TEAM

The founders, members of the Board of Directors and the team of the “Start” association are people from different fields, with diverse expertise and experience in national and European projects in areas such as youth, education, sports activities, innovations and others.

Vadym Chergov

Chairman
A former tennis player with 15 years of experience as a coach. Vadim believes that through sports, a person can open many doors for themselves and strives to show people the benefits of an active lifestyle. It is especially important for the younger generations to play sports, because they learn discipline and respect, along with many other skills that will be useful in their lives outside of sports. In parallel with his coaching profession, he is involved in endurance sports, which he does for pleasure. Two of his hobbies are running and cycling, often participating in long-distance races. He volunteers at animal shelters, hoping to one day have his own, where he can provide shelter to dogs in need. Vadim's mission is to set the best possible example for young people and believes that people who actively play sports are better in every way.

Katerina Guenova

Project Manager
Katerina Genova is an experienced project manager and coordinator with many years of expertise in the field of European programs, sport and non-formal education. She has over 10 years of professional experience in the management and coordination of national and international projects, including the Erasmus + program. Over the years, she has held leadership and expert positions in the Bulgarian Tennis Federation as well as in other national and international sports organizations. Katerina holds a BA in European Studies and a MA in European Project Management from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. Her work focuses on capacity development of sports organizations, human resource training, social inclusion through sport, emotional intelligence and personal development, adult education and sustainable development in sport.

Maria Ilieva

Vice Chairman
Maria Ilieva has a bachelor of Tennis education and training - National Sports Academy and Master of Public Relations /Sofia University „St. Kliment Ohridski/. She has more than 15 years of experience as personal Assistant to the CEO, CSR coordinator and events manager in international companies. She is strongly connected to the corporate structures but at the same time since she is volunteering to many sport organizations and events. She is responsible for the START events management.

Yoana Andreeva

Expert & Communication manager
Yoana Andreeva is an experienced communication manager and trainer with long-standing professional practice in the fields of marketing, communications and non-formal education. She has over 20 years of professional experience in managing communication strategies, working with media, content development and delivering training to diverse target groups. Yoana works as a Communication Manager and Trainer at the START Association, and is also a managing partner in companies operating in the publishing sector and the advertising industry. Her expertise focuses on strategic communication, training, organisational capacity building and effective community engagement at both national and international level.

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