Borislav Botev, MBA, CPA, CMA, PMP

As a lecturer in the BEIED Executive Management Program, what is your impression of the participants?

In my opinion, Program Participants are professionals in their fields with an interest in the materials in the program with the desire to actively participate in the discussions that seek the practical application of the lessons learned.

What do you think today is the most important skill for a business leader?

To motivate your people to achieve more than they think they can.

In modern management – what is the most noticeable change or trend?

Being an adaptive manager.

What is the biggest challenge for managers today?

The enhanced role of political participation in the market economy, not only as a law but also as an inconsistency.

If you have to give only one advice to the people in the classroom, what will it be?

Always ask – now what to do ..?

Mr. Botev is a senior financier and project manager with rich Canadian and international experience in maximizing the profit and value of the shares of large and small public and private companies, including over 20 years in mining, production, Big 4, banking, gas, electricity, utilities, supply chain and port management. He has significant experience in accounting, financial reporting, SAP, IFRS, GAAP (ASPE), SOX, FP & A, budgeting, forecasting, cash management, debt finance / equity, project finance, business processes improvement, M & A, Restructuring, Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Strategic Planning, Complex Inspection and Project Management with Complex Multinational and National Corporations, Team Building and Leadership in Culturally Diversified Teams. Mr. Botev is recognized in the definition and achievement of high standards. He teaches in Canada and Europe. A great value in his classes is the practical experience and the opportunity to talk with managers about real life and business experience. Mr. Botev works in Canada for the companies – M & B Consulting Inc. and National Project Management Inc. His previous experience in business includes leading management positions in companies such as: Bulgarian Energy Holding, Port Metro Vancouver, National Bank of Canada, Deloitte – Bulgaria, Port of Bourgas, KPMG, Central European University, Balkanbank, etc. organizations such as CMA Vancouver, AOTS Japan, CIMA UK, PMI, PADI.

Veneta Andonova, PhD. Business Administration (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Department of Economics and Business (with honors)

You are a lecturer in BEIED’s Executive Management programs. What is your main impression of the participants?

The participants are highly trained specialists and a very nice company for professional conversations. The desire to gain new skills and share their ideas enriches and loads incredibly.

What do you think is the most important skill of a modern business leader?

The most important skill of a business leader is to synchronize himself with what he wants to achieve in his organization.

In modern management – what is the most noticeable change or trend?

The most noticeable change is the constant change around us, which requires a new setting for constant learning and development.

What is the biggest challenge for top managers nowadays?

The biggest challenge for managers is to find talent and support it because human talent is a prerequisite for development and progress.

If you have to say just one tip to the people in your classroom?

Ask all the questions that come to your mind in a loud voice and share your knowledge with others generously.

Professor Andonova is a professor of strategic management and personality who receives attention and respect from the moment he enters a classroom. Her teaching is often described as challenging and realistic. She works in lectures and research positions in bachelor and master programs in Spain, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Colombia, and the United States of America. After a decade of research into strategy and management in South America, Andonova decided that analyzing Bulgarian data and case studies is the natural next step for a professional studying emerging markets. Prof. Andonova has a wealth of publications in the fields of management, entrepreneurship, communications, etc. She has won prestigious scholarships and an international award from institutions such as: Harvard Business School, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology, Brown University, the Mexican Science Commission and Technology, Hamburg Institute of Law and Economics. Ms. Andonova is a spokesman for seminars and conferences in Spain, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, the Philippines, USA, Canada, Chile, Switzerland, Hungary and others.

Professor Asli Goksoy, Ph.D., on Organizational Behavior.

You are a lecturer in Executive Management. What is your main impression of the participants?

They are very eager to learn passionate about their career, love to participate in discussions and share their own experiences with their classmates.

What do you think is the most important skill of a modern business leader?

Leadership, communication and innovation.

In modern management – what is the most noticeable change or trend?

To identify opportunities before competition, gather information to find out possible new directions for organizations and to be different and unique.

What is the biggest challenge for top managers nowadays?

To deal with change. Competition is moving so fast. Trends change so quickly.

If you have to say just one tip to the people in your classroom?

Understand your people and build a strong relationship with them because they are your most valuable asset.

