“The best thing we can do is to support  each other”, said Nancy Schiller, president of the Foundation “America for Bulgaria”, in response to a question how to avoid the so-called  “Glass ceiling”, which is an obstacle to career growth for women.

Ms. Sheller, together with Mrs. Debra Flantz – CEO of Business Clarity LLC and Chairman for New York of the American Women Organization – top managers, were special guests at a discussion organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. The topic of the meeting was “Successful women and the work-life” and the conversation also provoked a number of issues related to women’s equality and career development.

The event took place on July 4th at Grand Hotel Sofia, and its guests were members of the organization wishing to exchange experience with the American model of success. The moderator of the meeting was Ms. Lydiya  Shuleva, founder of the consulting company “Business Intellect” and former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labor and Social Policy.

According to Ms. Nancy Schiller, who has been working for Bulgaria for more than 20 years, one of the things that  helps work – life balance is prioritizing and pre-planning tasks. In support of this and as a mother of three children, she shared examples of her growing experience and career. Mrs. Debra Fllanz emphasizes another very important factor for the success of a woman as a professional and a mother – the support of the partner.

The two ladies also spoke of some of the initiatives by which the organizations they represent support the ladies-entrepreneurs. Mrs. Schiller said she was working on a training program for entrepreneurs that has established itself as a successful model in the United States.

Based on her practice, Ms Debra Fllanz said that one of the ways in which women support women is the creation of a global non-governmental organization of women financiers. Its members train women on various topics such as financial flow management, leadership skills, etc. Part of the support for women is also a mentoring program where ladies – proven professionals in specific spheres cooperate with higher education institutions, also organize summer schools in colleges.

The discussion was also a reason for networking and informal exchange of experience between guests and participants in the meeting.