Sofia Business School – Master Classes 2014
The third edition of the Sofia Business School brought together leading scientists and business leaders to offer an analysis of the economic trends and geostrategic risks stemming from the recent events in the Ukraine, as well as to discuss regional challenges in the context of the global economic and political shocks.
The master classes, which were held between 28 June and 4 July 2014, were once again the result of the excellent collaboration between the Reform Union Club and New Bulgarian University. The organisers offered the representatives of the Bulgarian government, academia and business community a 7-day interactive platform facilitating different points of view of the different global economic and financial risks, different opinions regarding the possible scenarios for risk group development, as well as different approaches toward building appropriate institutional and personal responses on a governmental, corporate and public level. The format of the lectures and the discussions followed the model adopted in previous years: with an academic part, discussion panels and presentations by leading Bulgarian and international business figures. In keeping with tradition, the School also featured readers from the forum’s partner organisations – Instituto Bruno Leoni (Italy), Le Studium (France) and Cobden Partners (London).
The main topics at the third edition of the master classes were:
• Resetting EU and NATO – security risks in the post-Crimean world
• The global currency war and the future of the euro
• A free-market view of the current structural crisis: Are we missing something?
• Leadership for reforms – the lessons from Georgia, Ukraine and a look at Bulgaria
• The Chinese dream: What would a Chinese change in the EU?
• Korea’s government and corporate response to global and regional challenges
• The global and the EU economic agendas: What is looming ahead for the world
The readers who took part in the third edition of the forum were as follows: Kakha Bendukidze (a renowned reformer, former Minister of Economic Reforms and Head of Chancellery of the Government of Georgia), Prof. Enrico Colombatto (professor at the University of Turin, Director of the International Centre for Economic Research in Italy), Prof. Nikolay Nenovski (professor at the University of Amiens, France), Dr. Byoung-Joo Kim (business consultant and lecturer at the University of Hankuk, Korea), Piritta Sorsa (Head of Division at the OECD), Gordon Kerr (investment banker and founder of the Cobden Partners, London), Alex Alexiev (geostrategic analyst, practicing in the US, Chairman of the Centre for Balkan and Black Sea Studies), Assoc. Prof. Kiril Tochkov (professor of Economics at the University of Texas and expert in Chinese economy).
Among the moderators of the discussion panels were: Ilian Vassilev (Reform Union Club), Chief Assistant Emil Kalchev (New Bulgarian University), Dr. Ognyan Shentov (Centre for the Study of Democracy), Ruslan Stefanov (Centre for the Study of Democracy), Martin Vladimirov (Centre for the Study of Democracy), Evgeni Kanev (managing partner at Makonis Ltd.), Vera Asenova (economic adviser at the British Embassy), Assoc. Prof. Stefan Stefanov (New Bulgarian University), Assoc. Prof. Angel Georgiev (New Bulgarian University), Boris Petrov (senior expert at BNB and BAC), Irina Nikolova (New Bulgarian University), Tsvetelina Marinova (New Bulgarian University), Еdward Muradyan (University of Nice).
The corporate and public sector was represented by: Prof. Lachezar Tsotsorkov (Chief Executive Director of Assarel-Medet JSC, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Reform Union Club, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the of the Bulgarian Chamber of Mining and Geology), Prof. Lyubomir Halachev (Rector of NATFA), Elena Marinova (President of Musala Soft JSC), Dr. Petar Velev (CEO at Ecopharm EOOD), Rayna Mitkova (Executive Director at EOS Matrix OOD), Dimo Spassov (Chairperson of the Board of Directors and CEO at the Bulgarian Development Bank), Vasko Nachev (Manager of oil and gas drilling projects in Indonesia).
The third edition of the School was sponsored by:
• Prof. Lachezar Tsotsorkov
• Oiltanking Bulgaria AD
• EOS Matrix OOD
• Dunapack Rodina AD
• Ecopharm EOOD
• SIEMENS EOOD
• BMW Bulgaria
