The leader must recognize the signals and make rational decisions
· Iliyana Ilieva
A person is as great as their dreams are!
Introduce yourself in a few sentences ..
Iliyana Ilieva - executive director of the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce (BRTC) . 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and business consulting, gained from working in national and international companies.
Tell us what the philosophy and values of the company you currently represent are?
We are an NGO and the values we follow are to bring benefits to business and society as a whole. To improve, with joint efforts, the environment in which we live. To be more recognizable as a reliable partner and to deliver benefits to the members of the chamber. To work for creating new opportunities for growth and cooperation on both sides of the Danube River.
How long have you been developing your current company? What are the most valuable lessons that the events of this period have taught you?
Since the beginning of 2025, I have been at the helm of the chamber's team. I am still in the stage of getting to know the environment and the market, but I joined the team with a mandate for expansion, and that is happening. Daily challenges and meetings with different people make you develop and become better at what you offer as a service.
If you personally had to write a job advertisement, how would you attract the attention of a future employee??
An NGO is looking for a curious and active employee with communication and social skills to work in a cohesive team. The job will be a pleasure if you are looking for challenges, working in new markets, and contacting people from different nationalities.
What does your company do to organize a constructive and beneficial working environment for everyone? Should people in the team be friends?
For me, teamwork is extremely important to achieve results. When necessary, a hybrid work model is applied. The leader must be a good leader. To recognize the signals in the surroundings and make calm and rational decisions. In this way, they will build a strong team that will follow them and fulfill the assigned tasks. The human factor is very important nowadays because it is a deficit. Every leader must listen to the voice of others, be tolerant, but also strict when necessary.
What makes you go to work with pleasure? How do you deal with difficult and stressful moments?
When your work brings you satisfaction, you go with desire. Difficulties always arise in every business, but you need to stop, think about how to get out of the situation, and move forward. Emotional intelligence and adaptability are extremely important for dealing with this.
What work model does your company adhere to – office or remote? What do you think about the possibility of offering options for flexible working hours, within which employees have greater freedom to manage their personal and work commitments?
We primarily work from the office, but we are flexible if someone wants or needs to work from home to combine personal and work commitments. Personally, after the pandemic, I worked mostly hybrid and saw that things happen and the results are even better, but everything also depends on the responsibility of each individual.
How do the continuous global technological changes affect your business?
Development and technologies open doors for new businesses, and this is a prerequisite for growth.
How important is hierarchy and what does it mean to you? What kind of communication do you advocate in your company?
I come from the corporate business and respect the hierarchical structure, although in recent years it has become common in international companies to address everyone by their first name, regardless of their position, to avoid feelings of division. I am from the generation that is used to addressing superiors and older people with the formal 'you'. In our organization, we address each other by first name, and I believe this is the right approach for a small team.
What is your career advice for all people who are building a strategy for their professional development?
A person is as great as their dreams are. First, everyone should be clear about what they want to do, whether it makes them happy, and how willing they are to give their all to be successful. Not to be afraid of failures, to learn from the good examples they encounter along the way, and to broaden their worldview.