Fri, Feb 10 2012
MONBAT
Petar Hristov Petrov, a management board member of car battery maker MonBat, was named executive director of the company on August 22. He replaced Valentin Mitov, who was to remain a member of the management board. At MonBat, Petrov has also been the head accountant for MonBat in Montana, since 1998. Before that, he was the head accountant and also a credit inspector at Post Bank in Montana. He started his career at Precise EOOD in Montana in 1990, and moved his way up from there. Petrov's education includes a master's in finance and accounting from the Higher Institute of Finance and Economics in Svishtov and additional training in accounting and, later, in international accountancy standards, at the University of National and World Economy in Sofia and at the Economics Academy in Svishtov in financial management.
TRINITY
Philip Welsh is coming (back) to Bulgaria to run the new office of Trinity, a Polish company that is a leader in accounting and corporate secretarial services in Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. Welsh will serve as the managing director, based in Sofia. Before joining Trinity in May 2008, he worked with Deloitte Central Europe for 10 years as a regional CFO based in Sofia. During that time, he collaborated with all 17 countries in which Deloitte Central Europe was represented, acquiring a wealth of knowledge of the local and regional markets. Welsh graduated from Queen's University, Belfast; he is also a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and has investor experience in the retail and property sector.
TRANS TELECOM
Georgi Iliev will fill the role of head technical director of the telecommunications company Trans Telecom, founded in 2003. Iliev has been with Trans Telecom since 2005, as head of the radio access networks. He received his degree at the St Petersburg State Polytechnic University, where he specialised in automated systems management. Later, he participated in establishing the Cisco Academy in Plovdiv, and in 2004, was appointed as a senior systems engineer at a telecommunications company in England. Iliev, who likes to scuba dive in his free time, has additionally received qualifications in the telecommunications branch in the United States, and has received a master's in telecommunications management from New Bulgarian University.
In the fourth quarter of 2011, the average monthly salary increased to 727 leva, 4.9 per cent higher than in Q3, the National Statistics Institute says.
For the first time in six months, global food prices rose overall in January 2012, the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation said.
The package will be discussed with the Association of Bulgarian Banks before the amendments are submitted to Parliament.
Debate at the half-day event will cover what has been achieved so far and what further can be done by the Bulgarian Government to support development of the market.
Selectivity, not popularity, is the driving force behind Sofia's most exclusive members' only club.

Lyubov Kostova was appointed country manager of British Council Bulgaria effective January 1, replacing Tony Buckby, who left in October 2011 to take a similar position at British Council Greece. Kostova has been with British Council Bulgaria for 11 years, as public communications manager and, since 2008, as the head of project and partnerships department. Prior to joining the British Council, Kostova was head of international activities at the National Academy for Theatre and Cinema Arts (NATFIZ). She has a degree in Indian studies from Kliment Ohridski Sofia University.

Stefan Apostolov is the new chief executive of CEZ Razpredelenie Bulgaria, the power transmission subsidiary of Czech energy company CEZ in the country. He replaces interim chief executive Ales Damm, who remains the chairperson of the CEZ Razpredelenie management board. Apostolov has 30 years of experience in the energy sector, joining CEZ in 2007 as director of customer service and was later appointed as head of business development. Apostolov has a master's degree in electric systems from the Belorussian National Technical University in Minsc, management diplomas from Open University London and New Bulgarian University, as well as a master's degree in business administration from Plovdiv University.

Valentina Dikanska is the new general manager of chemical industry giant BASF subsidiary in Bulgaria, taking over from Herbert Fisch, BASF vice president for Southeastern Europe. Dikanska, who started her career as an expert in the Finance Ministry, joined BASF Bulgaria as director of finance and administration in 2002. She becomes the first Bulgarian to hold the top management position in the company in its 40-year history on the Bulgarian market. Dikanska holds a master's degree in economics from the University for National and World Economy in Sofia.

Alexander Albin has been appointed chief executive of fuel distributor Rompetrol Bulgaria, replacing Nichita Sorin, who left to become chief executive of Rompetrol Gaz in Romania. Albin was previously chief executive of Rompetrol Georgia. He has more than 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry; prior to joining Romania's oil group Rompetrol in 2008 as an adviser, he oversaw operations at Atyrau refinery in Kazakhstan, owned by Rompetrol's parent company KazMunaiGaz. He previously held top management positions at two other leading Kazakh oil and gas companies.