The senior management of the Bulgarian Sports Totalizator (BST), the country’s national lottery operator, has been changed after one year in administration.
Minister of Youth and Sports, Dimitar lliev, has called a close to the leadership of both the Executive Director and Chairman of the BST, with the former, Angel Angelov, replaced by Georgi Tarlekov.
The Ministry has set the new BST management several key objectives, and has laid out strict expectations for the refreshed leadership. From an administrative standpoint, this includes greater accountability and transparency.
However, payments are also on the Ministry’s agenda, as it believes the Executive Director has been compensated ‘disproportionality’ in comparison to other members of staff, and so has set fair pay and improving working conditions as a key goal.
In addition, Minister lliev wants BST management to ‘act more decisively’ regarding the operator’s primary goal, which concerns the generation of revenue and funds for Bulgarian sports via lottery sales.
The Ministry believes that the opportunities of lottery ‘are not used fully and efficiently’, adding: “At the same time, cases of unjustified dismissal and replacement of long-term personnel have been identified. An unsatisfactory policy regarding the incomes of the company’s employees has been applied, and internal control is weak.”
Looking at the appointees, Tarlekov has experience as a financier holding a master’s degree in management and marketing, banking, financial business and administration management. He was also previously a financial adviser to Minister Iliev.
In addition to Tarlekov, the Ministry has also appointed Rada Gyonova and Petar Peychev to senior management positions at the BST, although it has not specified what roles they will fill.
Gyonova is a trained lawyer and has been working for the BST for over 16 years, whilst Peychev’s experience in audio-visual products and past as a manager of a leading Bulgarian production company was also highlighted by the Ministry.
lliev’s changes bring an end to senior management of the BST that were appointed to the positions last year by former Sports Minister Vesela Lecheva, who served under the ‘caretaker government’.
Bulgaria has been governed by this interim administration for over a year, but following elections in April a coalition government – of which lliev is part of – has assumed leadership.