After the successful first two editions of the IRIS Open Talks platform for discussion and exchange of experience and knowledge, on January 18, 2024 at 17:00, The Venue hall in the "Incubator" building of "Sofia Tech Park" will once again gather beautiful minds, successful people, specialists and IT enthusiasts. This time the topic of the discussion will be "Demography and financial health: deceptions and solutions". The reason why we, the organizers from IRIS Solutions, chose this topic are the alarming demographic trends in Europe and in our country: low reproductive attitudes, declining birth rates, accelerated aging of societies and global population displacement. Societies that manage to respond in time to these trends and adapt to the new conditions will succeed. In this transformation, the biggest battle will be for the educated, the highly skilled, the young. Demographic changes are also causing changes in the European financial sector. New business niches are opening, one of which is Open Banking. For the successful transformation of Bulgaria into a leader in South-Eastern Europe and an equal partner of the EU member states in this regard, an accelerated implementation of the latest fintech solutions is necessary. It is also critically important to work to improve the financial literacy of the population as well as to increase the quality of financial education in our country. In the third edition of IRIS Open Talks on the topic "Demography and Financial Health: Deceptions and Solutions", the following will present their experience, knowledge and positions:
Prof. Daniela Bobeva, former Deputy Prime Minister, Vice President of Black Sea Trade and Development bank and professor of finance at a number of Bulgarian universities;
Associate Professor Georgi Burdarov, geographer, specialist in demography and ethno-religious conflicts, SU "St. Kliment Ohridski"
Stefan Vitanov, BoroBit, a personal finance management company
Galya Dimitrova, managing partner at IRIS Solutions
Moderator: Milena Hadjiivanova, creator of the Mindset Power Talk podcast When: January 18, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Where: Hall "The Venue", Incubator, Sofia Tech Park
Registration: by registration only - HERE Program:
17:00 – 17:10 Registration
17:10 – 17:20 Mindset Power Talk Podcast start and recap
Milena Hadjiivanova, host of the Mindset Power Talk Podcast
17:20 – 17:45 Demographic processes in Bulgaria and Europe - challenges and perspectives
Prof. Dr. Georgi Burdarov, specialist in demography and ethno-religious conflicts
17:45 – 17:55 The Bulgarian financial sector and our place on the European map
Galya Dimitrova, Executive Director of IRIS Solutions
17:55 – 18:20 The solution: financial education and financial literacy Mindset Power Talk Interview
Moderator: Milena Hadjiivanova
Participants: Prof. Daniela Bobeva, Vice President of Black Sea Trade and Development bank and professor of finance at a number of Bulgarian universities;
Stefan Vitanov, BoroBIT
18:20 – 20:00 Networking
More about our lecturers:
Georgi Bardarov is a Bulgarian geographer and teacher at the Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". Lead the Department of Socio-Economic Geography and specialize in the field of Demography, Ethno-Religious Conflicts and Geography of Population and Settlements. Teaching in the master's program of Regional Development and Management, Management on Choveshkite Resources and others. Since 2015, he has been Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs at the Faculty of Geology and Geography at the SU "St. Kliment Ohridski".
Daniela Bobeva is a finance teacher at VUZF and has over 20 years of experience in the banking and financial sector. It was led by the European and International Directorate of the BNB and participated in the most important committees of the European Commission. While teaching various disciplines at UNSS and other universities, you have interests in the regulation of financial services, migration and macroeconomics. Participation in and leadership of research projects in the energy market region received prestigious awards in the business world.
Milena is a clinical and organizational psychologist, business consultant, coach, mentor. For over 20 years, I have been practicing strategically in HR projects, leadership development, organizational psychology and trainings. More than 6,000 consultants of the project and over 17,000 participants, were deprived of training. Lecturer in business psychology, management and leadership at VUZF. Founder of the Academy for Authentic Leadership and Mindset Power Talk podcast Currently Chief HR Director at Bulsatcom.
Galya Dimitrova is an executive director at IRIS Solutions with a long history of experience in the banking sector. Her goal is to make open banking recognizable through IRIS Solutions - licensed from Bulgarian National Bank for the Third Party Provider (TPP) by the Second Payment Directive on the European Commission (PSD2) start-up. Galya is an active member of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Fintech Association. Her mission at IRIS Solutions is dedicated to the development of fintech innovation, and especially to the development of financial awareness in Bulgaria.
Stefan Vitanov will make his debut at IRIS Open Talks, bringing experience as a programmer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of BoroBit. His passion for the arts intertwines seamlessly with his technical skills, creating a unique synergy that makes him exceptionally creative and innovative. He leads a mission to enhance the financial literacy of Bulgarians, building opportunities and facilitating access to financial education. He stands as a living example of successfully merging art with technology, turning his vision of more financially informed and confident Bulgarians into reality.