Schwarz IT Bulgaria - a Responsible Company which Changes for the Better: Success Story of Atanas Kuzmanov

Atanas Kuzmanov is a passionate software engineer with mor than ten  years of experience. He has graduated in Computer Science at the University of Essex, UK, and has led projects involving cross-domain collaboration over high performance critical applications with clients all over the world. "My other interests include music, cars, model cars, spending time with family and friends, and wristwatches", he says.

What is your story about going abroad?

At the time Bulgaria had just joined the EU and suddenly tuition fees did not seem impossible. Studying abroad was a good opportunity to try out a different education system and to experience different cultures. I lived in the UK for ten years. For five years I worked for the BBC: a very interesting place, with lots of journalists and celebs, as well as talented technical people.

What is the most valuable lesson you learned?

It is that you have only one mother, one father, brother or sister, one family, and one country where you are born; they are irreplaceable and you need to learn to respect them and be proud of them. When you move to a different country you start living with both its good things, and bad things there.

Did you miss Bulgaria and how?

Most of all I missed my family and friends, but also the good weather, the sea sides, the mountains and villages, the flora and fauna, because each season has its significant aromas. I missed our traditions and our delicious traditional food! At some point I even started to miss the brutalist socialist postmodern architecture in Bulgaria.

What motivated you to return to Bulgaria?

London is a unique city, there is always something to explore, but there is also a lot of stress. One day I realised it was time to make a decision – either to settle down in the UK, move to another country or move back home. Because I missed my family and friends and Bulgaria, the choice was easy. Now I am sure it was the right one.

How did your start your journey at Schwarz IT Bulgaria? What are you current tasks?

I came across Schwarz IT Bulgaria while looking for a job. What impresses me most is that the colleagues are nice and at the same time good in their field. I work in the Information and Technology Solutions Department and I am part of a team responsible for the backend and frontend for the CMS for all of Kaufland’s properties worldwide. We have a lot of important highly non-trivial requirements from clients and this keeps the work exciting.

How do you rate the level of the team and the company culture?

My rate is 10/10 at all levels! It’s a multi-national, multi-cultural team, everybody is knowledgeable, motivated and responsible. Communication is great. We are very proud of our product as it provides a lot of services to our clients, making their life easier. I believe Schwarz IT attracts great talent: not just technical people, but also HRs, CEOs and directors. We have great leaders: I mean "leaders", not "bosses". For me Schwarz IT Bulgaria is a feel-good-company because the IT takes responsibility in the industry it operates in and has acquired a recycling company to help it be greener. One of it's other goals is also to source renewable energy for as much of its operation as possible. Schwarz IT Bulgaria listens to its employees and makes changes for the better. It is a company you can be proud to work for!