The first batch of graduates of the academy has finished their training today; 43 ladies will receive certificates from Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia Municipality and an honorary member of the Council of Women in Business, and from Galab Donev, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy.

Applications of women who are owners of small or medium-sized business or have 2-3 years of experience at middle-level management can be submitted by April 12, 2015 at www.womeninbusiness.bg/en/

The first batch of graduates of the Leadership Academy has finished their training today. 43 ambitious women, representatives of the small and medium-sized business and ones with experience at management positions, benefited from the trainings of the academy. They were selected by the Council of Women in Business from among serious competitors and started the modules in June 2014.

The Leadership Academy is organized and financed by companies from the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and is completely free of charge for the trainees. The six highly professional trainings offered by the academy aim at developing the leadership skills and at fostering the proactiveness and entrepreneurial spirit of the modern woman in terms of expansion of her business and taking of more responsibilities. The members of the Council of Women in Business will keep supporting the first graduates of the academy through coaching and a mentoring programme.

The graduation certificates for 2014/2015 will be awarded by Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia Municipality and an honorary member of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, and by Mr. Galab Donev, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy. This will take place tonight at an official ceremony organized by the Council at UniCredit Bulbank International Center.

Profile of graduates 2014/2015

33% of the first graduates of the Leadership Academy have their own business. The rest of the women are representatives of companies. The variety of economic sectors in which the successful women are involved gives us grounds to think that there is no taboo field for the women in Bulgaria. An interesting fact is that there are two representatives of the state administration, which is indicative of the endeavors for application of good management practices in this field as well. Participants in the Leadership Academy are also several ladies at high positions in the insurance, retail trade and hotel management sectors. 43% of the participating women are managing directors. Besides the variety of sectors, the Leadership Academy attracts women from all over the country – Sofia, Yambol, Plovdiv, Targovishte, Burgas and Dobrich.

"The success of the first edition of the Leadership Academy reinforces our confidence that the initiative contributes to the development of the women in Bulgaria and that is why we are planning to proceed to its second edition", Boryana Manolova, Chair of the Council of Women in Business and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Bulgaria, stated at a press conference today.

"UniCredit Bulbank prepares the professional modules and trainers about the Leadership Academy and we are honored to be part of this project, which is extremely beneficial not only for the women, but also for all men in business. More men should be involved in the dialogue and the work related to supporting women at leadership positions," Andrea Casini, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chair of the Management Board of UniCredit Bulbank, thinks.

New in Leadership Academy 2015/2016

The second edition of the training programme will include an additional module – Design Thinking, Tsvetanka Mincheva, MB member of UniCredit Bulbank and Head of Retail Banking, announced. It will give a new insight into the birth and development of ideas in a team. The syllabus will be provided by the company SAP. An interesting fact is that before having been proposed as part of the academy, this innovative training was tried by the ladies from the Council of Women in Business themselves. The other modules of the academy are oriented towards knowing one's strong and weak points through emotional intelligence, giving and receiving feedback, the role and management of differences within the company, etc. Team building, interactive training for team work and cooperation are part of the programme too. All trainings are conducted by professional trainers. The new thing this year is that the modules will be hosted by different companies, which are members of the Council of Women, and thus the ladies will have the chance to get an insight into various businesses.

Application for Leadership Academy 2015/2016

Leadership Academy 2015/2016 is open to women with 2-3 and more years of experience at management positions, owners or managing directors of small or medium-sized businesses, etc. who are willing to develop their leadership skills for expansion of their business and taking of more leadership responsibilities. Applications can be submitted by April 12, 2015 at www.womeninbusiness.bg/en/

The applicants have to send a cover letter and a CV. In the application form, the ladies will have to state in brief how the Leadership Academy training will improve their work, where do they see themselves in a year's time in terms of professional development and which is their greatest personal or professional achievement.

The candidates chosen after a careful selection, conducted with the support of the Human Resources Department of CEZ, will be invited in May 2015 to the first module of the Leadership Academy. The one-day trainings will be in May, June, September, November 2015, as well as in January and February 2016. The members of the Council of Women in Business and of the management board of the organization intend to take part in the trainings and, through getting to know the participants in the academy, to proceed with a coaching and mentoring programme with them.

About the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria

The Council – www.womeninbusiness.bg/en/ – was founded by women occupying highest-level management positions, with proven management experience and corporate culture. Only within a year, the number of the members of the Council increased from 13 (the founders) to 41. They are representatives of various sectors – industry, energy, high technologies, banking, insurance and non-banking services, food industry, wine and hospitality business, chemical industry, publishing business, pharmaceuticals, etc. During the past year, the Council held numerous meetings with prominent representatives of the business and with opinion makers in Bulgaria, among them being Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia Municipality, Ekaterina Zaharieva, then Deputy Prime Minister in the caretaker government of Prof. Georgi Bliznashki, Antonella Giachetti, a national Vice President of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Italy, the bankers Violina Marinova and Levon Hampartzoumian. Part of the activity of the Council is related to participation in thematic events and conferences. "In 2015 we intend to take part in the two biggest international forums on women leadership in Germany and Brazil. Also, we are going to take part, jointly with the Association of Women in Italy, at EXPO 2015 in Milan and in the spring conference Women – the Tender Force of Business, organized by Manager magazine", Boryana Manolova said.

Members of the management board of the organization are the Chair, Dr. Eng. Boryana Manolova, Diana Maneva, Zhulieta Serafimova, Eng. Vanya Kaneva-Minkova, Valentina Dikanska, Maxim Meier, Zoya Paunova.

The organization is open to new members, prominent managers or representatives of organizations with experience and corporate culture, who share the values of the organization.

The spreading of good management practices and the introduction of programmes that foster the professional development of women in small and medium-sized business and their upward movement on the management ladder are among the main objectives of the Council of Women in Business, which was registered at the beginning of 2014.

More information for media:

UniCredit Bulbank, Identity & Communications Department

Viktoria Blajeva, Phone: + 359 2 9264 993, wjlj/ebwjepwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch

Magdalena Ivanova, Phone: + 359 2 9232 528, nbhebmfob/jwbopwbAvojdsfejuhspvq/ch