“Innovations for me are a means of survival. In the conditions of enormous competition, in order to be successful, we have to set the trends “- said Tsvetelina Nikolova – Managing Director of the Wine cellars Katarzyna Estate, Belitsa Winery, Concerto Winery, and Platinum Brands at a meeting with the Council of Women in business in Bulgaria. The event, part of the After Work Meetings, was held on 28 September at the restaurant The View in Sofia and launched a new series of presentations of the successful faces of the Council and the companies they manage.

A member of the organization since its establishment, Mrs. Nikolova has accepted the invitation to launch the new initiative and to introduce the members of the Council to the exciting world of wine and the impressive path of her own success. She is probably one of the few successful ladies who has recorded in her autobiography an achievement such as taking the position of a commercial director at the age of 24. This is happening in Belvedere Bulgaria, after which her career in the company continues to develop tantivy. A few years later she became Commercial, then a Marketing Director, and finally Manager of the entire holding.

Her success is not accidental, but is due to a lot of work, tenacity and ingenuity. Born in Troyan, Tsvetelina Nikolova graduated the Language high school “Exarch Joseph I” in Lovech with French. At 18, she moved to Sofia to study. The first year she worked several things at once – at a law firm and a reporter on BNT broadcast, then for Red Bull. “These diverse engagements gave me the opportunity to discipline and gain experience”, Mrs. Nikolova told the ladies from the Council of Women in Business.

Her work at Belvedere Bulgaria starts on the basis of a business plan she has prepared. “In it I had planned to sell 15,000 bottles of wine”, remembers Mrs. Nikolova. In fact, however, she managed to sell 130,000. This is her first success in the company, followed by many more successful deals that prove her leadership and leadership talent.

“We need to constantly educate and know what the world is doing”, Tsvetelina Nikolova is categorical. So, after taking the position of CEO of the holding in 2011, she wants to gain more experience and knowledge.

She decides to dedicate herself entirely to the wine industry and applies to the OIV (International Organization of Vine and Wine), the most prestigious international institute that graduates as a Master of Science in Wine Management. She says she traveled all over the world for 3 years to get acquainted with the different trends in wine making. “I am grateful that this happened when I became CEO because I already knew exactly what I want to learn”, Mrs. Nikolova said at the meeting. Her experience of this training is invaluable not only for her but also for our country. She managed to convince the team of the prestigious institute to include Bulgaria in the program and one of the modules is already taking place in our country.

Respect for Bulgaria is testified in yet another way. At a special event of the OIV, Tsvetelina Nikolova will be one of the five lecturers, along with the OIV President, the OIV Executive Directors and the Executive Directors of the French University SupAgro, where she also holds a diploma, and the best sommelier in the world, Gerard Basse, who holds the most prestigious titles in wine making.

Tsvetelina Nikolova’s successful career is accompanied by her family commitments. She has a 5-year-old daughter. Asked by the participants in the meeting how she could balance work and personal life, she said she had always received extraordinary support from her whole family. She is trying to spare time for sports, skiing, trips. Part of the emotional meeting with the ladies of the Council of Women in the business was the tasting of several types of wine form the Katarzyna Estate’s portfolio. They confirmed the words of Tsvetelina Nikolova that wine is an emotion and that everything should be done with pleasure and love.