Former Bulgarian envoy to Azerbaijan appointed as head of IGB gas pipeline operator

Former Bulgarian Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Maya Hristova has been appointed the new CEO of ICGB, the operator of the Gas Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), ICGB told Report.

Following the expiration of the mandates of ICGB's governing bodies, the company has completed a structured corporate governance renewal process for its Supervisory Board and Management Board, including two Executive Officers.

The procedure for the two shareholders to nominate and elect members of all management bodies began in November 2025.

The process also included mandatory review and approval of all nominations by the national energy regulators of both Greece and Bulgaria. The assumption of office is considered effective from the registration of the respective changes in the Commercial Register, which took place on January 6, 2026.

The newly appointed Executive Officers of ICGB are Mrs. Maya Hristova and Mr. Pierros Chatzigiannis. Their mandate is four years.

Maya Hristova served as an Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan and as a Consul General of Bulgaria in New York, USA. She was Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria and Executive Director of the Bulgarian Energy Holding.

Pierros Chatzigiannis has over 25 years of technical and executive experience in the natural gas and energy infrastructure sectors. He has held senior management positions within the Greek national natural gas system, with roles at both the transmission system operator (TSO) and the distribution system operator (DSO).

Hristova and Chatzigiannis replaced Theodora Georgieva (representing Bulgaria) and George Satlas (representing Greece), who served as ICGB Executive Directors from 2020 to 2025.

The IGB gas pipeline connects the Greek gas transmission system (DESFA) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) near Komotini with the Bulgarian Bulgartransgaz system near Stara Zagora. Its length is 182 km, with a pipe diameter of 813 mm. The pipeline's design capacity is estimated at 3 billion cubic meters of gas per year, with the potential to increase to 5 billion cubic meters subject to market demand and appropriate technical conditions.