Bulgarian Diversity Charter held its annual members’ meeting on 12 May 2023 at Hilton Sofia.
The event brought together the Diversity Charter community and supporters aimed to promote corporate strategies for building diverse teams and inclusive work environments and provided a useful platform for the exchange of contacts, ideas and best practices.
It was held in the context of EU Diversity Month 2023, a celebration of equality and respect in the workplace and across society held in May in the countries of the European Union by all 26 national Charters and their more than 15,000 member organisations.
The event in Sofia brought together more than 80 representatives of various sectors – relevant government institutions, the business community, civil society organisations, who reaffirmed the importance of joint efforts to promote the values of equality and inclusion.
Official guests were Nadia Klisurska, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Ass. Prof. Dr. Ana Dzhumalieva, Chairperson of the Committee for Protection Against Discrimination, Elena Cherneva-Markova, Deputy Ombudsman, and Dimitar Markov, Director of the Legal Programme of the CSD.
Nadia Klisurska congratulated the business representatives: “You have clearly demonstrated that equality in every aspect leads to better financial results and more fairness based on the individual, and a person’s qualities, the work done and the skills acquired. I believe that together we are all on the right path to the progress of economy and our country.”
“We know that diversity opens doors to development and success. As a community of responsible companies, we at BBLF aim to demonstrate the business benefits of this approach. It is of particular importance today if we want to compete with the rest of the world, if we take into account the demographic and other social trends in our country, and also the latest challenges which have shown that only the businesses that are flexible, capable of rapid change, and also inventive and efficient, can develop successfully and sustainably,” BBLF Chair Levon Hampartzoumian said at the opening. He thanked the relevant institutions for their strong support and continuous cooperation for the very launch and the ongoing development of the Bulgarian Charter.
Official ceremony for new signatories of the Bulgarian Diversity Charter
The event doubled as an official ceremony where we handed out the certificates to new Charter signatories*. CEOs and senior executives of over 30 companies that have signed the Charter over the last 2 years had the opportunity to share what motivates them to embrace D&I values and foster D&I policies and campaigns. They sent a strong message to their business peers and the general public of the importance of diversity as a driver of innovation, growth and performance of organisations but also of building a fair and inclusive social environment.
The event’s host was Evelina Pavlova, a renowed radio and TV journalist, anchor and social entrepreneur.
*The Charter signatories that received their certificates at the event: Action Global Communications Bulgaria, ASTELLAS PHARMA, Beiersdorf Bulgaria, British American Tobacco Bulgaria, Carlsberg Bulgaria, CATRO Bulgaria, Coca-Cola HBCB, Creativity and Educational Studio ARTIED, Dentsu Bulgaria, DFH Bulgaria, Edenred Bulgaria, Elton Corporation, Gugushev and Partners Law Office, Hewlett-Packard Global Delivery Bulgaria Centre, Hilton Sofia, IBM Bulgaria, ICAP CRIF, IKEA/House Market Bulgaria, Inditex Bulgaria, Interlang, Lidl Bulgaria, Merck Sharp & Dohme Bulgaria, Mondelez Bulgaria, Paysafe Bulgaria, Synergia Foundation, Takeda Bulgaria, Teach for Bulgaria, TRANSPRESS, Vivacom Bulgaria, ZAGORKA.
General partner: BAT Bulgaria. Co-funded by the European Commission.
