Theme: WHAT NOW

Following on the inspiration and topics from TED Women, we are going to answer 6 key questions:

WHAT NOW... for women and the world?
WHAT NOW... for health and happiness?
WHAT NOW ... for education?
WHAT NOW... for work and play?
WHAT NOW ... for ingenuity and invention?
WHAT NOW... for the future?

And at the end we shall create a once in a lifetime Zumba Experience for our 200 delegates.

Hyatt Regency Sofia
Vasil Levski Square
Sofia, Sofia-Grad, 1504
Bulgaria

Adi Tzanova

Healthcare Author

Stubborn, natural, passionate and daring, Adi Tzanova changes destinies and donates… health. At the age of 39, due to difficult life circumstances, she discovered her Ikigai (the meaning of life) and dedicated her days to "BE THE CHANGE!". For 7 years now, together with her husband Milen, she has been helping people fight and overcome cancer. You can never hear her say "I can't", "I don't want", "Not today". Instead she says: "Today, here and now. You are the change.” and “Anything is possible!” Her motto: "Your choice today matters tomorrow" marks the beginning of the Path to change for a healthy, happy and fulfilling life". Adi and Milen Tzanovi are the authors of 5 books on health, bestsellers n Bulgaria. She is also a triathlete with 7 titles as semi-iron woman from the most prestigious competition for triathletes - Ironman. She swims, bikes and runs - to prove that health is for everyone, regardless of age and gender.

Biliana Kostov

CFO AutoScout 24

Biliana Kostov has the energy of a volcano! She is always ready to take on a new challenge, like climbing Kilimanjaro or racing a car for weeks through Africa. A mother of 4 boys, a piano player, a person fluent in 4 languages, and with a stellar business and academic career in Europe and the USA. Recently she was named one of the top 50 women in the automotive industry by the German magazine Automobilwoche. Biliana’s professional path passed through the turbulent times of the Lehman Brothers collapse on Wall Street, to corporate finance for PepsiCo, and now to AutoScout24. She is also a Course Facilitator for various Stanford LEAD business program courses like strategy, critical analytical thinking and corporate finance. Yes, Biliana embodies the 21st century definition of success - great career and happy family. On the stage of TEDxVitosha Women she will share her “behind the scenes” struggles, everyday choices and innate principles that led her to be the person she is today.

Ivan Vetzev

Medical Doctor

"Life always finds a way if you are not afraid to live it". This is Dr. Ivan Vetsev’s motto and he proves it every day in his profession. He has a successful career in medicine, participates as a member in various civic organizations, and is currently Chairman of the Board of the National Patient Organization. He will join Lily on the stage of TEDxVitosha Women to support her story with his expertise and medical arguments.

Jenia Lazarova

Neuroscientist & Educator

Jenia Lazarova's interdisciplinary approach, based on scientific advances in developmental and cognitive neuroscience, emotion regulation, social and personality psychology, challenges established paradigms in education. With a PhD from Oxford University in the neuroscience of learning she was part of the Deloitte Public Policy and Strategy team in London. She is currently founder and CEO of Neuroeconomics Labs, the first biometric laboratory in Bulgaria, which researches real-time experience and supports innovation in education, marketing, content production and product design. Jenia is also the founder of Replantica, a social brand which supports reforestation and eco education. She enjoys outdoor sports such as horse riding, yoga, and hiking and used to be on the Oxford modern pentathlon team. Jenia will share her vision of modern education, which is neurodevelopmentally appropriate and supports the human needs for emotional, social, physical and intellectual growth.

Kalina Mihailova

Product Engineer

Kalina Mihaylova is a product engineer with strong interest in medical technology. Her interdisciplinary experience combines product design, regulatory and financial planning, clinical research and manufacturing. Kalina graduated with a Masters degree in Medical Device Design and Entrepreneurship from the Imperial College of London and has since designed medical devices for orthopaedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, paediatric respiratory care and menstrual health. At Daye, Kalina is a Senior Product Engineer, focused on bringing innovation to market. She dreams to open a school for medical innovation in Bulgaria, collaborating with clinics and hospitals to identify gaps in healthcare and design novel solutions. On the stage of TEDxVitosha Valentina and Kalina will discuss how the gender gap in medical research is putting women’s health at risk and what we can do to reduce it.

Konstantinos Pagidas

Dermatologist

Understanding women is a must in his profession. In his daily life he meets the weaknesses, insecurities, vanity, striving for the perfect appearance of ladies of all ages and social groups. Striving to be а dermatologist, Dr. Konstantinos Pagidas not only pursued medical education, but completed numerous specializations and acquired rich professional experience. In order to truly understand the needs of his patients, he should step in the shoes of a psychologist - he has to explore why they want to change and to balance between the ultimate ideas and the perception of aesthetics.

Mariya Hadjiiska

Derrmatological and Venereal Diseases

“How have we ended up being addicted to beauty in recent years?” Dr. Pagidas and Dr. Mariya Hadjiiska, a specialist in dermatological and venereal diseases, will seek the answers to this question. "My personal concept of beauty is the harmony, the balance between mind and body, mind and vision," says Dr. Hadjiyska. Inspiring every patient with a feeling of self-confidence is part of her mission to help people achieve their inner balance. She believes that beauty is a combination of many factors that go beyond the purely visual perception.

Tatyana Ivanova

Student

Tatyana is only 19, with a dream to be the first Bulgarian woman-astronaut. In 2018 she graduated from Space Camp Turkey and won the individual award “Outstanding Camper”, only a year after that she had been a trainee at the Advanced Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama. Tatyana was a co-trainer in Science Camp Bulgaria, she also participated in Space Challenges Bootcamp, where her team created a ground station for tracking the satellite QMR-KWT and receiving data from it. She participated twice in particle physics masterclasses at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). Her goal is to literally “reach the stars”, so she plans to pursue her crazy dreams no matter how impossible they may seem. On top of all her studies in science, technology and mathematics Tatyana has the heart of an artist. She plays the drums and she has published her first book of poetry when she was only 14.

Valentina Milanova

Founder

A female entrepreneur on a mission to close the gender pain gap and overcome historical gender biases in medical research and product innovation. Born and raised in Bulgaria, Valentina moved to London to study Business, Economics, and Law at the University of Buckingham. She soon found herself drawn in by the start-up world, working first at Techstars and then as a Venture Associate for Founders Factory. Meanwhile, she came up with her own idea for a women’s health research and development company. After 200 pitches to investors, she managed to raise £4.23 million in seed funding, and in 2018, Dаye was officially born.