Here are the LET’S GO speakers: the inspiring voices behind the causes and business solutions
As the LetsGO: Social Ideas and Business Solutions conference approaches, we are happy to introduce the exceptional speakers who will be part of the event program!
On June 27 in Sofia (Event Space Vertigo), you will hear experts from various fields – entrepreneurs, leaders, mentors, innovators and activists who not only speak about change, but also create it daily and thus change lives.
Expect inspiration, shared experiences and real practices from which to draw ideas and enthusiasm.
Here’s who will be on stage at #LetsGO:
Guner Apti is part of the Legal, Responsible and Sustainable Governance Directorate of FANTASTICO GROUP. He is currently a fifth-year student at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, where he is majoring in Law. He completed his secondary education at Sofia University “Vasil Levski” in Haskovo, majoring in Biology and Chemistry. He speaks Bulgarian and Turkish, and his next goals are related to improving his English and German. He has plans for a PhD in constitutional law. He believes that every success depends on our own efforts and does not accept the phrase “there is no way”. “There are many options, as long as we wish from the heart and dream,” Güner is convinced.
Valentina Bozheva is a lawyer with over 20 years of professional experience. She is the Vice President of FANTASTICO GROUP and heads the units for sustainable management and legal affairs, development and training of the team. Her priorities are talent development policies, career growth opportunities, ensuring a supportive environment of equality and diversity. At the same time, she is responsible for ensuring compliance of the company’s internal acts with Bulgarian and European legislation.
Tsetska Karadjova graduated from the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in English Philology. She specialized in “Business Management and Development” in the UK. Tsetska Karadjova is the founder of the translation agency “Interlang” and the event organization company “Event Design”, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bulgarian Donors Forum, a member of the board of Eulogia, a European consortium of leading translation agencies. In 2005, she was awarded the “Golden Feather” award for contribution to Bulgarian culture, and in 2013 she received the “Woman of the Year” award in the “Society” category in recognition of her dedicated work in implementing the cause of improving the quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities in Bulgaria. In 2021, she won the Forbes DNA of Success Forum and Awards award in the “Social Entrepreneurship” category. A long-time active donor, founder and chairman of the board of the “World of Maria” Foundation.
Joana Koleva is the co-founder and director of the Social Future Foundation – JAMBA, an organization dedicated to creating equal opportunities for people with different abilities through adapted training, career preparation and active inclusion in the labor market. Joana is the driving force behind dozens of initiatives and campaigns such as Run2Gether Bulgaria, which changes attitudes towards people with disabilities in Bulgaria and breaks stereotypes, and “Agent of Change”, which sets a good example. She is part of the prestigious “40 under 40 in Europe” selection for successful Bulgarians with contributions to society and holds numerous other national and international awards in the field of social entrepreneurship, including first prize from the Forbes Business Awards for the Jamba project in the “Start-up Business” category. Joana is the founder of Jamba-Hub of Opportunities – a center for training and career for people with disabilities. Recently, she has been working on the separation of two social enterprises – Jamba Essentials and Jamba Cooking Station.
Evelina Van Mensel, PhD brings over 20 years of experience in managing international projects, building and leading high-performing teams, fostering entrepreneurship, and measuring customer experience. She is the founder of one of the first mystery shopping agencies in Bulgaria. As a corporate trainer and university professor, Evelina teaches a broad range of subjects including Entrepreneurship, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, ESG, and Leading Change. Her teaching combines academic rigor with hands-on business insight, empowering professionals and students alike to drive meaningful transformation. She is deeply committed to helping social entrepreneurs grow by harnessing the power of academia, sustainability, and innovation through tailored consulting. Evelina holds a PhD in Business Economics, with her research focusing on the role of universities and entrepreneurial ecosystems in supporting social entrepreneurs.
Silviya Georgieva, PhD, is an Associate professor at Department Entrepreneurship at the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) in Sofia, Bulgaria. She is the Deputy Director for Research of the Institute of Entrepreneurship at the UNWE. She is part of YEPA (Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy) 2023-2025, joint project between European Commission and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Dr. Georgieva teaches and conducts research in the field of entrepreneurship – inclusive entrepreneurship (social, female, youth), cultural and international entrepreneurship as well as building and managing strategic partnerships among small and medium-sized enterprises. She has studies and publications on these topics. She delivered lectures to students at foreign universities.
Dr. Georgieva received award Business woman of the Year 2022, category “Education and Business – Hand in Hand”, from Business in High Heels Women’s Entrepreneurship Network organization, February, 2023. She was Chairman of the jury of the National Entrepreneurship Competition “Best Business Idea” organized by the Ministry of Education and Science – 2018, 2019, 2023, 2024, 2025. She participated in a number of national and international projects.
Rumyana Ivanova is a Master in Ecological Modeling and Expertise with more than 20 years of experience in the field of nature conservation and a strong interest in the search for “intersection points” and interaction between representatives of different spheres of society. Former Director of the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, which for 30 years has been uniting people with different ideas for the protection of Bulgarian nature, the conservation of natural resources, changing the attitude towards protected areas and protected species and the awareness of the opportunities, benefits and responsibilities towards them. Rumyana is directly connected to emblematic nature conservation activities such as the preparation of management plans for the Pirin and Central Balkan national parks, the declaration of the last natural park Belasitsa and the preservation of the Atanasovsko Lake Lagoon. In a sentence, Rumyana is an ecologist by education, an activist by heart and a mother of four children.
