Draft program
09:30 – 10:00
Registration and Welcome Coffee
10:00 – 10:10
Opening
Welcome from the organisers and introduction to the main theme of the forum.
Host: Krasimira Hadzhiiivanova
10:10 – 10:35
Motivational Speech
A personal story of professional reinvention, the courage to start again, and the opportunities that come after 50.
Motivational Speaker: Andrea Brouillette-Rodriguez
Q&A
10:35 – 11:20
Panel I: From Policy to Opportunities
How can Bulgaria turn demographic change into an economic and social opportunity? How is the labour market in Bulgaria changing?
Moderator: Zornitsa Rusinova, President of the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria
Key topics:
- How demographic changes are transforming the labour market
- Necessary legislative changes
- New forms of employment for professionals aged 50+
- Support for learning, reskilling and adaptation
- How policies translate into real jobs, projects and career opportunities
- 50+ in the labour market: Bulgaria’s untapped capital
- What is the economic cost of untapped professional potential?
Introductory remarks: Natalia Efremova, Minister of Labour and Social Policy
Participants:
Andriyana Sukova, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission, Brussels
Svetla Kostadinova, Executive Director, Institute for Market Economics (IME)
Dr Maria Hristova, Chief Executive Officer, Invest Sofia
Georgi Uzunov, Managing Partner, Loyalty Effect Bulgaria
Mira Dobreva, TV journalist, presenter, producer and documentary filmmaker
Q&A
11:20 – 11:40
Coffee Break
11:40 – 12:20
Panel II – European Programmes and Funding Opportunities
Lilia Stoyanovich, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy
12:20 – 13:05
Panel III – 20+ Years of Experience: The New Age of Success
Lidiya Shuleva, Member of the Management Boars of the Council od Women in Business in Bulgaria, Managing Partner at Business Intellect
13:05 – 14:05
Lunch and Networking
14:05 – 14:50
Panel IV – The Capital of Time: Financial Security and Freedom After 50
How can we plan the decades ahead with greater confidence, independence and choice?
Moderator: Zornitsa Rusinova, President of the Economic and Social Council of the Republic of Bulgaria
Key topics:
- Financial security in an era of longer lives
- The pension system and the future of pensions
- Supplementary pension insurance
- How to plan for long-term passive income
- Investments, savings and risk management
- The complex choices at 50 – balanced or dynamic management of financial resources?
- Financial protection during career transitions
- Inheritance, property and family financial planning
- More than a pension: financial freedom as a personal strategy
- A practical discussion on building long-term income, investment discipline and financial decisions that provide greater freedom after 50
Participants:
Svetla Nestorova, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Management Board, Doverie Pension Insurance Company
Miroslav Marinov, Executive Director and Member of the Management Board, Doverie Pension Insurance Company
14:50 – 15:35
Panel V – Human + AI: Experience in the New Economy
How can artificial intelligence increase the value of accumulated professional experience?
Key topics:
- How AI is changing professions and the labour market
- Which human skills are becoming even more valuable
- How 50+ professionals can use AI in their everyday work
- Digital adaptation and lifelong learning
- Intergenerational teams: experience, technology and new perspectives
- How employers can support employees through the process of change
Moderator:
Participants:
Vladislava Georgieva, Human Resources Manager, Nuvei
Petko Karamochev, CEO and Co-Founder of INDUSTRIA
Alexander Alexandrov, Investor, lecturer, author and publisher, GRIFFIN PUBLISHING
15:35 – 16:15
Closing Session – 50+: The New Age of Success
Key takeaways from the forum and concrete commitments from businesses, institutions and partners.
16:15 – 17:30