INSPIRING ACHIEVEMENTS FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION
On 14 November 2022, at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia, the organizations and achievements in Bulgaria that provide a diverse and inclusive work environment, do not allow discrimination and build a better and sustainable society were awarded.
The Forum “INSPIRING ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION” was organised for the first time by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria (CWIB) in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
“As the Bank of the European Union, the EIB supports diversity, equality and inclusion not only because of the undeniable business benefits they bring, but also because we truly value their power to enrich our environment. Diversity and inclusion encompass everything that makes us who we are. Promoting these principles is essential to our success and development and reflects the purpose of the EU. We greatly appreciate our partnership with the Bulgarian Business Women’s Council for this first ever national competition and congratulate all participants. I hope that the initiative will gain ground in the coming years and inspire even more Bulgarian companies. A diverse and inclusive workplace is the key to having more effective colleagues, more innovative solutions and greater motivation and commitment,” says Lilyana Pavlova, Vice President of the European Investment Bank.
“There are many reasons to support this cause, but the main one is. We are a business organisation and there is no doubt that diversity is good for business”, says Tsvetanka Mincheva, Chair of the Board of the CWBB and CEO of UniCredit Bulbank. “We have set ourselves very ambitious goals: to collect, evaluate and give a platform to the most inspiring achievements for diversity, equality and inclusion, but not only that, our goal is to create an environment and opportunities for their replication,” she added.
More than 100 business leaders, members, partners and friends of the JWBB attended the official ceremony and supported the finalists and winners. 45 initiatives competed for the prestigious awards. The event was hosted by the popular actor Vladimir Mikhailov.
The big winners in the individual categories are:
- Accenture Bulgaria and VMware Bulgaria are the winners in the category of inspiring initiative for diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace.
- UniCredit Bulbank is the winner in the category of inspiring employer initiative to support working parents, family and children
- Interlang and Foundation for Living with Down Syndrome scooped the inspiring initiative award for overcoming stereotypes and inclusion of minority groups and people with disabilities in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors respectively
- L’Oréal Bulgaria triumphs in the Inspiring Initiative category for empowering the next generation of female talent
- Prestige was named a champion company in representing women in management and leadership positions
The Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria also presented several special awards:
- Special award was given to A1, St. Panathleimon Hospital and Medica University Hospital for their contribution to supporting working parents with their projects for free kindergartens and activity centres for all their employees.
- Momsanity is the start-up organization that received a Special Certificate of Appreciation from NWBB for an inspiring initiative in development. Their mission is to help mothers who are going through a difficult postpartum period.
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The organizers’ grand prize – the Distinguished Badge of the CWBB was awarded to Asarel Medet for the “Together with You” program. The initiative covers children from Asarel families who have faced a difficult life experience – the early loss of a mother or father. In the event that one parent in the family passes away, children in grades 1 through 12 can apply for a monthly stipend. The company’s support can also be continued during higher education, should the youngsters choose a course of study applicable to the company. Over the past 23 years, a total of 135 scholarship holders, either pupils or students, have been supported, 37 of whom later went on to work for the company.
By holding the competition, the WSWB once again confirms its commitment to continue to work to promote equality and diversity, to promote best practices and programs to encourage the professional development of women and their advancement in managerial positions, to support young professionals and talents to realize their potential in Bulgaria. In this regard, the organization also aimed to monitor key indicators on the topic and within the official ceremony presented the results of the National Representative Survey on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, conducted by the sociological agency “Trend” on the initiative of the WLBB. Some of the leading results are:
- 49% of the participants believe that men and women in Bulgaria are not equal professionally
- 46% perceive a pay gap between women and men in similar positions
- 39% responded that there are not enough women entrepreneurs in Bulgaria
- 66% see the need for women in Bulgaria to be encouraged to set up their own businesses
- 69% believe that companies in Bulgaria should have programs supporting equality
- 73% believe that Bulgaria should have programs aimed at young girls to encourage them to develop their careers or be entrepreneurs
- 69% strongly believe that Bulgaria should have programmes aimed at inclusion of people with differences
At the end of the event, the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria announced the launch of the country’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certification Academy. The overall concept and the training program are the fruit of the fruitful partnership between the organization and the Faculty of Economics of Sofia University “St.. Kliment Ohridski”. The Academy is also a natural extension of the first National Awards for “Inspiring Achievements for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion” established by the Council.
The Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria extends its warmest thanks to all its partners who helped make the Inspiring Achievements for Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Forum possible.
