Theme: The path of success

TEDxUNWE is back on the biggest stage at the UNWE under the motto "The Path of Success"!

As usual, we have prepared for you interesting speakers from various fields. Some of them you have surely seen on the TV screen. Others you probably have met at the university halls. You can never hide the truth from others. The most successful projects in the country are developed by some of our participants. But what they all have in common, is that they all have amazing stories and ideas to share.
📒 You'll find out more about the speakers and the event itself in the upcoming days, so keep an eye on our content on Facebook and Instagram.

UNWE
University of National and World Economy
Aula Maksima, 1st floor
Sofia, Sofia-Grad, 1700
Bulgaria

Antoan Shotarov

Entrepreneur/ Co-founder of Dotanix, Greet.bg and private kindergartens "Sofia"

Antoan Shotarov holds a PhD in Economics and is an assistant of the Department of Economics at UNWE. In 2012-2014, he served as President of the UNWE Student Council. Antoan is exploring the relationship between innovation and work competitiveness. Currently, he is the co-founder and CEO of several successful companies, including Donatix, a software company ranked among the best Bulgarian software companies by Business Insider. Donatix works for the pharmaceutical giants Bayer, Sanofi and Bayersdorf, as well as the World Health Organization. In 2017, Antoan led a team that developed an innovative FinTech service (BankHub) to bring together information from different banks in one place, something no other bank in Eastern Europe was offering at the time. He is also a co-founder of the chain of private kindergartens "Sofia". Antoan works on the innovative startups GreetBG and MediaScreener. He participated in the organization of more than 100 charity tournaments and events.

Desi Cenov

Music Enthusiast

Desislav Cenov - the man with a heart bigger than the hall of TEDxUNWE. Desi graduated from Sofia University with a degree in Social Works. His career path went through several different professions, such as radio host or even salesman in the IT industry. Currently, he devotes himself professionally to his greatest passion - music. You can enjoy his fantastic mixes in Vratsa, where he is a DJ. Although his world is quite different and physical features do not really matter to him, he sees beyond the visible and finds the good in everyone. His buddy - Evie - is an amazingly intelligent and friendly Labrador. She helps him cope with daily challenges. For more than 8 years, they have been inseparable. No matter what obstacles life puts in their way, nothing is impossible for the duo.

Desi Dobreva

Singer

Desi Dobreva is an artist with an extremely successful career. Thanks to years of hard work, she is highly recognized and appreciated all over the world. Her work includes a discography with a huge sound and video repertoire, hundreds of international concerts and festivals.Involved in music from a young age, Desi's path to success led her to Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA. She graduated with full honors and was listed in the 2006 - 2007 National Dean's List. She also earned a Master's degree in "Pop and Jazz Singing" and "Music Pedagogy" at the National Academy of Music in Sofia. Desi Dobreva is also considered an absolute innovator in the music industry. She gives contemporary notes and arrangements to the folklore music and thus contributes to making Bulgarian music and culture popular to a wider audience and different generations. She is the first official Goodwill Ambassador of UN Bulgarian Youth Delegate Campaign and she is also one of the Friends of UNICEF.

George Parvanov

HR specialist and CEO of CTeam

George K. Parvanov is a leader and innovator in the field of HR. With his endless ideas, George never ceases to motivate those around him. He has more than 27 years of HR management experience in companies such as McDonalds, Societe Generale Bank and US Embassy Sofia/US Peace Corps. He is currently the CEO of the leading regional HR company CTeam. George is also active as a partner or Advisor in Raskazhimi, Villagelifebg, Pleggi, 13 Mari and Bulgaria Wants you. It is important to mention that George is the Chairman of the BAPM Control Committee and a board member of the Bulgarian Employment Association.

Judy Halvadjian

Television producer and Creator of "Lords of the Air"

Judy Halvadjian is one of the most successful producers in Bulgar­ia.His work has left an irreplaceable mark on the Bulgarian television industry.Since the age of 14, he lived in Italy, where he graduated in Film and Televis­ion Production.In 2002, he co-founded the production company Global Vision.In 2003, the very famous show "Lords of the Air" was broadcasted.It became an absolute ph­enomenon for Bulgaria.For 16 years on air, the show has set an exceptionally high standard for investi­gative journalism in Bulgaria.At the end of 2018, the show was stopped due to political censorship in Bulgaria.This ma­de it be broadcasted only onl­ine as an independent platform called "L­ords of the Web",wh­ere it continues its mission to entertain viewers, and to fight against inj­ustice. Judy is also the pro­ducer of the highly recognized shows: Ru­ssian Roulette", "Fu­ll Madhouse", "You've Got Mail" and "Game for Millions", "Rachkov's For­bidden Show", and "Wi­th Rachkov Everything is Possible".

