On April 16th, 2026, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, together with CIMA held the “The Future of Finance Leadership: Powered by AI, Led by People” event in the Hilton Hotel.
AmCham Bulgaria CEO Ivan Mihaylov welcomed attendees and underscored the Chamber’s ongoing commitment to facilitating high-impact conversations at the intersection of business, technology, and leadership. The event was designed not only to explore what is changing in the world of finance, but to equip leaders with actionable frameworks for navigating that change.
The programme opened with two powerful keynote addresses before moving into an energetic panel discussion and closing with an extended cocktail networking session – reflecting AmCham Bulgaria’s belief that peer connection is as vital as structured insight.
Keynote Highlights
Tony McMurray FCMA, CGMA, Cluster CFO at Ingram Micro and AmCham Board Member, set the stage by introducing the compelling concept of the Chief Future Officer – a vision of the modern finance leader who moves decisively from reporting the past to actively shaping the future. Drawing on the “mountain mindset,” McMurray argued that storytelling, effective communication, and bold decision-framing are the defining competencies of tomorrow’s finance executive. His address challenged attendees to think of their teams not as reporting units, but as strategic influencers capable of driving organizational outcomes.
Dr Jeremy Osborn FCMA, CGMA, Global Head of Sustainability at CIMA, then examined how artificial intelligence is fundamentally transforming finance leadership. Dr. Osborn guided attendees through the nuanced challenge of balancing human judgment with machine intelligence – and outlined the core competencies professionals must develop to lead responsibly in an AI-enabled enterprise. His message was clear: the leaders who thrive will be those who embrace AI as an amplifier of human capability, not a replacement for it.
Panel Discussion
Moderated by Dr Jeremy Osborn, the panel, which was made up of Tony McMurray, Iliya Kardashliev, Financial Director, SOF Connect, Mladen Markoski, Еxecutive Director & Senior Director Finance, А1 Bulgaria and Teodor Marinov, Executive Director Finance of UBB, brought together leading regional voices to share real-world experience on finance strategy, leadership in dynamic environments, and AI-driven decision-making. The discussion was praised by attendees for its openness, candour, and practical relevance.
The lively networking sessions before, during, and after the formal programme allowed participants to forge new professional connections – a hallmark of AmCham Bulgaria events.