Professor Asli Goksoy , Ph.D., on Organizational Behavior. Professor Goksoy has graduated from the US, the International Business MBA (PACE UNIVERSITY, New York, Lubin School of Business) and a PhD in one of Turkey’s leading higher education institutions for 124 years in the Marmara University in Istanbul. Ashley has lived in the United States for 14 years, gathering valuable international business experience and business practices in New York and Florida. Ashley has gained extensive experience in overall management and later in teaching and education administration. In Turkey and Bulgaria, Ashley has worked for educational institutions such as AUBG and ISTANBUL COMMERCE UNIVERSITY. Her experience in organizational behavior, principles of change management and management, strategic management and business communications are combined with her friendly and intelligent approach to students and an open, interactive style. Professor Goksoy has a rich list of published articles and papers, as well as the latest book in Germany on Lambert Academic Publishing. She is also the editor of a book titled Human Resources Management Change Management Strategies – IGI Global Publishing Company in the United States. Ashley publishes articles for many international magazines on topics such as Business Process Re-engineering, Change Management, burn out effect, employee response to change, organizational communications, conflict work – family, organizational culture, organizational justice, positive organizational behavior, leadership styles in paternalist parties and many others.

Milena Nikolova, PhD in Business

 As a lecturer in the BEIED Executive Management Program, what is your impression of the participants?

The participants are a very interesting group, as they include professionals from many different spheres. All are active and with an opinion that makes the dynamics of learning very interesting and adds value to the knowledge shared by the lecturer.

What do you think today is the most important skill for a business leader?

It is difficult for me to formulate a single skill, but the modern business environment and the trends we see require business leaders to be sensitive to their surroundings and to follow many different processes by constantly asking themselves “What can this mean for our industry and the company – what opportunities or difficulties can arise and how to approach them? “. For me, one can not identify himself as a business leader if he does not stop learning, experimenting and looking for innovative solutions to the challenges.

In modern management – what is the most noticeable change or trend?

Dissolving of the borders we are used to: between online and offline reality, between different industries, between the private and public sectors, between social and business decisions.

What is the biggest challenge for managers today?

That many of the established models we know are not as effective in their pure form. Organizations and businesses increasingly need innovative and different solutions to experiment with, because dynamics does not allow the use of template solutions.

If you have to give only one advice to the people in the classroom, what will it be?

Do not stop learning.

Owen Fernandez, B.Tech; MBA

As a lecturer in the BEIED Executive Management Program, what is your impression of the participants?

I have always enjoyed taking courses for BEIED. Participants are willing to learn and always challenge the instructor. That’s better for me. This is not just another certification exercise, but a great platform for sharing knowledge in a creative environment. I look forward to coming back again.

What do you think today is the most important skill for a business leader?

The most important skill today for a business leader is the ability to realize the potential. To influence people to achieve visible and sustainable results.

In modern management – what is the most noticeable change or trend?

The big change is “proper leadership,” which basically means to influence everyone involved in the company to develop and deliver more. People are always able to do more and even surprise, but we need support, direction and appreciation, leadership with an example.

If you have to give only one advice to the people in the classroom, what will it be?

Restrictions are mental and self-imposed. What we can create in our minds and believe in it, we can do that.

Owen Fernandez was born in Bombay, India. He graduated high school and later engineered with honors one of the most prestigious technical institutes. He adds three more diplomas in Management, Import and Export, Marketing and MBA degree from City University, Seattle. He has 5 scholarships for high academic achievement and has traveled to more than 40 countries and has a work experience at senior management level in Africa, Asia and Europe. Fernandes has a Doctor of Business Administration from Comenius University in Slovakia.He also has a Six Sigma black belt. Owen is also a professional psychometric analyst and career coach and mentor. He is also trained in Pearson Edexcel techniques. In addition, he is active in MBA at City University in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as in Slovakia Manager Academy (SMA) at the University of Gloucestershire – MBA and BEIED Bulgaria. Owen believes in the power of the next generation and advocates youth leadership. He was the mentor of many of his students in initial start-ups and career development.

Olaf Gyukema, Partner and Creative Director – TriplePro

What does modern marketing mean for you?

Guerilla thinking, thinking outside the framework.

Modern marketer – what qualities should he possess?

Analytical mind, strategic thinking and not be tempted by short-term brand victories. Side skills are important today. It is no longer true that if you are good at marketing, then you are a professional. Marketers today are partly strategists, partly copywriters, coders, and data analysts.

From a practical point of view – do you have a message to the new in the industry?

Never stop learning new methods and practices. Marketing is a profession that is changing every 3 months because of the technological evolution we are witnessing today. Hunger for knowledge is key to the profession. Also – something I learned long ago – Do not be interested in marketing, be interested in people.

