Julian Popov / Chairman
Julian Popov holds a Master’s degree in literature from the Sofia University. In 1990 he became the Executive Director of the New Bulgarin University. He is the founder and director of the Management School, created jointly with the British Open University Business School. Between 1990 – 1991 Mr. Popov was a Director of Angel Karalijchev Museum in Sofia. He was also a head of department at Fakel – a bimonthly Bulgarian magazine for literature.

Since 1994 Mr. Popov and hisfamily have been living in the United Kingdom, where he works as a consultant in institutional development, public relations and educational policy. Among his clients are the European Back for Reconstruction and Development, the European Commission, the British Open University, The Eruopean Association of Distant Learning Universities, etc.

He is the author of a large number of articles on topics from literature to international relations and politics, editor of several books, translator of Russian poetry from the 1930s. Mr. Popov is a member of the Association of Foreign Press in London, and is also the honorary secretary of Friends of Bulgaria – a British charitable organization, founded in 1990 in order to supply humanitarian aid to Bulgaria.

Antoniy Todorov, PhD / Member of the Board
Prof. Antony Todorov is a Bulgarian political scientist. He holds an advanced degree in International Relations, specializing in political sciences, political sociology and international relations, and a Ph.D. in history. Antony Todorov is an associate professor of political science at the New Bulgarian University. He has worked as a senior advisor at the Parliamentary Research department of the National Assembly, as an editor-in-chief of "Bulgarian observer” magazine, as an editor at Kultura Weekly and a researcher at the Institute for Social History. His scientific career includes affiliations with the Institute for Political Sciences in Paris, the Center for the Study of French Political Life, the North Atlantic Assembly in Brussels, East-West Institute in Prague and others. He was a visiting professor at the Free University of Brussels, the University of Burgundy in Dijon, and at the Bologna University. He is also a member of the Bulgarian Association of Political Sciences, the Manfred Woerner Foundation and the Bulgarian Helsinki Civil Assembly.


Meglena Kuneva / Member of the Board
Meglena Kuneva is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the European Policy Center and a special advisor to the Vice-President of the European Commission, responsible for transport Siim Kallas. She has a Master’s degree in Law (1981) and a PhD in Law (1984) from the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. In 1995 and 1999 – 2000 she studied in a certificate specialization program in International Relations and International Environmental Law at the Georgetown University, Washington, USA and in 1996 – Environmental Law at the University of Oxford, UK.

In 2002 she was elected as the first Bulgarian European Affairs Minister within the Government headed by Simeon Saxe-Coburg. On 12th December 2006 the European Parliament approved her as a Commissioner for Consumer Protection. In 2008 Meglena Kuneva was the first Bulgarian who received European Agenda award for the Commissioner of the Year and the European Voice award - for European of the Year.

Meglena Rusenova / Member of the Board

Meglena Rusenova graduated from the National Program of the Bulgarian School of Politics in 2003 and from the Regional Program in 2004. She has a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of National and World Economy and a professional qualification in Programming and Management of Projects from Chernorizets Hrabar Free University of Varna, funded by the European Union. In 2007 she was invited by the American Jewish Committee and the Friedrich Neumann Foundation and attended a training workshop in the USA under the Tolerance Program for young leaders from Eastern Europe. She was a deputy chair of the Bulgarian Red Cross in Plovdiv, a senior coordinator at Lawyers for Civil Rights Association, a director of the Center for Company Management and a lawyer at Bazliankov, Stanoev and Tashev Law Firm. In 2001 she was appointed and became the youngest deputy regional governor in Bulgaria. Until 2009 she was at that position and worked for the development and European integration of Plovdiv region. Meglena Rusenova is member of the Central Election Commission for election of the 41st National Assembly and of the Central Election Commission for election of the members on the European Parliament. Since 2009 she has been an administrative director at Alfa Finance Holding.

Dimitar Bechev / Member of the Board
Dimitar Bechev is a Senior Policy Fellow and Head of Sofia Office of the European Council on Foreign Relations, as well as a member of the South East European Studies (SEESOX) at St Antony’s College in Oxford. Between 2006 and 2010 he was a researcher at the European Studies Center in Oxford, a lecturer in international relations at Worcester College, Oxford and a visiting professor at the Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo. He is a regional expert for Central and Eastern Europe at the leading consulting and information company Oxford Analytica. He has published studies in the areas of EU enlargement and neighborhood policy, contemporary history and politics on the Balkans. He is the author of Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia (2009), Mediterranean Frontiers: Borders, Conflict and Memory in a Transnational World (2010) and Constructing South East Europe: the Politics of Balkan Regional Cooperation, and also to a number of articles in well-known periodicals such as Journal of Common Market Studies and East European Politics and Societies. Dimitar Bechev has a PhD in International Relations from the University of Oxford and a Master’s degree in Law and International Relations from SofiaUniversity “St. Kliment Ohritdski”.

