Faces of BDB · June 2024
Kameliya
Giuleva
a person of risk
“I like anything that carries a certain dose of risk and challenge.”
She and risk are like yin and yang
Head of Risk at the Bulgarian Development Bank. A graduate of the University of National and World Economy (UNWE) in Sofia and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Her career was built mainly at Allianz Bulgaria, where for 9 years she was Chief Risk Officer and a member of the Management Board, and chaired the Risk Management Committee. Then came e-commerce, where, in her own words, the roles she took on “enriched me significantly”.
Driven, and insists on her opinion being heard. No tolerance for laziness or insincerity.
“I take risks all the time”
Risks she has taken
A new industry
After Allianz — e-commerce, a sector she “understood almost nothing about”. Presentations given and deals closed on short notice.
The markets
Speculative trading in stocks, crypto and currencies. “That’s where I often take risks ☺”
40,000 guests in one day
A charity bazaar of the International Women’s Club with every embassy taking part — 200 volunteers found in two weeks.
New York
Living in NYC for a while with minimal money and no friends — “one of the most wonderful periods of my life”.
An unknown slope
Skiing an unfamiliar run at a French resort without seeing properly — she had accidentally broken her glasses.
At the controls
Briefly took the controls of an aircraft with other passengers on board.
And one more: joining the BDB team ☺
Quick-fire interview
- How would you describe yourself in brief?
- Persistent, proactive. A bubbling spring of ideas and enthusiasm. Strongly results-oriented. You could say I’m a workaholic. A dreamer too. I love being myself.
- And what would you never risk?
- The people I love.
- What is the most interesting and challenging part of your work at BDB?
- Successfully changing course towards a new destination on a stormy sea, with a limited crew, no full visibility and a heavy cargo on board.
- What strength of yours has opened important doors?
- Perhaps some ambition, a passion for success and a pinch of madness. My composure at important moments. And to some extent, a certain innate charm ☺
- A big goal ahead of you?
- To accept myself as I am — without demanding, judging or controlling, and without fighting for perfection. Just to be.
- What do you love doing in your free time?
- I love having fun — dancing and listening to music, playing tennis and skiing. Travelling, reading, being with my children and my friends. I also love fashion, design and art.
- Where is your “quiet place”?
- In my dreams.
- What inspires you in today’s world?
- Unpredictability.
Lines she lives by
- If you can’t dream it, you can’t make it.
- Stay hungry, stay foolish.
- Free your mind, the rest will follow.
- When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
If I could be born again, I would…
… trust love again.