What made you love the profession?

In the early years of college I had a course in consumer behavior and I was impressed by the variety of tactics and practices that persuaded the client to prefer product A instead of B. I thought that creating dreams and making people believe in them is a cause that  is worthy.

Radoslav Bimbalov, Managing Partner and Creative Director at The Smarts.

What is the essence of modern marketing?

Above all, it must be able to respond to the rapidly changing attitudes, interests and moods of consumers. To catch the right pulse and react immediately. It just needs to be reactive.

What qualities should the contemporary marketer possess?

Trampled paths and tried-and-tested marketing patterns are becoming more and more. They give peace and sometimes protect against failures, but inevitably lead to the loss of instincts. Today’s marketer should not allow his intuition to sleep – it is necessary to challenge her, even to stress her. And look for solutions outside the comfort zone.

What is your message to young people in the industry?

I always say the same to the youngsters who take the path I chose for myself years ago: Your job is to put yourself in people`s heads. So do not stop coming out of yourself.

Your biggest professional success?

I succeed every day – sometimes more, sometimes less, but every day. If I have to point out something specific – what we started with Gergana Ivanova – a small and elaborate agency named The Smarts, who from the first moment decided to be independent, whatever it costs. We work for some of the biggest clients in Bulgaria, we have a huge team and ambitions, yet we are completely independent – politically and financially. And this is our greatest pride.

Useful mistake?

Errors are smaller than the successes, but the number is probably the same. This parity is important to know where you are and not to forget how hard the earth is. The most painful mistakes for me are related to valuable people who have been part of my team but I was not able to hold  for one reason or another. And as it may be mutual, I look for guilt first in me.

Which has made you love this profession?

The feeling that you have influenced some people to make a decision without feeling manipulated by you. And without even having heard of you. It’s great …

Georgi Malchev, Managing Partner, Xplora.bg

What does modern marketing mean for you?

Let’s do it in one sentence: Less crap, talk to me in target users, self targeting, leads, ROI.

What qualities should the contemporary marketer possess?

Above all, flexibility and alertness – to seek, to read, to test, to apply, to improve, to analyze. And objectivity – some things are obviously working, others – they need improvement immediately. The modern marketer will find it difficult to work without a matrix – if he does not work very actively with the other teams – he will remain the one who clicks on the site, hanging out on social networks. Or the one who knows that a lot of money invested in TV advertising leads to a number of sales if there is an active offering of the service or product in the office or store. But … not the guy who along with others has made a truly integrated marketing and integrated sale machine that accelerates and becomes more efficient with any marketing activity.

What is your message to young people in the industry?

Be flexible, read, apply things, seek a specific and measurable result and improvement. And for a year or two they will become very good – imagine Neo in the Matrix. They will very quickly start not just as black martial arts but also “see the matrix”. And yet another message – this is a sector that will grow very fast in the coming years. There will be great demand and the young will choose what to do and where to do. But they will also have to deliver results. It is now possible to achieve growth in times, but this can not last forever. So do not delay!

What creates your love for the profession?

The ability to discover, create, build. And the professionals I meet and work with.

Prof. Dr. Desislava Boshnakova

In modern marketing – what is the most noticeable change or trend?

For me, this is the fact that we no longer work for people but WITH people.

What do you think today is the most important skill for a marketing manager?

The courage to look for new ways of doing their job – in other words, creativity.

If you have to give only one advice to the people in the classroom, what will it be?

Do not stop being yourself.

Ralitsa Andonova – Marketing Manager, Sopharma Trading

You have successfully completed BEIED and Triple Pro – Modern Marketing Management. Who was the most precious lesson?

The most valuable lesson is to realize that the knowledge you have is never enough and you can always learn something new and useful. I thank all the lecturers for the enthusiasm, the valuable ideas and experience with which we were charged during the lectures.

As an experienced marketing manager, what do you think today is the biggest challenge in this field?

The biggest challenge is to be able to successfully complete the projects within the time you have. The factors that you need to consider, analyze and suggest the right solution grow. At the same time, the work of other departments in the company depends on it, and any delay is at risk of failure.

What are the most valuable skills for the contemporary marketer?

Be positive, accept every problem as a challenge and every success as a reward for the efforts.

If you have to give some advice to young marketing managers – what will it be?

Be creative and not afraid to offer your ideas! Always set goals and reach them because the pointless actions lead to a certain failure! And most importantly, not to accept their work as an obligation, but as an opportunity to do what they love!