The Petrova Experience: DBE, MWBE
Liliana’s Story
1991 – 2000
Sofia. Risk-taking post-Communism. My story begins in Sofia Square, Bulgaria. Witnessing Bulgaria overthrow the Communist regime taught me that in order to grow, you must adapt and take risks. This new mentality pushed me to take one of the most formative risks of my life – moving to America to continue my education and pursue a new career.
2001 – 2005
NYC. Community building in the city that never sleeps. When I arrived in NYC, I began my career at a casino in Atlantic City and, if you can believe it (or not!) the Ripley Museum. Working in hospitality at the operational level taught me how to manage a team focused on customer service. After graduating from St. Francis College, I joined Keyspan Energy where I discovered how organizational culture and community can make or break a company. NYC tested me daily… and I passed.
2006 – 2011
NYC. Witnessing the financial crisis and an MBA. I joined Royal Bank of Canada and learned the world-class project management, Excel, and PowerPoint skills associated with banking. Working in banking at this time gave me invaluable training in making decisions and handling moral dilemmas in stressful situations. Trusting my risk-taking nature during the fall of another gigantic institution (this time, the NY Stock Exchange), I joined NYU Stern and earned my MBA. I learned everything there is to know about business management, marketing, and politics, and still keep all my materials (to the dismay of my husband)!
2011 – 2018
NYC. The JetBlue Air-a. I returned to the hospitality industry and joined JetBlue Airways, where I held 5 roles in 7.5 years. I cleaned a plane, flew a plane, guided security check-in, and managed the airport experience. At JetBlue, I ran marketing strategy across the US and Latin America (I even learned Spanish to help integrate teams from 3 different countries). I designed and launched the new lobby experience at JFK, servicing 1M+ customers a day. I learned excellence in design means the details are as important as the whole.I helped our customers “board in a snap” with the launch of a first-of-its -kind self-boarding program using facial recognition. I partnered with regulators and learned how to implement cutting-edge technology. I mapped out JetBlue’s 10+ year innovation-led business strategy. I learned segmentation is a thing of the past. We need to build personalized experiences. Oh, and data, data, data... as long as you know what to do with it!
2019 – Present
NYC. The Petrova Experience. I finally got the courage to go on my own and open a boutique, international consulting firm that can impact customers experiences at a global scale, across industries and make brands all over the world better and their customers happier.
1991 – 2000
Sofia. Risk-taking post-Communism.
My story begins in Sofia Square, Bulgaria. Witnessing Bulgaria overthrow the Communist regime taught me that in order to grow, you must adapt and take risks. This new mentality pushed me to take one of the most formative risks of my life – moving to America to continue my education and pursue a new career.
2001 – 2005
NYC. Community building in the city that never sleeps.
When I arrived in NYC, I began my career at a casino in Atlantic City and, if you can believe it (or not!) the Ripley Museum. Working in hospitality at the operational level taught me how to manage a team focused on customer service. After graduating from St. Francis College, I joined Keyspan Energy where I discovered how organizational culture and community can make or break a company. NYC tested me daily… and I passed.
2006 – 2011
NYC. Witnessing the financial crisis and an MBA.
I joined Royal Bank of Canada and learned the world-class project management, Excel, and PowerPoint skills associated with banking. Working in banking at this time gave me invaluable training in making decisions and handling moral dilemmas in stressful situations. Trusting my risk-taking nature during the fall of another gigantic institution (this time, the NY Stock Exchange), I joined NYU Stern and earned my MBA. I learned everything there is to know about business management, marketing, and politics, and still keep all my materials (to the dismay of my husband)!
2011 – 2018
NYC. The JetBlue Air-a.
I returned to the hospitality industry and joined JetBlue Airways, where I held 5 roles in 7.5 years. I cleaned a plane, flew a plane, guided security check-in, and managed the airport experience. At JetBlue, I ran marketing strategy across the US and Latin America (I even learned Spanish to help integrate teams from 3 different countries). I designed and launched the new lobby experience at JFK, servicing 1M+ customers a day. I learned excellence in design means the details are as important as the whole.
I helped our customers “board in a snap” with the launch of a first-of-its -kind self-boarding program using facial recognition. I partnered with regulators and learned how to implement cutting-edge technology. I mapped out JetBlue’s 10+ year innovation-led business strategy. I learned segmentation is a thing of the past. We need to build personalized experiences. Oh, and data, data, data... as long as you know what to do with it!
2019 – 2020
NYC. The Petrova Experience.
I finally got the courage to go on my own and open a boutique, international consulting firm that can impact customers experiences at a global scale, across industries and make brands all over the world better and their customers happier.
2020 - Present
NYC. The Petrova Experience.
Our firm officially got certified as a Women Owned Business (MWBE) and joined NY City, Port Authority, and NY State as an eligible partner for building projects funded by the government.
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