Bilyana Bogdanova

Who am I

Master in: design thinking, systems thinking

Focus on: training design and delivery, idea generation, storytelling

Number of trainings: >20

Number of sprints: >10

Industries: banking, education, pharma, NGO sector, IT, consulting

I am Biliana and since a child I loved listening to people and observing their behavior and how they interact. I continue doing this each time I find myself in the middle of a crowd, being especially attracted by far places, different cultures and lifestyles. In my past I much more lacked the confidence expressing myself than quietly accumulating knowledge and it was a huge surprise even for me when later in life I not only had the internal drive to share this knowledge but also turned out to be a naturally good storyteller.

I have always been pretty good at putting information in concepts, analyzing it and structuring processes – something that people usually don’t connect with creativity. I truly believe, however, and my practice has proved it, that innovations and good ideas happen between chaos and order. My extensive experience in business development and marketing gave me this balance between systemic approach and chaotic creativity. When I first met design thinking it was an eye-opening experience for me and the beginning of a new adventure. It built up perfectly on my previous practice and connected the pieces I have been missing so far.

I truly believe in the power of collaboration and collective intelligence and that every person has the creative capacity. Building human-centered environments, products, services and processes is essential for unleashing human potential and bringing value and meaning.

My three most important professional projects

A project I did for an NGO in Africa mentoring local social entrepreneurs and helping businesses becoming financially sustainable. It was a truly satisfactory experience for me seeing how my work would transform their way of working, change a bit their mindsets and improve their lives.

Having a major role in establishing and developing the affiliate marketing business on the US market of an advertising agency in Bulgaria in time when internet projects and digital marketing were still “alien stuff”.

Being part of the hosting team delivering the Reinventing Organizations event in Bulgaria – an inspiring conference and the only one for sharing knowledge and exchanging practices around human-centered approaches and people's happiness in the workplace.

My biggest failure and lessons learned

I waited too long quitting the corporate world. It was too scary for me to leave the secure shore and I lost years of my life – a time which I could have spent bringing the meaning and satisfaction to my professional life which I had been searching for.

A major lesson learned: Take braver steps and always trust your inner drive and intuition.

On Sunday I get up early to...

do some yoga or meditation and enjoy a long and relaxed morning coffee.