Our Team

Nadya Dankinova has significant experience in management of EU financed municipal projects, as well as in providing financing for municipal and urban development projects. Mrs. Dankinova is a former deputy district and regional governor of Yambol region, as well as a former deputy mayor of Yambol Municipality. Mrs. Dankinova has actively participated in expert working groups related to financial decentralization and municipal finance, as well as in the development of strategic regional documents.

Since 2011, Nadya Dankinova is performing the functions of an Executive Director of FLAG. Since 2012 Mrs. Dankinova has been appointed an Executive Director of FLAG’s subsidiary - Fund for Sustainable Urban Development, an UDF under JESSICA Initiative.

Nadya Dankinova holds a Master’s Degree in Social Economic Planning and Public Finance at the University of National and World Economy.

Stoyan Stavrev is the sole owner and manager of Bulgarian Consultancy Organization EOOD – partner in Sustainable Cities Fund. He holds management positions in the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIBG). He is also a member of the Working Group on the Development of the Sofia Municipality Investment Program, the Monitoring Committees of some of the main operational programs for the period 2014-2020 and the Public Consultation Council of the Committee on European Affairs and Oversight of the European Funds in the National Assembly.

Stoyan Stavrev has significant experience in the public sector by taking leadership positions in the Ministry of Transport and Finance, in the Central Finance and Contracting Unit Directorate - the main precursor contracting authority, where he is directly responsible for the co-ordination of the preparation for providing accreditation for the implementation of the extended decentralization system in the management of Phare projects.

Mr. Stavrev is the winner of the “Mr. Economy” Award in the "Consultancy Business" category for 2016.

A lawyer with a diploma from St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, he specializes in the field of human rights protection and the development of small and medium enterprises (Japan).

Nadya Andreeva is  Director of the Corporate Clients Department at UBB, which includes industries, multinationals and project finance. She has over 25 years of experience in banking and corporate banking as a member of the Raiffeisenbank team.

She holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", as well as a number of international professional programs. She is fluent in English and Italian.

Iva Petkova has over 10 years of experience in the evaluation and monitoring of projects funded by SCF and ESIF. Since 2008 Mrs. Petkova has been working at FLAG, where she participates in the evaluation of administrative capacity and public procurement, in the assessment of the eligibility and compliance with the requirements of the respective Operational Program, in the evaluation and monitoring of the implementation of the projects by the municipalities.

Since 2011, Iva Petkova is involved in the implementation of JESSICA Initiative under the Urban Development of Sofia - she participated in the process of application to the EIB, in the development of the Fund's policies and rules, in the preparation and implementation of sustainable urban projects financed by the SCF under OPRD 2007-2013.

Iva Petkova holds a Master’s Degree in European Studies and in International Relations from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski ". Within the framework of the Sustainable Cities Fund, she performs the functions of a Key expert for Urban Regeneration and Financial Instruments.

Dr. Kiril Velichkov has more than 20 years of experience with European programs, working under PHARE and Socrates programs, and also responsible for European projects within Southeastern Europe at the Goethe Institute. He has consulted Bulgarian and foreign ministries and has been an independent expert of the European Commission. He has an experience as a university lecturer.

He has over 7 years of experience with financial instruments, including JEREMIE Initiative, Guarantee mechanism for projects in the field of Agriculture and Fisheries, COSME Loan Guarantee Facility, SME Initiative, InnovFin and others. Kiril Velichkov is a Director of European Projects and Financial Institutions Directorate at UBB and a manager of the „KBC Group for European Financial Instruments Competence“ Center.

Vanina Chalakova has nearly 10 years of experience in municipal financing, monitoring investments and providing technical assistance and consultations to final beneficiaries for urban infrastructure, energy efficiency, tourism and cultural heritage, incl. advising municipalities on preparation of the loan application and on the structuring of credits within FLAG. Mrs. Chalakova has the expertise to assess the eligibility of costs, as well as to perform cash flow analysis of projects, funded under the Operational Programs and other donor programs, including tourism and cultural heritage projects.

Vanina Chalakova holds a Master’s Degree in International Economic Relations from the University of National and World Economy. Within the framework of the Sustainable Cities Fund, Mrs. Chalakova acts as a Key expert for Tourism and Cultural Heritage.

Mladen Dilov has experience in the field of supervisory activity, in the public administration, as well as in the banking sector, where he is involved in the analysis, evaluation and management of financial products of individuals. In 2020, he joined the Fund FLAG team as an "Expert" in the "Finance, Financial Instruments and Risk Management" Directorate.

Mladen Dilov graduated from the National Commercial and Banking High School with honors, has a bachelor's degree in "Business Economics", a master's degree in "Finance" and is pursuing a doctorate in the "Finance-Accounting" Faculty of UNSS. Within the framework of the "Sustainable Cities Fund", he performs functions related to the evaluation of business plans and financial forecasts of eligible projects, as well as credit portfolio management.

Antoni Margaritov has relevant professional experience in the development and management of projects funded under European, regional, and national grant and donor programmes, as well as financial instruments. His expertise includes conducting macroeconomic and business analyses, strategic planning, and financial forecasting.

In 2022, he joined the team of the Fund for Sustainable Urban Development as an expert in the “Project Financing, Strategic Development and Communications” Department. In this role, he is involved in project appraisal and structuring, as well as in the preparation of financial analyses, reports, and forecasts related to the company’s operational and investment activities.

Antoni Margaritov holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Liverpool.