”The future of Europe is digital but it  has to be based on the idea of serving people – both men and women. Humans must remain in control of the machines and of the processes related to digital technology. And the benefits have to be for everyone. This is the real added value of the European approach – to keep humans at the center”. This message was sent by the European commissioner for Digital economy and digital society Mrs. Mariya Gabriel at the opening of  the 2nd Global Women Leaders’ Forum organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria.

Under the motto “Inspiring digital leaders of the future” the event took place on 4th of June at the National palace of culture as part of the program of the Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU. “Women have a key role in this digital transformation and we need to work at all levels to enable them to be leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs. To be at the forefront of digital change not just because they are women but because they have potential”, added Mrs. Gabriel.

The forum brought together leading representatives of Bulgarian and European institutions, companies and NGOs in order to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the digital future. “There is hardly an area of economic life where digitalization has not changed or is about to change the technology, business models, the understanding of doing business. Industry, banking, energy, medicine, mobility, pharmacy, services, culture, management and so on — each of these sectors has been marked by digital technology penetration”, said in her opening speech the Chairwoman of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and CEO of Siemens Bulgaria Dr. Eng. Boriana Manolova.

“”I truly believe women can play a role in this digital transformation. Moreover – in many areas they could be the drivers of this change helping to make businesses and people easier to adapt to the new requirements of an increasingly digitized environment. Organizations like Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria could help make this adaptation happen as painlessly and effectively as possible “, she said.

Her statement were supported by data provided by the Minister of the Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU Lilyana Pavlova. It shows the share of women working in the IT sector in Bulgaria are 28% compared to only 16% on average in EU. “We have the highest number of female students in ITC technology – 34% compared to the 17% in EU, and in the R&D – 51% compared to the 21% on average in Europe”, said Pavlova.

The mayor of Sofia Yordanka Fandakova also welcomed the participants. “Sofia is becoming one of the most dynamic start-up locations in Central and Eastern Europe”, said Fandakova. According to the latest statistics by the Sofia Investment Agency the share of women in leadership positions in leading economic sectors is increasing. “When the share of female managers is higher very often the companies are more successful”, said Mrs. Fandakova.

Janina Kugel, Chief HR officer and member of the Managing Board at Siemens AG, focused her presentation on the challenges faced by companies and organizations due to the digital transformation. “The speed of change is getting faster and faster. 90% of the Internet data we have access to and which we use is generated only during the last two years”, gave an example Mrs. Kugel. According to her, the digitalization requires new ways of working in organizations where the connectivity and cooperation replace the hierarchical structure and the need of lifelong learning becomes a must.

In the second part of the forum chaired by Tsvetanka Mintcheva, Head of Global Banking Services division and member of the Managing board of Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, representatives of governments, businesses, NGOs and young entrepreneurs discussed the most important skills of the future. “The conclusion we come together to is that the positive attitude and changes will bring new opportunities. The skills of the future are very important and they are not just digital but also include flexibility, adaptability, fast learning skills and emotional intelligence”, Mrs. Mintcheva summarized.