RUMYANA MITREVA: EMBRACING THE WINDS OF CHANGE

With more than 20 years of experience in the IT sector, Rumyana Mitreva has seen plenty of change – and has learnt to be part of it. From a young girl curious about how technology works to a leader of large teams working on advanced concepts, products and services, she has honed her ability to create new solutions and lead teams to successful results, while also thinking about the foundations of humanity's endless striving for technological perfection and its deepening dependency on technology. At the end of 2025, Ms Mitreva embraced another change in her professional and personal journey: she became Country Director of CGI Bulgaria, establishing the global company in the local market.

How did your journey into the world of high technology begin?

I would say it began in childhood, although back then technology was certainly not as "high-tech" as it is today.

I was always curious about how electronic devices worked and loved the challenge of bringing broken ones back to life – calculators, digital watches and record players. That curiosity led me, in 1997, to study at the Computer Technical School in Pravets, then the Technical University of Sofia and I have been in the IT world ever since – almost 30 years now.

What continues to impress me is the pace at which technology is evolving. That is why my personal attitude towards AI and technology in general is: stop, think, and then use it intelligently. Had I followed that principle when trying to repair a record player as a child, I might have avoided a few scars. But perhaps they are a useful reminder that advanced technology also needs to be handled with critical judgement and responsibility.

What are the most significant technological and business transformations you have witnessed from the time you started your first job to the present day?

One of the first major transformations I experienced was the professionalisation of IT itself. Many roles we now consider standard did not even have clearly defined names when I started. I witnessed the transition from Waterfall to Agile and the fundamental change this brought to how technology teams collaborate and deliver today.

From a business perspective, an equally important transformation has been the involvement of the end customer. Organisations realised that customers should not simply receive a finished solution – they need to participate throughout its development. At the same time, customers themselves have become significantly more technologically mature.

This has raised the maturity of the entire ecosystem and fundamentally changed expectations around collaboration and value creation.

In your opinion, what are the most important qualities an IT engineer should possess in 2026?

A genuine willingness to contribute, collaborate and continuously improve – whether in processes, quality, optimisation or technology – is essential. Equally important is understanding customers, end-users and what they truly need. Technical excellence alone is no longer enough.

We also need to value human interaction. As remote work becomes more common, much of our communication with colleagues and customers happens online. Yet empathy, presence, clear communication and the ability to build trust remain fundamental.

The strongest IT professionals combine technical competence with interpersonal skills, curiosity and a commitment to making things better – not simply completing the task at hand.

Why did you decide to accept the position of Country Director at CGI Bulgaria?

The two years before joining CGI were an important period of personal and professional transformation. I had reached a point where I was seriously considering what the next chapter of my career should look like, including whether I wanted to remain in IT. That period also taught me something important: seniority does not mean having all the answers. Sometimes the strongest decision a leader can make is to admit that something needs to change – including yourself.

CGI approached me at precisely the moment when I was questioning whether an opportunity of this scale and ambition would still come my way in Bulgaria.

What attracted me was the combination of global scale, entrepreneurial thinking and a clear ambition for Bulgaria. I am extremely proud to have the opportunity to build something meaningful here – not simply a team, but an organisation and culture that can create lasting value for our clients and our people.

What goals did you set yourself when you joined the company?

My first goal was to prove that I could be successful in this role and, equally importantly, demonstrate that high quality is part of the DNA of the IT professionals we build our organisation around in Bulgaria.

Even before joining, when presenting my strategy during the interview process, I set myself a target of achieving a customer satisfaction score of 10. I later realised that this ambition was deeply aligned with CGI's values and the way we measure ourselves when working with clients. It was an encouraging confirmation that my leadership philosophy and CGI's culture were a strong match.

Looking back almost a year later, how would you assess your achievements?

Building a team from zero is challenging, but it is also one of the most rewarding things a leader can do.

I am particularly grateful that, despite CGI's global scale, the company has retained a genuinely supportive and, in many ways, family-oriented culture. The support from my colleagues and the commitment of the Bulgarian team have been exceptional.

When you are supported and you do not have to build alone, you can achieve much more than you initially imagined. I am particularly proud to see people taking on responsibilities that were new to them only months ago. Leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room, it is about creating an environment where talented people have the confidence, trust and opportunity to become better than they thought they could be. We have established strong foundations and client relationships. We are still at the beginning, but I am very proud of what we have achieved.

