Alex Nestor is a seasoned executive with diversified international experience in the nuclear, mining and petro-chemical industries, and the NGO sector. Throughout his career he has held various positions such as vice-president, executive director, project and construction manager, director of corporate affairs, and design and sales engineer as well. Alex currently serves as Chairman of the BoD of Kozloduy NPP-NB. He used to work for notable companies such as Aker Kvaerner Canada, Sulzer Canada, Umicore, Dundee Precious Metals Bulgaria, Flexible Dynamics Canada, and Senior Flexonics Canada, where he made significant contributions. Alex has actively served on or led prominent NGOs such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Mining Chamber, the Industrial Cluster “Srednogorie Med”, and the Bulgarian Energy and Mining Forum. He holds Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology in Wroclaw, Poland, and has recently completed a mini MBA programme with PwC.

Petia Dimitrova is Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Management Board of Eurobank Bulgaria (Postbank), since 2012. She joined the team of Postbank in 2003 as Country CFO for the eight affiliated companies of Eurobank EFG Group in Bulgaria. Petia began her career in 1996 at the Consular Department of the US Embassy. Then, in 1998-2003, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers as Senior Manager and Senior Auditor.

She is a chartered accountant, qualified ACCA member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in London, UK. Petia has an Executive MBA in General Management from the University of Sheffield, UK and holds two Master Degrees in Finance and Banking and Tourism from the University of National and World Economy and Sofia University ‘St. Kliment Ohridski’. She also holds certificates from Harvard Business School and Said Business School, University of Oxford.

Petia has received many awards, including the prestigious recognition “Mrs. Economy” in “Mr. and Mrs. Economy” competition organized by CEIBG and Economy Magazine; the big prize by “Atanas Bourov” Foundation for Banking and Financial Management; “Banker of the Year” Awards by Banker weekly for six consecutive years and many others. Dimitrova is a Member of the Management Boards of the Association of Banks in Bulgaria, “Atanas Bourov” Foundation, Endeavor Bulgaria Association, the International Banking Institute. She also is a Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Hellenic Business Council in Bulgaria, member of the Management Board of CEIBG and Member of the University Council of the American University in Bulgaria.

Desislava is an accomplished specialist in international cooperation and project management, with over 10 years of experience working for EU institutions (European Commission’s DG INTPA, European Union Intellectual Property Office) and the United Nations (UNICEF).She has successfully managed a project portfolio exceeding €170 million, focusing on international cooperation, education, intellectual property, and the negotiation and implementation of free trade agreements. Desislava is an alumna of New York University (NYU) and the Institut d’études politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).

Ms. Bystryk joined the Department of Global Affairs Canada in 2005. Before taking her current assignment as Senior Trade Commissioner in Bucharest, she had assignments in Moscow and Sao Paulo, Brazil. In Ottawa, she has held various positions in trade policy and negotiations including as the Senior Trade Policy officer responsible for the negotiation of Canada’s Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (FIPAs) in Africa and for the negotiation of Canada’s Air Transport Agreements (ATAs) in Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Ms. Bystryk also has extensive experience in negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) and in negotiating bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) including the Investment Chapter of the CPTPP and the Temporary Entry Chapter of Canada’s FTAs with Peru and Colombia, among others.

Heather speaks English, French, Portuguese and Russian (intermediate).

Education:
Bachelor of Commerce (International Business) with Honours, University of Ottawa
Masters in International Affairs (Trade and Global Finance), Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University

Deyan Deltchev is a Co-founder of New Energy Corp. Ltd. NEC Ltd is an engineering company focused in development of oxy-hydrogen electrolyzers and the integration of the oxy-hydrogen gas in end service and products. The company has 4 Utility Models, 1 obtained Patent and 2 Pending Patents in the field of oxy-hydrogen. NEC Ltd. Is in negotiation process with Canadian company for merging. NEC Ltd. Received the award of ARC FUND for Green Innovation with the self-invented technology for DPFs and Catalyst recycling with oxy-hydrogen.

Deyan Deltchev represents also EMKA JSC. and ALMOTT Ltd. EMKA JSC. Is leading cable and wire producer in Bulgaria with more than 70 % export of its production. ALMOTT Ltd. Is innovative company focused on design and production of heavy duty brushless alternators. Both company have intentions to extern their exports to the Canadian market.

Throughout his career, Deyan was a Junior engineer at Encon Services Ltd, where he was responsible for Energy efficiency consulting and audits preparation. Deyan holds Diploma Degree in Engineering Management from the Technical University in Dortmund, Germany, and is completing Master Degree in International Business Development at New Bulgarian University in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Mrs. Kalina Loukanov is an Acting CEO and Executive Vice President of D&V Electronics, a leading-edge test equipment company, founded by Dr. Voiko Loukanov, D&V designs & manufactures mechatronics Testing Equipment for clients in over 85 countries.

Mrs. Loukanov is an accomplished, highly motivated and goal-driven Executive with more than 18 years’ experience in strategic and tactical business leadership. Skilled in developing high performance cross functional teams through motivation, discipline, and accountability. Her expertise includes managing business process change to achieve maximum results with effective planning, organization, and communication skills as well as a solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving. Mrs. Loukanov is a proven leader with the ability to organize, motivate, and inspire teams to maximize success. Kalina’s experience complements D&V’s strategic focus on leveraging its world-class testing systems. Mrs. Loukanov brings a wealth of knowledge and experiences to any position, having led in several capacities and roles at D&V Electronics, such as Executive Director, Manager, Strategic Planning, Manager IT. She is an exemplary and collaborative leader who can achieve continuous success. Her mindfulness about her peers, coworkers and other departmental staff puts her in high favour as a team player and leader that many aspire to work with.

Mrs. Loukanov holds a MSc in Electronics from Technical University, Sofia.
Mrs. Loukanov is a Board Member of the Canadian-Bulgarian Business Network (CBBN) in Toronto, Canada.

Georgi is currently the General Manager at Move Digital Sofia, a fully owned subsidiary of Move Digital, a fintech company that enables wealth managers to digitize their value chain. He started his career at Move Digital Zurich, where he worked as a quantitative analyst and software engineer, gaining comprehensive experience across all stages of the software development life cycle. In 2019, Georgi proposed and led the establishment of Move Digital’s engineering office in Bulgaria. Georgi holds a BA in Computer Science and a BS in Economics and Finance, both from Bard College, USA. He received a full-tuition scholarship that covered his five-year undergraduate studies. He also earned a Master of Science in Management, Technology, and Economics from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. During his studies there Georgi worked as a research assistant at the Chair of Entrepreneurial Risks, co-authored a publication on financial bubbles, and completed an internship at Quantica Capital, an asset manager specializing in systematic investment strategies.

Vera Djambazova is a Bulgarian journalist and public relations expert. During her 30 year-career in the media, she has worked in prestigious national newspapers such as “ABV”, “Kultura”, “Debati”, “Pari”. Since 2000, Vera has worked in the field of corporate PR for companies such as DZI, Janssen-Cilag, DuPont, Dundee Precious Metals, AES, Bulgarian National Radio. During the interim government in 2014, she served as the head of the press center of the Ministry of Culture. Over the years, Vera has used her communication skills to moderate complex public discussions, including on controversial topics in society, such as the public discussions for the development of the Ada Tepe project in Krumovgrad and the construction of an ore processing plant in the village of Chelopech and the public discussions for building of a waste incineration plant near Sofia in Sofia and the surrounding villages in 2009.