Stanislav Sirakov has more than 10 years of experience in the financial sector, project management and building new businesses in the corporate world. In 2008, he interrupted his fast-growing career at Allianz to start his own business – a niche in the small business lending market. Part of the management of the largest business plan competition – Empower Award, from where he joined the LAUNCHub team. Stanislav is a big fan of data-driven decision-making and is happy to be a connector in the LAUNCHub portfolio of companies.
Maya Ivanova Manager “Corporate Partnerships and Social Responsibility”, Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria has held her current position in the company since the beginning of 2022. Her career began in the media, then continued as a marketing specialist in a large distribution company, and later in a leading PR agency. Her career experience gives her a 360-degree view of the development of business processes in various industries. She is a well-rounded person, following a holistic approach to self-improvement thanks to her diverse interests.
Tsvetan Spasov is the Head of the Managing Authority of the Human Resources Development Program and the Chief Director of the Directorate General for European Funds, International Programs and Projects at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. He holds a PhD from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and a postgraduate specialization with a Fulbright scholarship at Iowa State University, USA. He has many years of experience in managing funds from the European Structural Funds at the Employment Agency, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Science.
Petar Torneff is Managing Director of ATC Accenture Bulgaria with over 20 years of experience in the IT sector and business transformation. He graduated in Computer Science from TU-Varna, with subsequent specializations in leadership at Harvard Business School and EMBA from the American University in Bulgaria. He is a member of the Board of Directors of AIBEST and an active advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Under his leadership, Accenture Bulgaria has established itself as a center of excellence in e-commerce, data and cloud technologies. Over the years, Petar has actively worked with BCNL to develop the ecosystem of NGOs and social entrepreneurs with the creation of the DarPazar project, the development of the Shtrak space, the Let’s GO program and others.
Nadia Shabani is the Director of BCNL. She worked with the organization from its founding in 2001 until 2009, returning again in 2012. At BCNL, she works on issues related to the establishment of NGOs, public-private partnerships, good governance and social bargaining. She provides assistance and support to central and local government officials, lawyers, professional groups, affiliated organizations and social service providers in developing policies, strategic documents, drafting legislative amendments and impact assessments in the social sphere. In 2009, Nadia Shabani became the Chairperson of the State Agency for Child Protection, which is responsible for the implementation of children’s rights and coordinates all government policies in this area. As the head of the agency, she is responsible for the coordination of all measures and programs under the Plan for the Deinstitutionalization of Children in Bulgaria, adopted in 2010. and funded by the EU (100,000,000 euros for the first 4 years). Nadia holds a Master’s degree in Law from Sofia University with a specialization in International Law and International Organizations.
Aylin Yumerova is a jurist who graduated from the Faculty of Law of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” in 2015. She has been part of the team of BCNL since 2013, when she started working in the organization as an intern, then as a legal consultant, and currently as a program director. She has over 10 years of experience in providing legal support to civil organizations in Bulgaria. She manages BCNL’s programs for developing the capacity of non-profit organizations and their financial sustainability, including the Summer School for NGOs, fundraising training, and the Vivacom Regional Grant. For the past 4 years, Aylin has been coordinating BCNL’s donation campaigns with a focus on individual donations. She is a member of the Fundraiser’s Club, the creation of which was initiated by BCNL. Aylin believes in the power of art to engage in action and provoke social change. Sharing this mission, Aylin leads the initiative to promote civic activism – Citizens’ Alarm Clock.
Alexandra Mircheva’s formal education covers the fields of international relations and international project management. Her professional path in the civil sector started in 2013. In the period 2013 – 2017, Alex worked on the topics of youth empowerment, participation in decision-making processes and quality youth policies. Since 2017, Alexandra has been actively contributing to the cause of quality education by participating in the monitoring of educational policies, advocacy and joint actions between stakeholders. She is a project manager of initiatives and programs between the public, civil and private sectors for quality education and skills development in school. Alex is an active trainer and methodologist of training programs using non-formal education methods. She was the Vice-Chair of the National Youth Forum – the largest platform of youth organizations in Bulgaria, as well as the Bulgarian Youth Delegate to the UN in 2016-2017, a program of the UN Partnership in Bulgaria. She is a 40 Under 40 honoree for her work in education. She is a social entrepreneur and co-founder of Zone 21.
Iveta Shiligarova is a journalist by profession, with experience in leading television media. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Master’s degree in Political Management from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Iveta began her career at the Bulgarian National Television, and then worked as a reporter in News and Current Affairs at NOVA Television. She developed as a Digital Marketing specialist in the retail sector, but her true passion for working for the benefit of society brought her back to working with a cause. Video and audio content processing and writing have been part of her entire professional path, and later she also started designing.
Don’t forget – we’ll see you on June 27th in Sofia! Register HERE!
