We are delighted to announce the winners of the prestigious Diversity at Work 2022 Awards. 12 companies competed with their programmes in the latest category of the Annual Responsible Business Awards 2022, the anniversary edition of the prestigious national competition for corporate social responsibility, sustainability and diversity, which the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) held for the 20th time in a row.
Lidl Bulgaria won the prominent first prize, HPE Bulgaria ranked second and Shell Bulgaria took the third position. Congratulations!
The award-winning companies received their prizes from BBLF Chair Levon Hampartzoumian, and all the entries in the category were briefly presented during the official ceremony earlier this week, which convened over 250 guests from the executive, private and civil sector, diplomats and the media.
The 20th edition of the Annual Responsible Business Awards saw a significant increase in nominations in the Diversity at Work category introduced a year ago by the Diversity Charter in Bulgaria to recognise best practice in building diverse teams and inclusive working environments. This special category is part of BBLF’s effort as a co-founder of the Charter* to promote the benefits and encourage a culture of equality, respect and tolerance in the workplace.
This year 12 companies competed for the prestigious award, or 25% more than the previous year, which is a clear sign of the growing importance of diversity and equality among employers and employees in the private sector.
We are proud that four of our own Diversity Charter signatories, namely AstraZeneca, Shell, IBM and HPE submitted their entries. In addition, Accenture, Paysafe, Danone Serdika, Yettel, Imperia Online, Prestige-96, Solvay Sodi and Lidl also entered their D&I campaigns.
Lidl Bulgaria’s Lidl Palette campaign for inclusion of people from different groups scooped the big prize in the category. HPE Bulgaria’s Diversity and Inclusion programme aiming at unconditional inclusion, an open-minded work environment and embracing diverse talent earned the company the prestigious second place. Shell Bulgaria’s initiative Unique People. Stronger Together brought them the third recognition. For more on these and other campaigns in the category, please visit the Awards Archive.
The entries in the category were reviewed and assessed by an independent and objective committee of experts from the public and NGO sector, and members of the Bulgarian Diversity Charter’s Advisory Board.
The recognition in this category provides the three companies with two additional openings: they can share their successful experiences and best practices at a webinar on diversity in the workplace that BBLF will hold on 4 April (stay tuned for details) and attend the launch of the EU Diversity Month on 28 April 2023 in Brussels.
We would like to appreciate all contestants for sharing their D&I campaigns and initiatives! We are convinced your good example and successful practices will motivate other companies and teams to recognize the benefits of diversity and the importance of a culture of acceptance and inclusion both for business performance and a better social climate in the Bulgarian society.
BBLF has held the prestigious Annual Responsible Business Awards since 2003 to encourage corporate social responsibility and sustainability and promote the corporate campaigns with the greatest impact. The competition mottoed Lead by Example is open to companies regardless of size and industry thus presenting a broad picture of the private sector’s commitment to solving a social challenges.
The event received substantial media coverage, please find some of the reports and footage (all in Bulgarian): Bulgarian National Television (here and here), Bulgarian Telegraph Agency (here, here and here), bTV (here and here), Bulgarian National Radio, Economy.bg, BGlobal, Manager, your BUSINESS, NGO BG.info, Investor, DevStyleR (here and here).
For further details: www.bblf.bg, #bblfawards2022, #responsiblebusiness.
