The newly appointed caretaker Minister of Innovation and Growth, Irena Mladenova, officially took over the position from Tomislav Donchev during a ceremony held at the ministry.

Dr. Irena Mladenova is a long-standing lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, where she holds the academic position of Chief Assistant Professor.

“I will work purposefully to create an environment in which ideas can develop, thoughtful innovation leads to economic growth, and the results benefit both businesses and citizens. I will also focus on the timely implementation of the Ministry of Innovation and Growth’s EU-funded programs for businesses”, Mladenova said. She also emphasized the importance of developing the innovation ecosystem. “Innovation is what can move our country’s economy to the next level, and that is our task and goal”, she stated.

“Behind every reform that has begun stand people and their efforts. Continuity shows respect for their work and guarantees that results will be achieved”, Donchev added.

Chief Assist. Prof. Dr. Irena Mladenova earned her PhD with a dissertation on “Organizational Capacity for Change, Adaptability, and Organizational Performance” at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. She also holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Management from the same faculty, as well as a Master’s degree in Banking and Entrepreneurship from a joint program of the University of Udine, Fondazione Cassamarca, and UniCredit Group (Italy).

Her academic interests include organizational change and development, organizational culture, management, sustainable development, entrepreneurship, and marketing.

She has over 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, including six years at leading international consulting companies (Kearney, PwC). As a consultant, she worked on projects for leading companies in light industry, retail, financial services, and the public sector across Central and Eastern Europe. She has led projects on process structuring and restructuring (production, marketing, administration), supply cost optimization strategies, product portfolio analysis and optimization, evaluation and planning of new products, and market entry strategies. She has experience in aligning and developing organizational structure and strategy, as well as in drafting tactical and business plans. She has also participated in commercial due diligence assessments in acquisition transactions, both on the seller’s and the buyer’s side. She served as Head of Corporate Development and member of the group-level management team at a regional energy services company. She also maintains a consulting practice.

She worked for five years in the public sector as an advisor at the Ministry of Economy and the Administration of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, and as Deputy Minister of Economy in caretaker governments (2013, 2014, and 2021).