Maria Topchieva

Co-founder of Eco Club UNWE/ Software Engineer

Maria Topchieva is a co-founder of an active student organization, holds a PhD in Economics, and currently works as a software developer in a large software company. The focus of her PhD thesis is a self-developed optimization model that enables cereal farms to improve their operations, maximizing their profits and minimizing their environmental footprint. She found like-minded students and quickly built one of the most active student organizations at UNWE - the Eco Club UNWE. Within 4 years, the club carried out over 60 initiatives aimed at improving the environment where students study and live. For Maria, the biggest achievement of the Eco Club is that it enables many young people to develop their potential and skills and be active. After completing her PhD, Maria decided it was time for a new challenge and made a career turn. In a short time, she completed an intensive training program and now works as a software engineer at VMware, a world leading technology company.

Petya Kertikova

Author of the "Returnees with Petya Kertikova" News Anchor at Bulgaria ON AIR

Petya Kertikova is a Bulgarian journalist, news presenter at one of the national television stations in Bulgaria – Bulgaria ON AIR. She is also the author of the column “The Returnees with Petya Kertikova.” As the voice of immigrants, she tells stories of people who just like her have studied and lived abroad and chose to return and stay in Bulgaria. While she was pregnant she published her first book based on the TV series.Her work has received recognition from international media such as BBC, TRT, ARTE, DIE ZEIT, AFP, OZY and others.She graduated in Broadcast Journalism at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Before joining the Bulgaria ON AIR team, she anchored the evening newscast at BIT, first in Chicago and then in Sofia.She was a Bulgarian track and field athlete and champion for Bulgaria (800m, 1500m and 3000m) for seven years.In the 2005 European Youth Olympic Games in Italy, she finished fourth – the best place achieved by the Bulgarian national team at that time.

Stoyne Vasilev

Founder of SmartMoney.bg / Co-founder of InvestPRO

Stoyne Vasilev is an independent financial advisor, investor and creator of one of the most popular financial sites in Bulgaria SmartMoney.bg, as well as Chairman of the Board of the Bulgarian Association of Personal Financial Advisors. He has enriched the knowledge of thousands of Bulgarians in the field of finance. He is the author of the best-selling Bulgarian non-fiction book in the recent years - "Smart Money". Stoyne has over 18 years of professional experience in Bulgarian and international financial companies. He is also the co-founder of InvestPRO - a comprehensive online money management and investment program. In addition, he helps small businesses develop their potential through a sustainable development system.

Velina Vladimirova

Criminal Psychologist

Velina Vladimirova - the woman who cannot be fooled. With her vast experience in polygraph examinations, you should not bet against her. Velina is a criminal psychologist by profession and has dreamed of becoming a "profiler" since a young age. Part of her professional life is profiling unknown perpetrators of serious crimes, behavioral analysis, preparing and conducting forensic psychological evaluations, managing critical suicidal situations and working with crime victims. Velina is a graduate of Flagler College in the USA, did her master's and doctorate in Bulgaria. From 2008 to 2013, she worked at the Ministry of the Interior. Since 2013 she has been part of the notorious company- a representative of the American school of polygraph work:ASSESS in the team of Todor Todorov. She has authored numerous professional publications and scientific articles on criminal psychology and is also a recipient of an award for her contribution to the development of the polygraph method in Europe.

Yavor Yankulov

University associate professor and Sales trainer

Associate Professor Yavor Yankulov is a distinguished university representative in the Department of Commerce at UNWE. He has been teaching at the university for almost 30 years and has trained numerous students in marketing, sales and management. Outside the university, he has over 15 years of experience as a trainer for some prominent companies in the national and international market. During this period he has worked with over 150 companies and conducted over 1000 corporate master training sessions. He is also the author of several books, including "Selling is a Simple Thing" - a practical guide to sales management, "Sales Management", "Motivation of Salespeople and Sales Teams", "Organizational Culture of Salespeople in Bulgaria: Research and Recommendations for Management", "Vitamins for Managers". Yavor, also has enviable sense of humor that you will witness in his talk.

Yoanna Temelkova

Actress

Yoanna Temelkova is a popular Bulgarian actress that is well-known from numerous blockbuster series, significant roles in the movie theaters, prominent theater appearances and with more than 40 roles in short films. Some of the characters she has portrayed are Nia Tujarova in the TV series "Undercover", Laura Topal - one of the main roles in the series "Brothers", Julia in "The Reunion 2"movie. A curious fact is that she made her debut in short films at 16. She graduated from the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts and since 2015 she has been working as a freelance artist. Yoanna also plays the role of the organizer of the international theater festival "Danail Chirpansky", which is attended by young artists and students from all over the world. She is the organizer of major charity events such as "Actors vs Beroe" (2018) and "Sharo Makes Fest" (2022). And do not be surprised if her voice sounds familiar from her work as a voice actor and narrator of numerous audio-books.