It is most satisfying to see people from your team grow, become more confident and secure

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

My name is Yoana Bachchevanova and I have been part of the team at Pwrteams Bulgaria for 12 years now. Currently, I hold the position of Team Leader for Recruitment for our location.

How many years have you completed in the company? How do you feel in it and what does this stage mean for you?

In a world where changes are a daily occurrence, and career paths are often short, spending 12 years in one company is a rarity. I didn't expect to stay so long, but it was precisely the dynamics, the opportunities for development, and the people around me that kept me here. Over the years, we have gone through major transformations – acquisitions, rebranding, changes in processes and technologies – and each of them gave me a chance to learn and develop.

What are the most memorable moments or achievements from your time here so far?

I am proud to have had the opportunity to participate in building engineering teams from scratch to over 100 people for partners like Ocado Technology, Accenture Strategy, Funding Circle UK, NewsUK. To see the people you hired develop and become key experts, while Bulgaria establishes itself as a major hub for these companies – this is true satisfaction. In our team, not a day goes by without jokes, we love irony, which saves us in difficult moments. It is also most satisfying to see people from your team grow, become more confident and secure, and gradually turn into some of the best recruitment specialists (we have many such examples). Naturally, some of the most memorable moments have been the times spent together over the years – teambuildings, Christmas parties, offsites by the sea, and many others.

What motivates you to stay and develop specifically in this organization?

On one hand – it is the dynamics and all the internal transformations we have gone through over the years. The opportunity to work with different partners allowed us to draw best practices from them, which further stimulated our development. But most importantly, it has always been the people. We have a strong core that supports each other and goes through everything together. I particularly value the freedom to experiment with new approaches – something that is deeply embedded in the company culture.

How has your professional path changed from day one until now – and what has it taught you?

When I started, I didn't have much experience and confidence, but I was highly motivated. One of my first challenges was building a Java team in Plovdiv, at a time when the IT community there was just emerging. This taught me patience, resilience, and creativity. Over time, I shifted my focus from personal results to building a strong team and passing on knowledge – something that brings me the greatest satisfaction today.

What are your aspirations moving forward – both for yourself and for the team or company you are part of?

Over time, I realized how important the balance between different roles in life is – personal, social, professional. This is also my main goal – to maintain this balance and encourage it within my team. I want us to continue developing good practices, to create a quality experience for both candidates and partners.

As part of my aspiration to connect people and contribute to the community, I took the initiative to be the organizer of Kubernetes Community Days Sofia – an event that will take place for the first time in Bulgaria in September 2025, in partnership with Linux Foundation and CNCF. This is part of my personal aspiration to be connected with new technologies and to participate in building bridges between people and knowledge.