Management team

Lyubov was born to a Bulgarian father and a Russian mother, grew up in Nigeria, has a Master’s degree in Indology, and has translated over 60 plays. Before the British Council she worked for 9 years at the Theatre Academy. Experienced in communications, she has led the international expansion of FameLab and co-founded the Sofia Science Festival. She has 3 children, loves the beach, parties and cooking, has over 200 fridge magnets and passionately believes that human efforts make sense.

Oliver – he prefers to be called Noll – was born and grew up in the North-West of England. He studied History and French at university and then trained as an English teacher. He thought his CELTA would give him a chance to live and work overseas, but never imagined that it would be a passport to jobs in Morocco, Egypt, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Oman and now Bulgaria. He has a DELTA and MBA, and a love of birds, painting (not his own) and big skies.

Elena has an MBA from City University, Seattle and a Master’s degree in Project Management from George Washington University. She has extensive experience as a manager in various Bulgarian and international companies. She has been leading the British Council exams team since August 2011. Elena enjoys parties and travelling all over the world, mainly as a tourist. Out of the '501 Must Visit Cities' she has been to 100.

Gradi went to maths school and has an MA in Macroeconomics but marketing and communications are his passions. He is a Chartered Marketer and has a Professional Diploma from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Gradi anchored and reported for Bulgarian National TV for 5 years and then worked in PR before joining British Council in 2010. He co-founded our Sofia Science Festival. Although he was born in Burgas Gradi isn’t a huge fan of the beach, but instead likes smart gadgets and vampire movies.

Petya has a degree in Accounting and Finance from the Dimitar Tsenov Academy of Economics, and a wealth of experience from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bulgarian embassy in Australia, and from the British Embassy in Sofia. She grew up in Byala Slatina, a town in North West Bulgaria, speaks English, French and Russian, and is certainly the most sporty member of the team with her passion for orienteering and marathons. Petya has a sparkling sense of humour and a true flair for fashion.