THE COUNCIL OF WOMEN IN BUSINESS IN BULGARIA HONOURS THE MOST INSPIRING ACHIEVEMENTS FOR DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION
At an official ceremony in Sofia, the second annual awards of the JWBB were presented
On 2 November 2023, at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia, the importance of the theme of achieving gender equality and promoting a diverse and inclusive working environment in business in Bulgaria was highlighted during the National Awards Ceremony of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria 2023.
The Forum “INSPIRING ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR DIVERSITY, EQUALITY AND INCLUSION” is organised for the second time by the Women in Business Council of Bulgaria (CWBB) in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB).
“I would like to congratulate the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria for its outstanding contribution to promoting a more inclusive and equitable business environment. The European Investment Bank is proud to be a partner of this excellent initiative. Diversity, equality and inclusion are not just ideas, they are guiding principles that spark creativity, foster innovation and pave the way to a fairer society. It is encouraging to see the initiatives presented by all the participants in the competition having an impact far beyond the workplace. They all contribute to a more prosperous Bulgaria, where every person, regardless of gender, age or minority group, has the opportunity to develop,” says Kyriakos Kakouris, the new EIB Vice President in charge of the Bank’s activities in Bulgaria.
“The number of applications this year has exceeded that of last year and there are at least two positive trends behind this. One is that the accolades we award, together with our partners at the EIB, are becoming increasingly recognised and valued by business and society. The second positive signal that we see is that the number of positive examples and initiatives towards diversity, equality and inclusion in general is increasing, which is one of the strategic goals of our organisation”, said Tsvetanka Mincheva, Chair of the Board of the CWBB and CEO of UniCredit Bulbank.
The ceremony brought together representatives of leading Bulgarian companies and institutions, as well as ambassadors and politicians who are actively committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive work environment and non-discrimination. This year 39 organisations and NGOs participated in the competition with a total of 53 inspiring projects. Actor Vladimir Penev hosted the gala ceremony.
The big winners in the individual categories are:
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) with its Diversity and Inclusion programme and Yettel Bulgaria with its Shoulder to Shoulder project – in the category “Inspiring Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Initiative in the Workplace” – Large Company section.
Bulgarian Huntington Association with the project “Support for employment of people with rare diseases” were awarded as NGOs in the same category.
Lidl Bulgaria, in partnership with the Arete Youth Foundation, with the project “Education: the key to success“, through which Roma youth are awarded scholarships for education, and DXC Technology with the project “DXC Dandelion“, aimed at the integration of people on the autism spectrum, are the winners in the second category of the competition “Inspiring initiative to overcome stereotypes and inclusion of minority groups and people with disabilities“.
FANTASTICO GROUP with the project “Team Future”, aimed at the development of young people in the field of retail, grabbed the prize in the most controversial category “Inspiring initiative for the integration of young people and realization of their potential in Bulgaria”
For the second year in a row, L’Oréal Bulgaria triumphed with the “National Programme for Women in Science” in the category “Inspiring Initiative to Empower the Next Generation of Female Talent“
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) with the program “The Power of Inspiration: HPE Women at Work Bulgaria and Women’s Leadership in Business” grabbed the Special Award for Technology Company in the category “Inspiring Initiative to Empower the Next Generation of Women Talent”
The organizers’ Grand Prize – Distinguished Sign of the CWBB went to TRANSPRESS with the project “A ROAD FOR WOMEN” – perspectives and positives for the career development of women in the transport and logistics sector.
TRANSPRESS is the first Bulgarian transport and logistics company to develop a targeted strategy to attract and develop more women in the company and promote the idea throughout the industry in the country. The initiative started at the end of 2021 and continues today.
The CWBB National Awards not only recognise those who are committed to removing barriers to women in business, science and the integration of minority groups and people with disabilities, but also highlight the importance of their contribution to business and society.
Congratulations to all participants, finalists and awardees and to their inspiring projects that help to promote the principles of diversity and equality. Each plays an important role in achieving our common goal of a better and fairer society.
Our jury
Inspiring leaders and visionaries with a clear stance on diversity and equality are the members of our jury this year. We trust that their objective assessment will help to highlight worthy projects and share with the public the steps and initiatives to achieve equal opportunities for all and non-discrimination.
With the support of
