Iliya Karanikolov

Iliya Karanikolov has over 20 years of experience in banking and finance, as well as  substantial knowledge of BDB from his position as a member of the Management Board and Executive Director during the period 2011-2013. From 2007 to 2011 he was part of the Eurobank Bulgaria (Postbank) Team.

His professional career includes working at the Ministry of Economy and Energy as well as the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. He has comprehensive expertise in public administration, European integration, EU strategies and programmes. He has lectured on topics such as cost-benefit analysis of large infrastructural, municipal and private projects, control of structural funds, financial instruments, etc.

From 2016 to 2017, he was part of the Fund of Funds’ Management, where he held the position of Deputy Chairman of the Management Board and Executive Director, and in 2021 - Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Fund. He is BDB’s Head of Financial Instruments since 2019.

Karanikolov holds an MBA from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia and has specializations in Artificial Intelligence (University of Helsinki), Management of Financial Instruments (London), Credit Risk (Prague), Management of Structural Funds  (Brussels, Maastricht, Dublin) and many others.