Milena Stoycheva

Milena Stoycheva is the former Minister of Innovation and Growth of Bulgaria.

Milena Stoycheva is a long-time CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria (JA Bulgaria), part of the global network of Junior Achievement Worldwide (JA Worldwide). Throughout her career, Stoycheva has worked systematically for digitalization, modernization and development of a high educational and startup culture in Bulgaria. She taught innovation and entrepreneurship at the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and was responsible for the innovation and transformation strategy at EIT Culture & Creativity. She is the recipient of JA Worldwide's highest global leadership award “Soraya Salti” for 2021, presented in recognition of making a social impact through economic empowerment. Stoycheva has more than 20 years of experience in leadership positions in international organizations and companies, having also served as the Chair of the Global Member Council of JA Worldwide and Senior Adviser on Higher Education for Europe. She is the first Dean of Student Affairs at the American University in Bulgaria. Stoycheva is a member of the board of the European Female Founders and works actively for affirming women in business, science and entrepreneurship. She is a co-founder of the Bulgarian cluster for digital solutions and innovations in healthcare and is its first chairperson. Stoycheva participated in several expert groups at the EC, OECD, HEinnovate, etc. She has degrees and specializations from Bulgarian and international universities such as Sofia University “Kliment Ohridski”, Penn State University, UC Berkeley and MIT.