HR leaders Bulgaria

Lora Andreeva has over a decade of experience in Ingram Micro Bulgaria. She partners closely with business leaders to shape the people agenda, driving talent development, leadership growth, employee engagement, and organizational transformation.

How did Ingram Micro's Sofia office manage to transcend the limitations of traditional operational and customer support functions and to become one of the company's key technological and expert hubs in Europe?

When Global Jobs began offering Bulgarian employers the option to hire third-country workers in 2017, the service was still a novelty on the local labour market. By 2026, the practice has become increasingly common, and Global Jobs has earned a well-deserved reputation as a trusted partner that understands the market, provides an individual approach to each client and ensures that both companies and foreign workers are satisfied. The company’s founders, Milena Angelova and Mitko Shterev, share more.

Flexibility is a key concept in today's labour market. Trends change rapidly, while globalisation and technology transform everything within just a few years. Established models often become obsolete and fade into history, replaced by new ways of working and recruiting staff.

The Bulgarian recruitment and staffing company YSP understands this very well.

An open door and many opportunities for Bulgarians to work in the EU

Aviation is unlike any other industry. A field that is vital for the modern economy, society and lifestyle, it can run smoothly only when staffed by dedicated, properly trained and educated professionals. Windrose is a licensed Aviation Training Organization specialised in just that – training and developing the professionals that make the world turn today and tomorrow. The company's founder, Krasimira Karadzhova MBA, is a woman whose career in the field covers over two decades in people management at airports.

In a world where employers and employees increasingly struggle to understand each other, Smart Staff builds a bridge between businesses, people, and the new realities of the labour market – from international recruitment and third-country workforce integration to HR solutions for international companies.

Petya Ivanova is the founder of Smart Staff – an HR and recruitment company specialising in talent acquisition, HR outsourcing, team building, and third-country workforce integration.

Kumans, a boutique consultancy, continues to strengthen its market position through a clear understanding of what lies at the heart of high-quality HR services: a deeply personalised approach and solutions with measurable impact. In a business environment where organisations seek not just services but genuine added value, the ability to optimise time, costs and effort has become a strategic advantage.

Raboti.eu is one of those third-country recruitment companies that is a pleasure to work with. The company has extensive experience in selecting workers for Bulgarian businesses, understands the legal requirements and knows how to create conditions that satisfy both the employer and the employees, helping both sides build long-term relationships.

Niya Mihaylova is an HR professional with a background in psychology and over 15 years of experience in human resources, dedicated to talent development and aligning people with organisations.

She found her professional home at Flexjob – a company that has been on the Bulgarian market for over 20 years. To this day, she describes the company as her ideal working environment.

Leadership today is not a static concept, but an evolving process that passes through different stages – from traditional transformational and democratic management to a modern integrative approach. Integrative leadership is emerging as the most flexible and sustainable model for situational management of people, business and technology, combining the best elements of other management styles.

Toni Popova is a psychologist and owner of InfoSite Ltd, a company specialising in recruitment and personnel selection services. She graduated in Applied Psychology and has established experience in strategic recruitment, assessing candidates' potential and building effective partnerships between businesses and talent.

What are employees looking for today when considering a change of workplace?

Lack of reliable workforce in so many fields of the Bulgarian economy has led to the next logical step – a growing number of employers seek to import third-country workers. Global Trud Bulgaria helps them to achieve this through reliable, proven and secure services.

TINQIN is a dynamic and rapidly expanding IT company specializing in innovative digital solutions for the insurance sector. In 2023, TINQIN became part of Be Ys Group, a leading insuretech company, specializing in trust services and digital identity solutions, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. Today, TINQIN employs over 530 IT professionals across its offices in Sofia and Varna, with many working in hybrid or fully remote roles.

Foundever is a company dedicated to creating outstanding customer experience for its clients, and its Bulgarian office is a vital part of this mission. This was the reason to talk to its HR Manager, Zornitsa Palamarova. She has degrees in Marketing, PR and Advertising and has many years of experience in marketing, sales, and management of administrative processes. In 2022, she became the HR Manager of Foundever Bulgaria, and in the last two years she has been ranked among the TOP 100 HR Managers in the country.

TIP TRADE is a company offering accounting and administrative services with a focus on professionalism, precision and a personal approach to clients. The TIP TRADE Group also includes Tip In, an insurance broker, and SOGO Finance, a company that offers operational leasing of motor vehicles. Through the combined efforts of its teams and the synergy between the group's companies, TIP TRADE offers a comprehensive package of services that saves clients time, resources and administrative burdens.

For many companies, hiring employees from other countries is the only way to maintain their competitive edge. However, recruiting and working with people from different cultures and countries can present significant bureaucratic, logistical and cultural challenges, and Nomad Partners offers a reliable, all-in-one solution. For eight years, the company has been finding the right employees for its clients while constantly improving its services. Its latest offering is an integrated solution called Nomad Campus. CEO Marin Demirovski shares more details.

These include IT, telecommunications, finance, energy, sales, manufacturing, construction, pharmaceuticals, and professional services, among others. With deep expertise in talent acquisition and HR consultancy, the company is renowned for bridging the gap between business needs and exceptional talent. Its strength lies in a team of dedicated consultants and HR professionals who deliver tailored solutions, expert guidance, and outstanding service.

Once seen as administrators or "process police," we have now become strategic business partners – shaping culture, driving performance, and contributing to business growth. At the heart of this evolution is a fundamental truth: great teams build great companies. Building a great team is never an accident, nor a one-time task. It is an ongoing process that includes the following steps.

Strategy before recruitment

In today's fast-paced world, understanding the trends and needs of the labour market has never been more important – for both companies and talent. Antal International is a trusted partner that helps every professional and organisation make the most of their situation and build a solid foundation for the future. The international company has been present in Bulgaria since 2005 and opened a new office in the country in 2023. The move was spearheaded by Vassil Pavlov, a professional with almost 20 years of experience in recruitment.

For years, Bulgaria has not only been an "exporter" of talent and work force – the challenges of global business have forced many locally based companies to seek and attract qualified and reliable workers from outside the EU. Since 2017, the Bulgarian company Global Jobs has been an experienced and reliable partner in this complex and bureaucratically demanding process. In 2024, its trademark was EU registered. This important step is part of the company's strategy to build a reputation as a trusted partner – both for job seekers and corporate clients.

In 2024, her impactful leadership, dedication to employee engagement, and ability to drive cultural and operational excellence in complex, fast-paced environments were recognised by the Bulgarian Association for People Management (BAPM), who awarded her the HR Director of the Year award. Anastasia is known for leading with empathy, clarity, and purpose.

What makes your role at Sutherland different and exciting compared to your previous positions?