Ashur- The first two days of the 27th Annual FEBA Conference: Transforming Futures: Sustainability, Innovation, and Governance have been nothing short of transformative. Hosted at Sofia University, Bulgaria, the event has already exceeded expectations, delivering a powerful blend of thought-provoking discussions, cutting-edge research, and practical insights.

The journey began with Thursday evening’s (November 21st) Pre-Conference Diversity Debate on gender quotas in boardrooms. The keynote that followed, delivered by FEBA Dean Assoc. Prof. Atanas Georgiev and German entrepreneur Alfons-Maria Gracher, was an electrifying exploration of the future of assurance business. The Faculty of Economics and Business Administration has a long tradition of cooperation with German family businesses all along from the early 1990s with Deichman, Klett and others.

Friday morning’s (November 22nd) keynote on open innovation was a standout. Prof. Pedro de Faria from the University of Groningen captivated the audience with his compelling take on how open innovation can redefine sustainability practices. The lively discussion that followed, moderated by Prof. Albena Vutsova, showcased Twin4Eco project role for networking between FEBA, Groningen University in Netherlands and other partner universities form Austria, Germany and Ireland to bridge the diverse perspectives from academia and industry, making it clear that innovation thrives on dialogue.

The day’s sessions continued with Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien’s prof. Evgeni Peev’s book on the European Corporation and 25 years of corporate governance reforms, published by Cambridge University and Prof. Deyan Radev’s insights into Bulgarian fintech illuminated both the successes and hurdles of sustainable development. Prof. Ralph Anderegg who was professor prior from St. Gallen and Cologne University and teaches at Sofia University for 26 years gave an inspiring talk on green monetary policy and finally prof. Juliana Vassileva from New Bulgarian University presented the latest data from St. Gallen’s coordinated GUESSS data on students entrepreneurship in Bulgaria against 57 countries worldwide.

From right to left: Anastas Terzobaliev, Albena Vutsova, Pedro de Faria, Juliana Vassileva, Todor Yalamov, Evgeni Peev and Raph Anderreg

As we look ahead to the weekend’s sessions, including more research seminars, workshops, and discussions on AI, digital transformation, and sustainable governance, the anticipation only grows. If the first two days are any indication, the FEBA Conference will leave a lasting impact on all who attend – participants from Bulgaria, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Iran, Kenya, Qatar and China. The session Legal Environment of Doing Business in EU and Bulgaria coordinated by prof. Savina Mihaylova-Goleminova has been broadcasted by the Vienna Initiative