On November 20, 2025, a conference was held in the auditorium of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” on the subject of “Transfer Pricing Today: Trends, Legislation, and Strategic Risk Management,” organized by IFA Bulgaria.
IFA Bulgaria’s Board of Directors and Organizing Committee
Long-awaited, informative, and highly successful—that’s how we can describe the IFA Bulgaria conference, which took place this past November. The excellent organization and a cohesive team paid off, and professionals in the field of tax law gathered to hear world-renowned speakers and special guests at the transfer pricing conference. Here are the speakers:
Desislava Kaludova – Master’s degree in International Economic Relations from the University of National and World Economy (UNWE). After completing her higher education, she began working at the National Revenue Agency (then the General Tax Directorate under the Ministry of Finance). For nearly 19 years, she has been an expert in the “Agreements for the Avoidance of Double Taxation” (AADT) Directorate at the NRA’s Central Administration, and since 2019, she has served as the director of the directorate. Over the years at the DTA Directorate, she has actively participated in the exchange of information, in negotiations, and in the implementation of tax treaties and transfer pricing rules. Together with a team of experts, she participated in drafting the current Regulation N-9 on the application of methods for determining market prices. In recent years, her responsibilities have covered a wide range of issues in the field of international taxation, including leading the process of transposing EU directives in the area of direct taxes, carrying out administrative cooperation with Bulgaria’s international partners, conducting mutual agreement procedures, negotiating the conclusion or renegotiation of double taxation treaties, as well as implementing measures under the OECD’s BEPS Action Plan.
Prof. Dr. Jacques Malherbe – (scientific reviewer), (Ph.D. in Law, Leuven; LL.M., Harvard), author or co-author of numerous publications, including leading textbooks on tax and corporate law, both national and international. He lectures on these topics in Europe and Latin America. He is an honorary professor at the University of Leuven (UCL) and a member of its research center CRIDES. He teaches at the universities of Bologna, Hamburg, and Bucharest. He is a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Law and Legislation of Spain and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru. He is an advisor to Simon Brown (Brussels). He served as vice-chair of the IFA’s Standing Scientific Committee. He speaks French, Dutch, English, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Dr. Raffaele Petruzzi – Master of Laws, Managing Director of the WU Transfer Pricing Center at the Institute for Austrian and International Tax Law at WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), founder and CEO of PETRUZZI Advisory, and an independent consultant on issues related to international taxation and transfer pricing. He is also a member of the UN Subcommittee on Transfer Pricing. Dr. Petruzzi has accumulated extensive experience working for many years within the Big Four, international law firms, and in in-house positions. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and a lecturer for numerous courses around the world, as well as the author of many publications. Among other things, he is the editor of the Linde Transfer Pricing International Journal and a member of the International Fiscal Association (IFA), the International Bar Association (IBA), and Transfer Pricing Economists for Development (TPED). Dr. Petruzzi holds a Ph.D. in International Business Taxation from WU, a Master of Laws in International Tax Law from WU, and a Master of Science in Business Administration and Law from Bocconi University.
Ivan Neychev – holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Public Administration from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science (European Studies) from Sofia University. His professional experience is primarily in public administration, where he has worked at the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Revenue Agency (since early 2019). He is a lecturer at the Institute of Public Administration. He is the author of publications on topics related to government securities markets, transfer pricing, and others. At the National Revenue Agency, he is involved in audits and inspections of large taxpayers and social security contributors, including proceedings covering transactions between related parties. He has participated in numerous seminars on topics related to international taxation organized by the OECD, IOTA, CEF, and other international organizations.
Ciprian Gavriliu – Ciprian is a partner in the tax practice at TaxHouse, part of the international Taxand network, and head of the Transfer Pricing practice. With over 20 years of experience in local and international tax consulting at TaxHouse and Deloitte Romania, Ciprian has helped numerous Romanian and international companies successfully identify and manage tax issues, particularly in the area of transfer pricing. He is the author of numerous articles on transfer pricing and is frequently invited to speak at events and debates on international taxation. Ciprian also participates directly in discussions with Romanian authorities regarding changes to tax legislation through the American Chamber of Commerce in Romania and Moldova (AmCham) and the Foreign Investors Council. He is active in both the business leadership community and the academic environment in Romania, participating in events dedicated to students. Ciprian holds a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. He holds a postgraduate diploma in international taxation (ADIT) with a specialization in transfer pricing. He is a tax consultant authorized by the Chamber of Tax Consultants (CCF) in Romania, a financial auditor authorized by the Public Audit Oversight Authority (ASPAAS), and a certified public accountant authorized by the Body of Certified and Licensed Accountants (CECCAR) in Romania.
Dr. Giammarco Cottani – founder and partner at NOEMA Global Tax and Policy. With over 20 years of international experience, he offers unparalleled expertise in tax policy development, international taxation, and strategic consulting for multinational clients across various sectors. His career includes key roles in tax policy at Netflix, where he shaped global policy positions and represented the streaming giant in consultations with the OECD and the EU, as well as serving as head of the tax department at Agoda (Booking Holdings), where he managed tax matters for the fintech sectors and complex online marketplaces for a global team of 27 professionals. His experience spans media and entertainment, digital platforms, fintech sectors, the energy sector, and specialized consulting for high-net-worth individuals, including artists and professional athletes. Dr. Cottani holds a Ph.D. in Corporate Taxation from LUISS Guido Carli University and a Master of Laws in European and International Taxation from Tilburg University. He is a lecturer at the WU Transfer Pricing Center and delivers lectures at leading institutions around the world. His core areas of expertise include international tax policy formulation, transfer pricing, taxation of the digital economy, and cross-border structuring for media companies, entertainment platforms, fintech firms, energy companies, and individual clients in the creative and sports industries. As a former transfer pricing advisor to the OECD and a member of a UN subcommittee, he combines in-depth policy experience with innovative, compliant solutions that anticipate regulatory developments across multiple jurisdictions and sectors. Giammarco was recently appointed Senior Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance in Florence at the European University Institute.
Attorney Teodosiya Kirilova, Prof. Dr. Jacques Malherbe, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Savina Mihaylova-Goleminova, Attorney Valentin Savov
The conference was opened by Attorney Valentin Savov—Chair of IFA Bulgaria and Vice-Chair of the IFA Supervisory Board—and Atanas Georgiev—Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” The Board of Directors and the Organizing Committee of IFA Bulgaria are grateful for the opportunity to host the conference and are inspired to organize many more such events in the future.
More about the conference and membership in IFA Bulgaria here: https://ifa-conference.com/
