My name is Plamena Solakova and I was born and raised in Bulgaria. I completed my high school education in the United States and my undergraduate degree in the United Kingdom, during which time I also managed to do a year of study abroad in Spain and a summer of working abroad in Belgium. Travelling and new cultures being my passion, I then went on to complete my Masters at Sciences Po in Paris,
and I am now back in my beloved London where I live and work.
During my education in International Relations and Politics, and later in International Security, Intelligence and Middle East studies, I was fortunate enough to take a number of classes on women's rights, women in conflict and sexual violence against women. I also spent six years with the Red Cross and met a number of women survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. I also worked as a researcher of honour-based violence and gender-based violence more broadly. Later on, six years in the technology industry further showed me the challenges women face in this sector.
As a diversity and inclusion professional I now work to empower women, just as women in my family have inspired and motivated me. Because as Roseanne Bar put it,
"The thing women have yet to learn is that nobody gives you power. You just take it!"