Shopfully Retail Insights Summit

Julian Dobrev – Fonder and director of analysis at the marketing research and consulting agency BluePoint and founder of the market data space blueplace.bg. Over 28 years of experience in the field of marketing, actively participated in over 800 research projects in various industries. Author of over 120 articles in the field of marketing, lecturer at the New Bulgarian University “Market Analysis – from Facts to Insights”. Long-standing member (for 15 years) of the jury in the prestigious competition for the effectiveness of marketing communication – Effie Bulgaria.

Georgi Malchev is Managing Partner of www.xplora.bg – a leading agency for integrated digital marketing in CEE. The agency covers strategy, content, creative, performance for over 120 active clients in the regions and  globally – service industry, finance, FMCG, B2C, B2B, B2B2C. Georgi is Managing Partner as well of www.xplora.academy – a company for corporate trainings, marketing audits and consulting, and manages a platform for online video courses for digital marketing.
Georgi has over 27 years of experience in business, marketing, communications,, as well in operations management – as a manager, director, COO.
Georgi has been a member of the Board of IAB Bulgaria from 2016 to 2021. He is a regular member to international juries in digital marketing, PR and HR awards competitions. He teaches classes in marketing, advertising and communications to masters and bachelors at New Bulgarian University, and digital marketing in the eMBA Program of American University in Bulgaria. Georgi is a PhD candidate (pending thesis) with focus on the current user journey and user biases. Georgi is a regular columnist at Forbes Bulgaria. Georgi runs Xplore Marketing – a Linkedin Newsletter with 10k + subscribers. He covers delves into the world of strategic marketing and communications, providing his readers with practical, applicable models, clear-cut examples, and a wealth of additional resources to help them excel in their marketing endeavors.

Maria Bengtsson is the owner and CEO of United Partners, a leading PR and marketing agency in EMEA, with more than 30 years of experience in the communications industry. She is also the co-founder of United Partners Public Affairs and the founder of UPN, an international network of PR and marketing agencies providing multinational communications solutions.
Passionate about entrepreneurship, innovation, and social impact, Maria has supported initiatives including the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and the International Public Relations Association. She has served as Chair of the Bulgarian Association of PR Agencies and President of the International Public Relations Association. Her expertise includes communications strategy, marketing communications, new media, content marketing, and public affairs.

Maya Hayrabedyan brings over 30 years of experience in marketing, advertising and corporate communications. Her career spans media, advertising agencies and international companies, including leadership roles at TBWA\NMS Bulgaria, Piraeus Bank Bulgaria and EKO Bulgaria. She has extensive expertise in strategic marketing, brand building and digital communications. As Executive Director of IAB Bulgaria, she works to strengthen the professional community, encourage knowledge sharing and advance best practices in digital advertising.

Elitsa Vrancheva is the founder of Znam Cenite (Знам Цените), a Bulgarian platform whose mission is to help people save money and provide clear information about the bigger picture behind prices.
A software engineer with over a decade of experience and an idealist at heart, she believes that information, presented clearly and accessibly, can help people make smarter choices and see the world around them more clearly.

For over 20 years, Oliver Olschewski has been focused on the transformation of retail communication: from traditional flyers to today’s data-driven retail media strategies.
In February 2025, he became Managing Director of Shopfully (formerly Offerista) for Austria, Germany, CEE and since 2026 also for the Netherlands and Czechia. Previously, he was long-time CEO of Offerista Group Austria and additionally took over management of the CEE countries Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Poland in 2022. He began his career at Styria publishing group, followed by positions at the recipe portal ichkoche.at and from 2014 leading wogibtswas.at and Offerista Group Austria respectively.
As a sought-after speaker, he regularly appears at major retail events and conferences, where he shares practical insights into the digital transformation of retail. Under his leadership, Shopfully today supports over 500 retailers and brands in reaching more than 200 million shoppers worldwide.

Donika Rizova is the Communications Director of the Association for
Modern Trade, an organization comprising some of Bulgaria’s largest
retail chains. She is a communications expert, writer, travel blogger,
and prominent TV and radio journalist with over 25 years of experience
in some of the country’s most successful media projects.
She is the recipient of numerous journalistic awards, including the
“Golden Pen” from the Union of Bulgarian Journalists (UBJ), the “Sveti
Vlas” award for television journalism, an honor from the “Bulgarian
Europe” festival, the “Golden Heart” award for active volunteer and
philanthropic work, and the “Voice of Sustainability” award from the UN
Global Compact Network Bulgaria, among others.

Hristo Yankov is Chief Growth and Innovation Officer at Vellea Global, the group behind Mebeli Videnov and Vellea Home. He has more than 25 years of experience in retail, with a focus on digital transformation and e-commerce. He previously served as Chief Digital Officer of Mr. Bricolage Bulgaria and COO of eBag.

Reni Yavriyska: With over 18 years of experience in data analytics and customer insights across FMCG and non-FMCG sectors, Reni Yavriyska brings extensive expertise in understanding consumer behaviour, market trends and evolving dynamics of shopping habits and consumer attitudes.
Her experience focuses on identifying market trends and translating consumer data into meaningful insights about shopping behaviour.