Panel Discussion: The Business Impact of Effective Presentations with Bosch, KBC & Ampeco

Introduction: Meet the Panelists

The Panelists:

Mario Pankov – Private Banking Sales Support Officer, KBC Asset Management

Maryan Rizinski – Manager of Technology Consulting, Bosch

Baycho Georgiev – Chief Marketing Officer, Ampeco

Moderated by Stefani Tsolova – Software Engineering Manager, Progress

Stefani: Baycho, AMPECO has attracted some serious investors — BMW i Ventures, LaunchHub. How much of that came down to how you presented the vision?

Baycho Georgiev: The short answer is: it's absolutely required. But what people often miss is that the pitch deck is not a static document. It evolves. From the angel stage to seed to Series A, you are a different company — different team, different product maturity, different market positioning. You are also speaking to different investors on different continents, with different expertise and different portfolios. You cannot show the same deck to everyone. The pitch has to reflect where you are and speak directly to who is sitting across the table.

Stefani: And what about feedback — the rejections, the "no"s? How did those shape the deck?

Baycho: Every "no" is data. You take it, you incorporate it, you update. Our investors — both current and early ones — gave us feedback that we used to sharpen the next version. You are never done iterating. The moment you think the deck is finished, you have probably stopped listening.

Stefani: Maryan, you lead technology consultants at Bosch. That is a very different context — internal, technical, complex. Why do presentation skills matter there?

Maryan Rizinski: Because most of what goes wrong in technical projects does not come from bad code. It comes from unclear requirements and insufficient communication. We work in an environment defined by complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity. Finding the right solution architecture, weighing the pros and cons of different technical directions, making decisions that stick — all of that requires coordination with many people across the organization. Presentation skills, in the broadest sense of the word, are what allow us to drive clarity, build trust, and give people the confidence that we can actually do the job. I would say presentation skills are a multiplier for technical skills.

Stefani: You are known for studying other tech presenters closely — even reaching out to them directly. What drives that?

Maryan: I try to learn something new every day, literally. And I watch great presenters the same way a musician listens to great guitar players. If you want to improve, you need role models. Great presentations are deeply personal — how you approach content, how you prepare, how you deliver. All of it reflects your values and character. Find a presenter you admire and let them influence you. That is one of the fastest ways to grow.

Stefani: Mario, KBC operates across Bulgaria, Belgium, Czech Republic and beyond. How do you keep the message consistent when so many people are delivering it?

Mario Pankov: We learned the hard way that leaving it to regional teams creates risk — specifically the risk of mis-selling, which in financial services is serious. So we centralized. The content is built in one place, by one person, and distributed. Every investment advisor across every country gets the same message. We even built a tool — we call it "the page" — that advisors use to consult clients directly, but the content inside it is controlled centrally. If a client hears two different stories from two different offices, trust is gone.

Stefani: And with all of that volume — eight presentations a day at a four-day private banking workshop — how do you stop people from switching off?

Mario: You keep it as short as possible. As targeted as possible. One strong core message per presentation. I think of a good presentation like a pill — if you do not design the right delivery system, even the best medicine will not work. The pill has to be right. The delivery has to be right. Both matter.

Stefani: Maryan, closing question — Bulgaria has real technical talent. Is that enough to compete globally?

Maryan: Talent is the cornerstone. But it is not the whole building. There are countries catching up fast, at more competitive prices. What can differentiate us is the ability to present that talent compellingly — to international customers, to investors, to partners. Nancy Duarte said it well: great presentations can make smart ideas attractive. Talent without that is still great. But talent with it is unstoppable. This is not a nice-to-have anymore. It is something we need to fight for actively.

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Watch the full panel discussion to hear the complete conversation

Including how KBC is already using Microsoft Copilot to transform its presentation workflow and what the panelists believe is the single most overlooked skill in the tech industry today.