When Vladimir Karolev entered a television studio, the conversation rarely remained only about economics. The financier could talk about investments, privatization and the state budget, and then talk about snowboarding, taekwondo or his time on the TV show “The Farm“. On October 21, 2021, he died at the age of 60.
Karolev was born on July 31, 1961 in Varna. He graduated from the Faculty of International Economic Relations at the VII “Karl Marx“ in 1986, and seven years later he received a master's degree in business administration from the University of Alberta in Canada. In 2014, he also completed a master's degree in real estate economics at the University of Reading.
From investments to politics
His professional path has passed through the Institute of Economics and Organization of Metallurgy, the ECM investment fund and the Balkan Consulting Company, of which he is a managing partner. Karolev works in corporate finance and foreign investments, and in his public appearances often comments on privatization, taxes, pensions and the role of the state in the economy.
Politics came with the NMSV. He participated in the economic team of the movement, and in 2003 he was elected municipal councilor in Sofia. He was re-elected in 2007. In 2011, he ran for mayor of the capital from the NMSV, and later became an advisor to the Minister of Economy Bozhidar Lukarski.
Karolev is also a lecturer in investment management in a master's program at the City University of Seattle. However, his professional biography does not exhaust his public image. He is among the economists who regularly participate in television and radio programs, often with sharp positions and direct language.
Snowboarding, the “Farm“ and life outside the office
Sports occupy a large place in his life. Karolev plays tennis, dives, is interested in motor sports and is an avid snowboarder. He started training taekwondo at the age of 38 and reached a blue belt with a red ribbon.
In 2017, he accepted to be an elder on the TV show “The Farm“. There, between working in the field and talking to the participants, he says that he often reads the Bible. “I read the Bible often“, says Karolev in an interview with Retro.bg.
This energy towards the mountains remained a part of his life until the end. On May 10, 2021, Karolev was found seriously injured near Mount Todorka after a snowboarding accident. BNR reports that he was found in serious condition, and after initial aid in Razlog, he was transported to Sofia. He was later transferred from “Pirogov“ at “Tokuda“ hospital.
After nearly six months in a coma, Vladimir Karolev died on October 21, 2021. Thus ends the life of a man who simultaneously moves in the world of finance, politics and media, but is also remembered for his unwillingness to live only behind a desk.
Sources: old-news.bnr.bg, mediapool.bg, retro.bg