The San Diego World Affairs Council warmly welcomes
Ms. Lubka Katchakova, Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria (LA), Economics/Commercial Counselor
Presentation: “Bulgaria: Political, Economic, and Commercial Crossroads Today”
Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85241622231pwd=aEdiQ015N3NWVVNvYVpVSjJ4eDdaUT09
Thursday, 19 November 2020
6:30 - 7:30 pm (Pacific Time)
Zoom webinar is free & open to all
Lubka Katchakova is a Bulgarian politician and diplomat. She graduated from the University for World and National Economy in Sofia and has a master’s degree in Accounting and Finance from the ACCA (The Association of Certified Chartered Accountants of the United Kingdom).
Lubka started her professional career in PriceWaterhouseCoopers, where she worked as Manager of Financial Advisory Services in the PwC's offices in Sofia and Brussels.
Lubka's interest in politics dates to an early age, 17 in fact. In 1987, during the communist regime, she made public criticism of the youth communist organization, for which she was punished and prompted to leave the prestigious foreign language high school in her native town of Pazardjik. In the early years of the post-communist era, Lubka worked as a reporter in a political broadcast of the Bulgarian National Television, where she had the chance to interview the politicians who have played an essential role in the democratic process in Bulgaria.
Lubka was one of the most famous faces of the "Bulgarian Easter" movement. The initiative was founded in 2000 by the then Prime Minister Ivan Kostov, aimed at attracting young Bulgarians working abroad to bring knowledge and expertise. As one of the informal leaders of the "Bulgarian Easter," Lubka wrote open letters to the government expressing disagreement with corruption and lack of transparency in several privatization deals. Thus, she became one of the brightest faces in the struggle of young Bulgarians against corruption. Her activity was noticed by H.M. King Simeon II, who at the time was living in Spain. When in 2001, he decided to return to Bulgaria after 50 years of exile, he invited Lubka to join his political project. She was elected a member of Parliament in 2001.
Later in 2001, she was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy, responsible for Foreign Trade and Investments. Between 2005-2009 she was Deputy Minister of Environment and Water and was responsible for water management, Black Sea cooperation and mulitlateral issues.
From 2012 till 2015, Lubka was an elected member of the Municipality Council of the capital city of Sofia.
Since September 2019, she is the Head of the Commercial and Economic Office at the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Los Angeles.
Her mission is to strengthen bilateral economic relations and promote Bulgaria as an investment and tourist destination.
She is married and a mother of two daughters.
The San Diego World Affairs Council is the San Diego chapter of the national World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) that for almost a century shares the vision to serve the community's international interests; to provide a variety of programs and services to individuals, schools, businesses, and organizations; and to support the community's civic, social, professional, business, cultural, and educational organizations in their internationally-oriented efforts. For more information about the organization and membership, please visit: https://sdwac.org/
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