  

Sasha Bezuhanova / Member of the Board

Sasha Bezuhanova is responsible for the Hewlett-Packard’s strategic division for collaboration with public sector in emerging markets. Her activities cover formulation and implementation of strategies and new business models in the sector of public administration in 63 countries around the world, among them Bulgaria. Sasha Besuhanova is also in charge for HP relationships with the European Union. Prior to this, for three years she was the Public Sector Director for Central Eastern Europe at Hewlett-Packard and manages government business of the company in 27 countries. Sasha Besuhanova started her career in the company in 1998 as a General Manager for Bulgaria and as a result HP became the most successful ICT firm in the country. Her main achievement is the establishment of the HP Global Delivery Centre in Bulgaria, where 4000 high profile professional engineers work today and deliver services in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Prior to HP, Sasha successfully managed country operations in Bulgaria of the Austrian company S&T and the German medical firm HELLIGE.

Sasha Bezuhanova has been working proactively for economic and social development of Bulgaria. She actively participated in the creation of the National ICT Competitiveness Strategy. Sasha is a Founding Chairperson and a Member of Consultancy Committee of the Confederation of Industrialists and Employers in Bulgaria, Chairperson of the Board of Junior Achievement Bulgaria, Member of the Board of Bulgarian School of Politics, Member of the Advisory Board to the Minister of Education. Sasha Bezuhanova is also one of the most influential and recognized women in Europe.

She is the Founder and a Member of the Board of Directors of the European Centre of Women and Technology at the European Union.

For her outstanding achievements, Sasha Bezuhanova has received many prestigious awards, among which International award for women “LeaderShe” (2010); JA-YE Europe “Leadership Award” (2009); Business Face of Bulgaria Award, of Financial Times (2008); The Highest Reputation and Achievement in the Area of Corporate Management in Bulgaria (2003); HP WW Winners club (2006); IDG Bulgaria award for IT Manager of the Year for 1996, 2001 and 2002; Business Lady of the Decade (1991 – 1999); HP European Achievers Club (1999); Best Young Manager in Bulgaria (1997). She holds one of the highest state awards of Italy - “Order of the Star of Italian Solidarity” for her exclusive contribution to the development of bilateral economic relations between Bulgaria and Italy (2009) and is also the Honorary Consul of Luxembourg for Bulgaria.

Sasha Bezuhanova has a Master’s Degree in Electronics from the Technical University and is the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Technical University in Sofia.

Svetoslav Bozhilov / Member of the Board
Svetoslav Bozhilov was a member of the Board of Directors of the Open Society Foundation – Bulgaria, and co-founder and shareholder in EIBank. He is currently the Executive Director of the COMMUNITAS foundation, which he himself created and which works for European integration and support of education. Mr. Bozhilov is the president and owner of Venture Equity Bulgaria, which operates in the area of financial investments and projects related to green energy.

 

 

Solomon Passy, PhD / Member of the Board

Solomon Passy holds a PhD in mathematical logic and computer science from the Sofia University "Kliment Ohridski". From 1984 to 1994 he worked as a Research Fellow in Mathematical Logic and Computer Science at the University and at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. From 1989 to 1990, he was a delegate to the National Round Table on the transition to democracy. Subsequently he became a member of the Coordination Council of the UDF and a member of parliament at the 7th Grand National Assembly. He is one of the authors of the new Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria and the author of the proposal for Bulgaria's membership in NATO.

In 1991 he founded and became the president of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria. He was later elected as member of parliament at the 39th and 40th National Assemblies. From 2005 to 2009 he was a member of the Parliamentary Group of the National Movement Simeon II, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a key member of the delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe during. Solomon Passy was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005.


Irina Alexieva / Executive Director

Irina Alexieva is well known to the Bulgarian public as one of the best business journalists in the country, author and host of the weekly economic broadcast of BTV “Business". Previously, Irina managed the Economic Department of Darik Radio and was the author of the "Portfolio" radio broadcast.
She has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the American University in Bulgaria and an MA in Economics from the University of National and World Economy. Irina specialized in journalism in the U.S. and studied the development of civic and political dialogue in Southeast Europe and the former Soviet Union in Norway.
During her intensive career as a journalst, Irina interviewed some of the most influential leaders in the global political and economic scene, among them Nobel laureates, heads of global companies and financial institutions. She is the author of several documentaries, including "Chernobyl -20 years later”, dedicated to the anniversary of the largest nuclear reactor accident in the world and “California’s Choice" – on the energy efficiency policy of California.