What are the main challenges you face as Country Director?

Time – or, more accurately, the constant feeling that there is never enough of it.

We are in a strong ramp-up phase, with several strategic priorities moving forward simultaneously. I want to give both our clients and the team the attention they deserve.

The real leadership challenge is to scale while preserving the quality, closeness and personal attention that define the culture we are building. With the right structure and people around us, I am confident we can achieve both.

What role does CGI Bulgaria play within the global organisation?

CGI Bulgaria is fully integrated into CGI's international delivery network and operates as part of CGI Germany, supporting its clients and service delivery organisation. From the beginning, our teams have worked closely with colleagues across Europe to support clients in their digital transformation.

In just a few months, we have attracted our first strategic clients for CGI Bulgaria – an important milestone that reflects the trust in our local capabilities.

But our ambition goes beyond providing additional delivery capacity. We see Bulgaria as a strategic European centre for consulting, engineering and adaptive operations, helping clients design, build and operate increasingly intelligent digital environments.

As technology becomes more interconnected and AI becomes part of everyday operations, trusted European delivery will become increasingly important. That is the role we want Bulgaria to play within CGI.

Why did the company choose to enter the Bulgarian market during such a dynamic period for the sector as late 2025?

Over the last two decades, Bulgaria has built one of Europe's strongest technology and engineering communities. International companies have invested here, universities have developed excellent talent, and thousands of professionals have gained experience delivering complex global programmes.

Our industry is now entering a fundamentally different phase. AI, cyber resilience, digital sovereignty and trusted European delivery are changing how technology services are designed and operated. Clients no longer seek simply lower-cost delivery; they need partners who combine adaptability, security, resilience and end-to-end accountability.

That is exactly why CGI's decision to enter Bulgaria now makes sense.

We are not here to build another traditional outsourcing centre. We are building on the expertise already available in Bulgaria to create what comes next.

Our approach is entrepreneurial: we build capabilities around real client demand, validate what works and scale from there. Combining that start-up mindset with CGI's global strength and stability allows us to move quickly while building something sustainable.

Artificial intelligence or human intelligence – how does CGI Bulgaria view this debate?

We firmly believe in putting human intelligence first, so that people drive artificial intelligence – not the other way around.

At the same time, AI is already an important part of our daily work, and it is encouraging to see clients increasingly approaching CGI proactively for consulting and support in this area.

Alongside SAP, EU Sovereignty, Cloud and Security, AI will be one of the strategic capabilities we develop in Bulgaria, including through an AI Center of Excellence. Our ambition is to strengthen and complement CGI's capabilities across Europe.

The real opportunity is not choosing between human and artificial intelligence. It is combining human judgement, creativity, experience and responsibility with the speed and scale AI can provide.

How do you motivate your employees to achieve more and think creatively?

One of the strongest motivators is seeing the direct impact of your work. When our people see that something they created solves a client's problem, improves a process or makes someone's job easier, it creates a different level of engagement. When a client asks us to expand the team or take on additional responsibilities, people see that their contribution is valued.

I want everyone in my team to think and act like an owner – to care not only about their own task, but about the client, the team and what we are building together. Their voice matters, good work is recognised, and I will support them when they take responsibility. You do not need a title to bring an idea, challenge a process or solve a problem. In return, I don't believe my role as a leader is to have all the answers, but to create an environment where great people are trusted and empowered to find even better ones.

What goals have you set for the coming year?

By the end of 2027, we expect the team to be almost five times its current size. But I will not measure our success by headcount.

I will measure it by the quality of what we build, the trust of our clients and whether the people still feel they can influence the direction of CGI Bulgaria. If growth costs us the entrepreneurial spirit and personal connection we have today, I would not consider it successful growth.

We aim to broaden our client portfolio, deepen existing partnerships and establish CGI Bulgaria as a trusted hub for high-value consulting, engineering and technology services.

Most importantly, I want us to continue demonstrating that Bulgaria deserves its place on the map for exceptional IT talent – and that CGI Bulgaria can make a meaningful contribution to what comes next for CGI globally.

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