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.

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. 

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.