By order of Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev, a new Board of Directors of Holding BDZ EAD has been appointed. The change is aimed at ensuring continuity, a high level of professional expertise and effective management of the national railway operator until a competitive selection procedure is conducted in accordance with the Public Enterprises Act.
The new Board of Directors of the railway holding company comprises established professionals with extensive experience in transport, finance and the management of major infrastructure projects:
Ivan Lichev – a financial and operations manager with more than 30 years of professional experience in engineering, finance, energy and transport. He holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in Electronics and Automation and a postgraduate qualification in International Economic Relations from the Technical University of Sofia. From November 2019 to December 2021, he served as General Manager of BDZ Cargo EOOD, where he successfully implemented a large-scale restructuring of the company and optimised its organisational structure, restoring its share of Bulgaria’s rail freight market to more than 50% within two years. He has also held a number of other senior positions, including Chief Financial Officer of Bulgarian Posts EAD, Chief Financial Officer of Bulgarian Energy AD, Chief Operating Officer of Dietsmann Energoremont Holding AD and Chairman of the Management Board of Energoremont Holding AD. Ivan Lichev joins the Board of Directors as an independent member in accordance with the requirements of the Public Enterprises Act.
Kristian Vaklinov – a railway expert with more than nine years of professional experience in the Commercial Directorate of BDZ Passenger Services EOOD, where he holds the position of Chief Expert in Service Quality Research and Analysis. He holds a Master’s degree in Transport Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of National and World Economy (UNWE). Kristian Vaklinov is well known to the public for his active civic engagement in support of rail transport in Bulgaria. In 2013, he launched a campaign to save the Septemvri–Dobrinishte Rhodope narrow-gauge railway and worked towards the reinstatement of the Dobrinishte–Yakoruda evening train. In recognition of his contribution, he was named Person of the Year in Pazardzhik in 2014, was an official guest at the Presidency as a modern-day enlightener in 2018, and in 2021 was among the ten finalists in Bulgarian National Radio’s Enlightener of the Year initiative. In 2025, he published an encyclopaedic book dedicated to the history of the narrow-gauge railway.
Eng. Kancho Hristov – a civil engineer with extensive experience spanning many years in the management and implementation of major EU-funded infrastructure projects. He holds a Master’s degree in Industrial and Civil Engineering from the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy (UACEG) in Sofia and has completed specialised training in Business Management at JICA in Osaka, Japan. From September 2012 to February 2016, Kancho Hristov managed, implemented and reported on key EU-funded projects for Kazanlak Municipality with a total value exceeding BGN 200 million, including stages of the Integrated Urban Transport project and the BGN 22.5 million expansion of the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant. In the private sector, he has extensive experience as a manager, partner and designer of industrial, commercial and military facilities, including the construction of more than 50 filling stations for Shell and Amoco, Raiffeisen Bank’s first headquarters in Bulgaria, shopping centres, and the Bulgarian Air Force hangar facilities for Spartan military transport aircraft.
As part of the forthcoming procedural steps, the newly appointed Board of Directors of Holding BDZ EAD is required to hold its first meeting, at which the members will elect from among themselves the person who will serve as Executive Director. Once the responsibilities within the Board have been allocated, the relevant documents will be submitted for official registration with the Commercial Register. The procedure is expected to take several working days.
By the same order of the Minister of Transport and Communications, the previous members of the Board of Directors – Assoc. Prof. Dr Borislav Arnaudov, Georgi Velkov and Dr Lyudmil Ivanov – have been released from their positions.