BULGARIA INTERVIEWS

For Amitabh Vardhan cinema is not just a form of entertainment. It is a passion. As the managing director and CEO of Cine Grand since 2010, he has dedicated himself to creating and crafting the ultimate cinema experience for viewers. Mr Vardhan's previous experience has prepared him well for the task – his professional background spans several countries, including India, the US, the UK, Romania, and Serbia, and a number of industries such as consumer goods, services, hospitality, and real estate.

Before coming to Sofia as His Majesty's Ambassador, Nathaniel Copsey was the chief speech writer for the foreign secretary. As he covered the full range of UK foreign policy's issues, he had wide access and connections to the British and international media. With a background as an academic, latterly a professor of politics, Nathaniel Copsey focused on Europe, particularly the EU and Eastern Europe. He was involved in both the 2015 renegotiation of the EU treaty and the subsequent referendum in 2016.

From prehistory to modernity, humanity has explored the nature of metals and has tamed them, putting them at the centre of entire industries and creating astonishing pieces of craft and art of them. Nedyalka and Dimitar Mitkovi have dedicated their lives and creative spirits to making exquisite pieces of wrought iron.

Excellent organization, flawless work processes, timely reaction and visible results: these are just some of the reasons why Sky Prime is one of the hot names in the Bulgarian market right now.

The fragrance diffuser lets another puff of delicate aroma in the elegant waiting room. Sitting on the comfortable sofas, people leisurely check their phones, while sipping water or fresh coffee. The impression of being in a luxury retreat shared area would be perfect if not for the laminated protective coverings on their shoes and the assistants calmly calling the people, one by one, by their names.

How clean is really clean? During the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of companies and individuals around the world were anxious to get the answer right. Many of them found it in the products of a global company that has been a pioneer in the field since its establishment in Germany in 1935: Kärcher. Its distinctive yellow equipment for cleaning provides excellent results for a wide range of spaces and sites – from homes to industrial facilities to public spaces and culture sites.

With a wide-ranging experience in Berlin, Brussels, Kinshasa, Rabat and Seattle, Irene Maria Plank seems like the perfect diplomat who can with equal ease discuss serious political issues and sample wine, analyse classical music and discuss religion, travel through remote mountain ranges and tend to her cats. Her tenure in Bulgaria started in 2023, but this is not her first time here. Frau Plank was already in Sofia the year before, serving as an interim chief of mission.

Psychoanalysis and film making are connected in more than one way. They were born at approximately the same time and are based on dreams and the unconscious. There is hardly a person who has not tried to decipher either their own dreams or a movie. It is not surprising, then, that there is a whole field in modern psychology dedicated to film psychoanalysis.

Travelling and discovering different cultures and landscapes is one of life's greatest joys; the cliché that it is one of the most sensible investments one will make is absolutely true. Tatyana Dimitrova knows this well. About 30 years ago she was brave enough to establish a travel agency. Today, Randevu Travel is a widely recognised brand with a broad portfolio of services and covered destinations in Bulgaria and abroad, and scores of loyal, satisfied customers.

Our entire civilization is built on industrial production and commerce, but few of us are aware what it takes to build a factory or a warehouse. For most of us, industrial facilities are just a fact of life, churning items that we need in our everyday lives, from our cars to food and clothing, gadgets and cosmetics.

The planet is getting warmer and humanity is increasingly aware of the dangers, but the war in Ukraine and the crisis of energy supplies that ensued put to the test the efforts for adopting new green policies. For a number of political and economical reasons, in 2022 Bulgaria seemed particularly vulnerable to changes in the global energy sector. What is the outlook for the country's energy supply for 2024 and beyond? We decided to discuss the topic with a woman with unique insight in the field.

Christina is now back on these pages owing to her participation in the Business Lady Excellence 2024 event in Sofia at the end of March.

Business Lady Excellence has a 15-year history of connecting leading personalities from Bulgaria, Europe and the Americas. Its main aim is to gather together inspiring women from business, politics, culture, technology and social life, and to foster expanded business and personal development.

The clients of Parichkova Design Lab are different and so are the interiors that they have commissioned to the studio. But all of these people invariably are pleasantly surprised when they enter the finished interior and see that the space, up to the tiniest of detail, is just like the 3D interior design project prepared by the studio.

Renewable energy has immense potential for helping humanity to put climate change under control. But it is more than that. Thanks to the development of modern technologies that made it more affordable, it is now a new field of opportunities for individual investors of different sizes and intentions. How? With companies such as G-Energy. The company not only designs and builds photovoltaic systems – its product, G-Energy Invest, is for individuals who want a safe investment for their money with quick return and long period of pure profit.

The stylish French residence in Central Sofia is indeed a very special place. For about 100 years, in addition to being the home of French ambassadors, it has been the meeting spot of senior dignitaries. One of the most notable events there was the famous breakfast with Bulgarian intellectuals, hosted by then President François Mitterrand, a few months before the collapse of Communism in 1989. One of them, Professor Zhelyu Zhelev, would later go on to become the first democratically elected president of Bulgaria.

Natalia Petrova has over 20 years of experience in asset management, capital markets, equity and fixed income trading, UCITS products and services, and is a licensed investment consultant, broker and trader with government securities. Natalia Petrova is the CEO of Concord Asset Management, the biggest non-bank asset manager in Bulgaria, but her active roles are more.

Women are increasingly making their own way into iGaming: as players, creators and developers. Katya Machuganova is one of them. The iGaming and digital media professional became producer and product owner at GAN, the US leading online gaming platform, in just a couple of years, after she decided to leave her established business and career path and explore new territories. Today, the mother of two girls is an ISTQB Certified Quality Assurance specialist, Master in Digital Media and Video Games and is studying Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer.

Three times an ambassador (in Haiti, Croatia and now in Bulgaria) Kenneth Merten has a wide-ranging career in various positions within the US State Department, including in the office of the director general of the foreign service. His postings abroad include the American Embassy in Paris, in Bonn (at the time of German Unification), at the US mission to the EU in Brussels and at the American Embassy in Paris.

In times of rapidly changing social, technological and political climates, all parents worry about what is the most responsible way to prepare their children for the challenges of tomorrow. New technologies are reshaping the ways in which children learn and perceive the world, and will have lasting consequences in the foreseeable future.

Antifreeze, AdBlue® diesel exhaust fluid, windshield wiping fluid, grease... When drivers and car mechanics in Bulgaria and the Balkans buy such crucial products, they often choose one brand in particular. TSAKI has been around since 1989, but had only started manufacturing products for the car industry in the late 2000s. This crucial change took place under the helm of Krasimira Hristova, the second generation of managers in this family owned company.