I am trying to find the golden mean between the creative and the practical

New position – Group Marketing Manager

Company – Elprom Heavy Industries

Introduce yourself in a few sentences and highlight some key points from your career development so far?

My name is Stamen Kostov and I am a group marketing manager at Elprom Heavy Industries – a leading company in the production of transformers and step regulators. For over 10 years, I have been developing myself as a “Swiss army knife” in the marketing fields. My experience is a mix of PR, communications, digital marketing, corporate strategies, product marketing, and a number of other skills acquired mainly from my work in a marketing agency and an international software company. I value every project and every team I work with and always seek the golden mean between the creative and the practical.

What motivates you to take on this new role and what are your main goals for the position?

I accepted the new role because I liked the challenge of expanding my skills on a larger scale. In addition to building a comprehensive marketing strategy for the Bulgarian company, I will have to do the same for the other factories in the group, which are in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The three businesses operate in the international market and it will definitely be a challenge to create a unified strategy for the entire group that allows a unique approach to each of the three companies. All aspects of marketing will gradually come into full force to find the most effective mix for the business goals, as I will gradually need to build a team with which we can successfully implement and develop the established strategy.

What professional or personal qualities do you think will helpyou succeed in your new position?

I believe that every task is about traveling from A to B in a quick and efficient way, where B must have a working solution. This perception helps me to abstract from any external obstacles and overly original ideas. As I mentioned before, I try to find the golden mean between creative and practical – from social media posts to building annual strategies. It is important to listen to your colleagues, even if they are not in your direct team. Every opinion and experience can be beneficial, as this builds valuable respect among people.

What challenges do you expect to face and how do you approach change management?

Whatever the challenges may be, I am ready for them and I have always approached it this way. I have experience working with cross-functional teams from different countries and departments, and I will only need to get used to their work processes, as well as build new ones that do not interfere with their main work. Each of the companies has established traditions and long-standing experience in the production of transformers, with the Bulgarian and Czech factories being over 70 years in the market, and the Slovak one – 120 years. With such traditions, one must approach with respect and attention, especially when participating in their future development.

What is your approach to teamwork and building a strong internal culture?

In my opinion, the horizontal model in teamwork is more effective. Everyone knows about all projects, tasks and clear responsibilities are distributed, ideas are shared, solutions are checked, and a good dynamic is built that lasts over time. Distributing equal weight on everyone, respect and trust – this is key for me in building a good internal culture. It is very important for everyone to feel valued and secure in their team, and not to be bound only by metrics and final results.

What would you like people to say about you in the company after a few months?

I would like people to see a real effect from my work both in the short term and in the long term. I want them to be sure that I will not add processes and solutions that hinder, but rather complement. I would be happy if we build trust and the marketing approach reflects both the long-standing traditions of each company and their future development in international markets.