Asya Nikolova

Asya Nikolova is an accomplished HR and people development leader with more than 20 years of experience in shaping organizational culture, driving employee engagement, and building high-performing teams across multiple industries. She currently serves as Head of People, Culture, and Happiness at Balkan Services. This IT consulting company partners with global leaders, including Qlik, Oracle NetSuite, LucaNet, Microsoft, and others, to deliver cutting-edge business software solutions. These solutions support optimization and management of key business processes, including reporting, sales, production, supply-chain, warehouse, financial planning, consolidation and disclosure, customer relationship management, and IT support. In her role, Asya focuses on cultivating a thriving culture, strengthening talent development, and ensuring people remain at the heart of innovation and growth. Her professional journey spans senior roles at the Commission on Protection of Competition, FairPlay International, United Milk Company, and McDonald’s, where she successfully led initiatives in recruitment, training and development, organizational design, and HR strategy. She has extensive expertise in building policies, facilitating learning programs, and creating environments where employees feel supported, empowered, and motivated to excel. Asya holds a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. In recent years, she has been enriching her professional expertise through trainings in emotional intelligence and empathy, recognizing them as essential capabilities for the leaders of tomorrow. Beyond her company role, she is also deeply engaged in volunteer work with the Essence Foundation, and more specifically, their flagship program for teenagers, “Teenstein” . Through this initiative, Asya has the unique opportunity to immerse herself in the world of Generations Z and Alpha, exploring firsthand their values, aspirations, and expectations of the future of work. This hands-on involvement provides her with valuable insights into how organizations can better understand, engage, and inspire the next generation of talent. Recognized for her people-first mindset, strategic thinking, and ability to translate HR into measurable business impact, Asya brings both passion and expertise to every initiative—empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in times of transformation and change.