United Nations Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan
Elena Panova was born on April 15, 1962. From 1981 to 1986 she studied at the Technical Chemical University, Bulgaria and has a master's degree in microelectronics. From 1992 to 1996 she studied at the University of National and World Economy, Bulgaria and has a master's degree in international law and foreign trade. Elena Panova worked as an Executive Director in the regional development Agency from 1997 to 2000. From 2000 to 2006 – Programme Manager, Programme Analyst at UNDP in Bulgaria. From 2006 to 2008 – Private Sector Cooperation Officer, Office of the Permanent Coordinator, UN in Ukraine. From 2008 to 2009, she worked as a Programme Analyst at UNDP in Bulgaria; from 2009 to 2010 – as a Specialist on private sector involvement in the Private Sector Division, Partnership Office, UNDP New York; from April to October 2010 – as a Programme Analyst at UNDP Bulgaria; from October 2010 to February 2014 – as Deputy Country Director, UNDP Ukraine. From February 2014 to December 2016, she worked as a Senior Programme Coordinator at the UNDP Regional Centre in Istanbul for Europe and the CIS. From January 2017 to the present, she is the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan.