site.btaPrime Minister-Designate Kiril Petkov - BIO

107 - POLITICS - PM-DESIGNATE - KIRIL PETKOV - BIO

Prime Minister-Designate
Kiril Petkov -
BIO


Sofia, December 11 (BTA) - Kiril Petkov has been designated Prime Minister by his Continue the Change coalition and accepted an exploratory mandate for a government from President Rumen Radev.

BIO

Born in Plovdiv, southern Bulgaria, on April 17, 1980. Moved to Canada with his family at the age of 14. Studied chemistry and biology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver but migrated to finances in his third year. Earned his master's degree in business administration from Harvard.

Returning to Bulgaria, he established the Bulgarian Development Company with the idea of launching promising business ideas and financing them. The first project was a 60 million leva multi-functional facility near Sofia.

During the years, he set up several businesses, the most successful of them being ProViotic which sells probiotics on four continents and holds several patents in biotechnology in the US. The company owns the only two American patents for Bulgarian innovations.

Before going into politics, Petkov was popular with what was known as "The Harvard Courses" he held at the St Kliment Ohridski University in Sofia. He was among the founders, together with Assen Vassilev, of the Centre for Economic Strategies and Competitiveness with Sofia University which is affiliated with Harvard University and teaches courses on economic development, microeconomics and competitiveness.

Petkov became Economy Minister in May 2021 in the first caretaker government of Stefan Yanev. In September the same year he said that he had been offered to stay in the second caretaker government but had decided against it and launch instead his own political project together with caretaker Finance Minister Assen Vassilev. The two announced their project, Continue the Change, later in September. In the November 14 snap general elections, it emerged as the No1 political force in Bulgaria after winning 28 per cent of the votes and Petkov was elected MP.

Married with three children.