sofia. He graduated in Civil Engineering (road construction) from the University of Architecture, Geodesy and Civil Engineering, Sofia in 1973.He has 20 years of professional experience as designer of tunnels and bridges at Patproject and Technoportstroy. During this period he dedicated 6 years to working in Algeria, where he designed some of the venues for "Est – Ouest" highway project, funded by the World Bank.
Pavel Dikovski has been employed for 10 years at the road administration as Head of ‘Facility Maintenance’ unit, Deputy Head of what is now known as the Road Infrastructure Agency, Director of RIA and respectively Director of Executive Agency ‘Roads’.
He has been chairing the board of directors of Patperfect Group AD.
From 1995 to 1997, Dikovski was member of the board of managers of Moststroy EAD. He has examined all the bridges in critical condition in Bulgaria.
Dikovski participated in the construction tenders for the sites funded by “Capital construction”, “Transit roads” and “Trans-border cooperation”.
In 2005, together with eng. Yulian Tyufekchiev, Dikovski founded the Federation of Highway Engineers (FHE) and presently he serves as a member of its Managing board.
Since April 23, 2014, Dikovski is chairman of Bulgarian Branch Chamber “Roads”.
Maria Boyadjiyska, Deputy mayor for Ecology, environment and land use, Sofia Municipality
Maria Boyadjiyska was born on June 2, 1977, in Donrinishte. She holds a Master’s degree in biology from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” with specialization in hydrobiology and water conservation. Presently she studies Business administration and economics at University of Sheffield, Thessaloniki campus.
In 2000-2001 Boyadjiyska was junior expert at ‘Assessment of environmental impact and integrated permits’ department at Ministry of environment and water (MEW).
From 2002 to 2003 she was senior expert at the ‘Prevention of industrial pollution’ department at MEW.
Yana Georgieva, head of Operational Programme Environment 2007 – 2013
Yana Georgieva was born on December 4, 1973.
She holds a Master’s degree in Economics and management of energy, infrastructure and communal services from Sofia university “St. Kliment Ohridski”, as well as a Master’s degree in Political sciences specializing in Public administration. She was a fellow of Fulbright Commission - „American Government Policy” at Southern Illinois University, USA; she has also specialized European sciences at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands.
Georgieva has a rich experience in the preparation and implementation of Operational programme Environment and since 2008 she has consequently held the positions of head of departments Management and evaluation of the programme, Monitoring, Programming and planning.
Georgieva is familiar with the problems and challenges in the preparation and implementation of strategic investments in the Water and Waste sectors.
Her professional career starts in the field of sociological and marketing research, as well as in public affairs management.
Nevena Ivanova, expert, Ministry of regional development and public works
Nevena Ivanova is an expert at the “Water” department at the Ministry of regional development and public works. During the last years she has participated actively in various key projects for the development of the Water sector – producing regional general plans in the Water sector, design and construction of dams, as well as the project for supporting the reform in the Water sector, co-financed by OPE 2007 – 2013.
Presently Ivanova participates in the preparation and implementation of the regional feasibility studies for the Water supply sector at the Secretariat for coordination of Water sector reform and other strategic initiatives.
Tsvetoslav Petkov, Chief engineer, Geostroy
Tsvetoslav Petkov holds a Master’s degree in metallurgy from University of Chemical Technology and metallurgy (UCTM) – Sofia in 2003.
His professional begins in 2003 when he becomes project manager at a holding in the field of construction and assembling. After 2011 he is director of Construction and assembly plant.
Among the significant projects related to Petkov’s professional involvement are:
Modernization of 5 and 6 units of Kozloduy NPP, Replacement of Replacement of insulation of pipelines and equipment of Primary circuit at Kozloduy NPP, Construction of the gas cleaning system of the metallurgical plant Aurubis in Pirdop, Seismic sustainability of the bearing structures of the buildings by the EP 2 at Kozloduy NPP, Construction of new Cottrell of sodo-recovery boiler and limestone kiln – a project of FLSmidth AIRTECH, Denmark, in Svishtov, Gasification Gotse Delchev, Svilengrad, NPP Mochovce construction of 3 and 4 units.
Dobromir Simidchiev, Chair, Board of directors, FLAG water infrastructure fund
Dobromir Simidchiev holds a Master’s degree in Water purification from UACEG and a Master’s degree in Business administration from the University in Seattle.
Currently Dobromir Simidchiev acts as a chair of the board of directors of one of the water infrastructure funds in Bulgaria FLAG.
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. 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 (2000 – 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.
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