His name is Velislav Bonev but when we learn about what he does one starts thinking about James Bond. He was born in Russe and has been keen on martial arts since a young age. However, he graduated from the Naval Academy in Varna and then applied for a job in the Bulgarian navy. It turned out that there were no vacancies for his major and he decided to try his luck abroad. That is how after the democratic changes in 1989 Velislav decided to leave Bulgaria and go to the U.S. However, he reached Vienna where he started working in the sphere of security. Today Bonev is the owner of a respected security company with headquarters in Europe but active all across the world. He has taken care of the security of various politicians, businessmen, and artists like Gerhard Schröder, Mariah Carey, Simply Red, and Take That. Radio Bulgaria met Velislav Bonev in Bulgaria, where he holds training in the sphere of security for employees of the Military Police. He says that in a critical moment every object can be used as a weapon, even a phonecard. Here is what Velislav Bonev told us about his career.

“It was a difficult road. People from Bulgaria are not always well accepted abroad and we are talking here about a business which requires a license that is very difficult to obtain. We are proud that we have the highest level of security license in Austria, Germany, and Italy. We often encounter unfair competition but we are doing something we can be proud of.”

His clients also give positive feedback about his services.

“We have specialized in specific tasks. We provide security in special occasions, as well as investigation and detective’s services. We have been providing training to people in 12 different countries and support companies that are active in crisis regions in Eastern Europe and Africa.”

Velislav Bonev told us about the biggest challenge in his career.

“Maybe it was entering this business and becoming an important figure in the sphere because all the time I used to hear that this was impossible, especially when one keeps in mind that I am from Bulgaria. There are many talented Bulgarian people whose work remains unnoticed, but at the same time there are professional thieves and liars that unfortunately make the image of Bulgarians abroad. In order to build something, much efforts and creative energy are required but if you want to destroy, everything happens fast."

Security is a tough business but there are fun stories associated with it too.

“Some 15 years ago, when I made my first steps in the higher levels of security, we needed to ensure the security of a mass gathering with shows. There was a show with bears and bear trainers. Suddenly one of the trainers took out chains and jumped against the people. After that another one came. I thought there was a problem and I tied them both together with the chains and put them on the ground. I called my colleagues for help but nobody came. They kept laughing, just like the visitors. It turned out that this was a local tradition but I was not well acquainted back then. We laughed a lot about what happened and people from the local TV said I contributed to the whole show.”

Despite his stressful job Velislav is a joyful man.

“One needs nice emotions to achieve balance. Otherwise, the stress for the nervous system becomes too much. In movies our job looks like a show but in a real situation the shock is huge. Our job is to solve people’s problems – kidnapped children, missing people, bomb threats. So reality is much different than the movies.”

English: Alexander Markov