18 young ladies will spend a day with business leaders and key figures from the non-governmental sector in Bulgaria.

Sofia – March 7, 2025 – On the eve of International Women’s Day, the Austrian Embassy in Sofia launched the first edition of the “CEO for a Day” initiative. It is implemented by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria (CWBB) in partnership with H.E. Andrea Ikic-Böhm, Ambassador of Austria to Bulgaria. The program gives 18 young women the opportunity to spend a working day with 18 inspiring leaders from business and the non-governmental sector.

“CEO for a Day” aims to empower and inspire the younger generation of women in business through hands-on experience and direct contact with successful professionals. The young ladies will get to know the daily life of their assigned manager, attend key meetings, get involved in real projects, and exchange ideas and feedback. In the final part of the pilot edition of the initiative, during a special event in April, they will share impressions of their participation.

“I believe that ‘CEO for a Day’ offers a great opportunity for women to get a closer look at the world of business. My advice to them is to learn from the experience of their mentors and see not only the beautiful ‘rosy’ picture, but also the challenges they have successfully overcome and what it really means to take responsibility,” said H.E. Andrea Ikic-Böhm, who hosted the opening event.

During it, the participants met the supervisors who will act as their mentors for a day. They in turn shared their personal motivation to become part of the project.

“Today we are launching an important initiative. An initiative designed to empower. And empowerment has been at the heart of the mission of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria for 11 years. We live in a world that is changing extremely fast, women’s participation in the economy, politics, science, media – in all aspects of public life is essential for achieving a peaceful world and building a prosperous and sustainable society”, said during the event Zoya Paunova, Honorary Consul General of the Kingdom of Sweden in Bulgaria, initiator of the program and one of the founders of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria.

“The Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria has always been a symbol of women’s leadership and unconditional support for the education and development of young people. I am glad that through CEO for a Day we will contribute to the new generation of women to touch and be inspired by the experience of some of the most successful personalities in Bulgaria, who have conquered the highest business peaks” – said Hristina Staneva, Executive Director of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, who was also the moderator of the event.

Among the official guests at the opening of the initiative was Maria Gabriel, author of the project “Women and Diplomacy – Ambassador for a Day”, which aims to give young girls the confidence to start their career in diplomacy.

Tsvetanka Mincheva, Chairman of the Board of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and CEO of UniCredit Bulbank, will personally participate in the project. Among the other participants in “CEO for a Day” are leaders of leading companies with diverse fields of activity. Among them are representatives of the FMCG trade, such as Lidl Bulgaria and Fantastico Group; technology giants such as Siemens, HPE Bulgaria and TELUS Digital Bulgaria; Cargill Bulgaria; the Faculty of Economics of St. Petersburg University. Kliment Ohridski”; Synevo Bulgaria; representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, including Montavit and MSD Bulgaria; the credit intermediary Arena Consult; HR Consulting Partners; the communication group Interpartners Group, EVN Bulgaria; the mining and processing company Dundee Precious Metals; Porsche Bulgaria and OMV Bulgaria.

Among the eighteen participants there are representatives of some of the most prestigious universities in the country such as Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski, New Bulgarian University, University of National and World Economy, Medical University, as well as international higher education institutions such as the University of Bordeaux, France.