Participant in the graduation ceremony was also the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Galab Donev

Applications for Leadership Academy 2015/2016 can be submitted by April 12, 2015 at www.womeninbusiness.bg/en/

The first class of graduates of the Leadership Academy of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria received their certificates at an official ceremony late last night. They were awarded by Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia Municipality and an honorary member of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, and by Galab Donev, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy. Class 2014/2015 consists of 43 women, representatives of the small and medium-sized business and ladies with experience at management positions.

"I congratulate all ambitious ladies who are receiving their diplomas today. You are the face not only of the Academy, but also of the business in Sofia and Bulgaria", Yordanka Fandakova said at the award ceremony. She underlined the importance of the fact that participants in the Leadership Academy were women from all over the country, but expressed her content that the majority of them were from Sofia.

Fandakova announced that Sofia ranked 30th by economic performance among the 300 fastest growing cities in the world in the ranking of Global MetroMonitor and JPMorgan Chase for 2014. "Oriented specifically to women managers, the Leadership Academy places the city also among the innovative centres of education", Yordanka Fandakova said.

The Chair of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens Bulgaria Boryana Manolova said that the women from the first class of graduates would be invited to share their experience with the women from the second class. 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/

"Women entrepreneurs, as well as men entrepreneurs, could contribute to the economic growth and higher employment rates because they create new jobs". This was said in an address by the Minister of Labour and Social Policy Ivaylo Kalfin to the women from the first Leadership Academy, presented by his deputy Galab Donev.

The address said also that "the Leadership Academy for women is a good practice promoting the proactiveness and the entrepreneurial spirit of the modern Bulgarian woman and supporting the development of skills necessary for successful management of own business". Galab Donev underlined that the development of female entrepreneurship is an element of one of the goals of the National Strategy for Promotion of Gender Equality, namely achieving gender equality in the economic and social spheres.

According to data from NSI, in Q4 2014 36% of the self-employed people (84,200 people) and 28% of the employers were women. In comparison to the same period of 2013 their number increased by 2 percentage points.

Other participants in the official award ceremony were also Lidiya Shuleva, Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria in the period 2001-2005, Tsvetanka Mincheva and Michele Amadei, members of the Management Board of UniCredit Bulbank, Maxim Meyer, Editor-in-Chief of Manager magazine, as well as other members of the Council of Women in Business.

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