Mayor of Sofia Ms. Yordanka Fandakova gave official start to the new school season

“It’s a challenge to be a woman in a managerial position and that’s why it is very valuable to get as close as you can to the experience of the best business managers – something the Leadership Academy provides”.  With these words, the mayor of Sofia Ms. Yordanka Fandakova congratulated the participants of the fourth edition of the Academy during a ceremony for its official opening.

The event took place on September 19th at the International Center of UniCredit Bulbank in Sofia and gathered members of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, ladies from the current and previous classes, friends and partners.

“When we launched the Leadership Academy, we realized that we were laying the foundations of something valuable and significant, and we sincerely believed that in time it will be accepted in that way. We have put a lot of efforts into this and today, 4 years later, we have the most undisputed proof that this is already a fact. And this is the presence of all of you here today, as well as the record number of candidates for the last edition”, said Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova, Chairwoman of the Council of Women in Business and CEO of Siemens Bulgaria, in her greetings.

Tzvetanka Mincheva – Head of the working group for the Leadership Academy of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, Director of  Retail Banking and a member of the Management Board in UniCredit Bulbank, also wished success to the ladies from the new class.

The number of ladies who have applied for the last edition of the training program is 170 and is currently record-breaking. The professional selection was implemented by CEZ Bulgaria.

Because of the great interest for the first time this year the number of ladies to be trained is 48 – with 8 more in comparison to the previous editions. Traditionally, participants in the Leadership Academy are representatives of diverse economic sectors.

The Leadership Academy is a free training program organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. It is targeted at ladies from the small and medium business. Its focus is on improving leadership and managerial skills to help grow participants and career development.

To the program, which includes various topics, are added two new modules. Lecturers at the Academy are again professionals from UniCredit  Bulbank. Part of the modules also include participation of  ladies from the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria.