On December 3rd, Sofia Kasidova is going to be a guest speaker within the framework of the Master's Program "Economics and Management of Public Resources". Kasidova is going to deliver a lecture on concepts, legislative framework and mechanisms in the field of climate.

The lecturer will examine, including through practical exercises:

• Guidelines for checking the green eligibility of projects/investments;
• Green eligibility assessment tools and criteria, case studies and guidelines;
• Exemplary activities and projects contribute to the achievement of sustainability goals and the fight against climate change.

An online tool for determining the green eligibility of projects seeking bank financing is going to be shown as an example.

The lecture is for financial institutions, investors, SMEs and representatives of governmental and municipal institutions and administration.

Sofia Kasidova leads the team for strategic development and green policies in The Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB).

From 2006 till 2010 she was the CFO of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB). In the past she held various roles in commercial banking, the Bulgarian National Bank and worked in the CEE coverage team of CSFB.

In 2001, she was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Economy in charge of economic affairs and part of Bulgaria's team for joining the EU; coordinates the preparation, implementation and monitoring of projects financed under the Phare program of the EU. Kasidova is a member of the negotiating team for Bulgaria's membership in NATO (NATO) in charge of economic issues and the reform plan. During this period she was also responsible for relations and negotiations with the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In 2003, she was the Deputy Minister of Transport and was responsible for pre-accession negotiations with the European Commission, the management of major infrastructure projects, such as the construction of Terminal 2 and the runway of Sofia Airport, the Danube Bridge II, the expansion of the Port of Burgas, etc.

She graduated from UNWE, holds a PG Diploma in Financial Strategy from Oxford University Said Business School, an MSc in International Banking from the University of Reading and an MA in Economics from CEU and University of NY State as a Soros Foundation Fellow. She speaks English, Russian, Czech and Greek.