Bulgaria Across Five Oceans Opens Leaders of Change Stage

Kaloyan Kirilov

Bulgaria Wants You co-creator Ivan Hristov (right) and journalist Marina Tsekova at Inter Expo Center, Sofia, May 30, 2026 (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

30.05.2026 13:23

(BTA)

Bulgaria Wants You co-creator Ivan Hristov and Nova TV morning show host Marina Tsekova opened the Leaders of Change stage at the Bulgaria Across Five Oceans career forum in Sofia on Saturday. The event is organized by the Bulgaria Wants You platform.

Tsekova said the platform attracted more than 40,000 registered users over the past year. They uploaded their CVs to be visible to employers and pursue the career path they want.

Hristov said the platform team worked constantly to improve both its services and the environment for career opportunities. The goal, he said, is to make the platform as useful as possible to its users, while mutual support also contributes to the country’s development.

Tsekova said the platform continues to expand and will introduce a new feature allowing employers to post job listings directly. The move will help companies target the specialists they need more precisely and broaden the platform’s options for both jobseekers and businesses.

Hristov said interest in the forum was stronger this year than at its first edition. About 5,000 people registered in advance, compared with nearly 4,500 last year, and organizers expected visitor numbers to grow by the end of the day. More than 100 companies are taking part this year, presenting career development and job opportunities to forum visitors, he said.

Representatives of science, business, media and the NGO sector will appear on the second stage on Saturday. They include Plamen Rusev, executive chair of the Webit Foundation Board; molecular biologist Milena Georgieva of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Alexander Bekyarov, executive director of HP Inc. Bulgaria; business consultant, trainer and author Ivaylo Kunev; Valya Nadova, chair of the AUBG Alumni Association; Teodor Panayotov, chair of the Supervisory Board of the TUES Alumni Association; business and personal coach Vesela Mangeyna; Daniela Staridolska of the Movement for National Cause; and human resources management expert Milen Velikov.

The discussions will also feature Atanas Semov, scholar and constitutional judge; Vladimir Nikolov, former captain of the national volleyball team; Romina Tsvetanov, digital producer at Bulgaria Wants You and podcast host; Georgi Malchev of Xplora; Viktor Ivanov of 24 Chasa; Dobrina Cheshmedzhieva of Bulgarian National Television; and Pavlina Staneva, Bulgaria manager of Wealth Effect Management Bulgaria.

Other speakers include financier Alexander Karolev; Todor Mladenov, CEO of Sofia Tech Park; Mario Milev, CEO of BESCO; Vladislav Kostov, global head of digital sales at Shelly Group; influencers and reality format producers Pavel Kolev and Hristo Stefanov-Itsaka; and producer Judy Halvadjian.

The Bulgaria Across Five Oceans career forum opened earlier Saturday on the Successes and Lessons stage at Inter Expo Center in Sofia. President Iliana Iotova opened the event and welcomed participants.

The event again brings together Bulgarians from the country and abroad, leading companies, visionaries and opinion leaders to present real opportunities for building a career and a life in Bulgaria, the platform told BTA earlier.

BTA is hosting a booth at the career forum for the second year running. This year, the agency is spotlighting BTA School, its internship and career development unit.

The media partners of Bulgaria Across Five Oceans are Nova Broadcasting Group, Darik Radio and BTA.

/КТ/