Ms. Iliyana Tsanova is Deputy Managing Director of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) – a EUR 33 billion guarantee facility, launched jointly by the European Commission and the European Investment Bank Group to stimulate investments in the European Union. Prior to joining EFSI, Ms. Tsanova had over 12 years of development banking experience with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, London, UK. Ms. Tsanova held a number of non-executive board positions with infrastructure funds and utility companies.

In 2013 and 2014, Ms. Tsanova was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in two caretaker governments of Bulgaria.

In 2015 Ms. Tsanova was named Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Switzerland.

Ms. Tsanova’s academic background is in Corporate and Business Finance. She holds a MSc. in Finance from University for National and World Economy – Sofia, Bulgaria, and a postgraduate studies in Financial Management as visiting scholar at Georgetown University – Washington DC, USA.