Human values2 women_business_leaders_en

WOMEN
BUSINESS LEADERS IN BULGARIA
MARCH 2010

WITH KIND SUPPORT AND HOSPITALITY OF FPI HOTELS & RESORTS

THE UNIQUE 30 COPIES OF THIS EDITION WERE PRINTED WITH THE KIND SUPPORT OF
XEROX BULGARIA

Contents
The main virtues of top leaders.......................................2
(Bálint Vojnits)
The details and the significant personalities................3
(Dimitar Ivanov)
Business + Lady = Success2
+ Stress2
...................................4
(Madlen Algafari)
Aggiliki Babaouka.............................................................6
MAD TV
Alena Georgieva...............................................................8
Indesit Company
Anelia Dinova....................................................................10
Lawyer Agency “Dinova & Rusev”
Anita Blajevska............................................................13
Studio Moderna
Bistra Ilkova........................................................................15
Aval In
Vesela Barbukova.............................................................18
Aspekti
Vesela Borislavova............................................................20
Rollplast
Vesela Ilieva......................................................................22
Unique Estates
Daniela Petkova...............................................................24
POC Doverie
Joanna Dimitrova.............................................................26
State Enterprise National Railway Infrastructure Company Head Office
Elena Marinova.................................................................29
Musala Soft
Elza Markova.....................................................................32
BELLA Bulgaria
Irena Komitova..................................................................34
Creative Solutions
Kalina Halacheva.............................................................38
Unica
Mara Doichinova..............................................................40
FPI Hotels & Resorts
Mariana Miteva-Blagoeva..............................................43
Martineli
Marchela Abrasheva.......................................................46
TNS BBSS Gallup International
Nina Noeva.......................................................................49
First Bulgaria
Petya Dimitrova...............................................................51
PostBank (Eurobank EFG Bulgaria)
Petya Slavova...................................................................53
Festa Holding
Petya Todorova................................................................55
Winery House TODOROFF
Dr. Radina Denkova.........................................................58
Aesthe Clinic
Reni Yordanova................................................................60
AFA
Rumyana Velinova...........................................................64
Atridi Group & Smart Ventures
Sasha Bezuhanova...........................................................66
Hewlett-Packard
Stanislava Koleva..............................................................69
Sikos-UC
Engineer Snezhana Semova...........................................72
Saint Gobain Construction Products Bulgaria, Weber
Teodora Georgieva.........................................................74
OMV Bulgaria
Ulyana Vincheva..............................................................76
Dental Tribune Bulgaria
Members & Media partners.............................................78
www.humanvalue.eu1

www.humanvalue.eu2
Bálint Vojnits
Executive Director
Human Value International
www.humanvalue.eu
Introduction article from Bálint Vojnits for
“Women - Business Leaders in Bulgaria”
THE MAIN VIRTUES OF TOP LEADERS
The bigger the company, the more extensive scope of
tasks are on the company’s head. For the increasing
number of tasks, a growing team is necessary. Therefore,
leaders must focus more specifically. Success or failure
is team work. Next to a senior management team,
what is actually the virtue of an experienced executive
leader?
This is the networking skill - both towards colleagues
and the buyer. Women master this art by all means. Life
has proved in many cases that women can achieve
anything in life. There are no barriers. Women have
special powers.
What exactly are these special forces? How do you
obtain this power from women?
Well, I can say that I’ve been doing a research on this
topic for decades, which means a qualitative rather
than quantitative nature of test series. I conducted many
interviews with both men and women, many questions
were asked on the topic, and I have tried practical
experiments for many years in search of an answer as
to what the trick is.
My observations suggest that the answer is in the ego.
When a senior female manager feels good in her skin,
she owns a positive ego and relies on her exceptional
strength. Self-confidence and positive attitude are there
or not, the gender does not matter. However, such a
psychological condition in women is very dangerous.
How? Consider just a few examples: appearance is one
of the most dominant body language signals. They say
that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Thus the eyes
play a key role in the positive aura. The most important
realization is that look does matter and if someone
uses this tool well, it will turn to an advantage in many
regards. The most significant evidence that proves this is
that the beauty industry has recognized this. Products,
communication began to support this opportunity.
As a person’s face expresses with the harmony of the
details, look is immediately followed by the mimics of
lips and other facial muscles. This is how the message
is completed. This is the first step in making contact. I
manfully admit that successful female leaders excel in
this.
We also know that this is just the beginning of the
successfull project. To achieve the goals, professional
team needs to be set up, regardless of the gender of
the leader!

www.humanvalue.eu3 www.humanvalue.eu
Dimitar Ivanov
Country Manager Bulgaria
Human Value International
www.humanvalue.eu
Introduction article from Dimitar Ivanov
for “Women - Business Leaders in
Bulgaria”
THE DETAILS AND THE SIGNIFICANT PERSONALITIES
Dear friends, it is a great pleasure for me to present to
youroursecondeditionoftheHumanValueInternational
series HUMAN VALUES. Now is the time to once again
express my gratitude to everyone who shared their
precious time in order for this topical reading material to
be a pleasant experience. I believe that what helped us
was our desire to make this edition interesting and rich on
information. The thing that I regret the most is not being
able to talk to more women business leaders in Bulgaria.
Their contribution is very useful to business – not only as
a financial policy and best practice, but also as the
culture of communication and rich communication.
I’m impressed by the fact that women business leaders:
are creative, have found the professional call, are simply
being women, persons depending only on themselves,
have secured the ground beneath them, reliable
and dedicated to their family and career, strong and
confidentintheirpositionaswomen,mothersandleaders,
fearless to be themselves, dedicated and consistent,
understanding the voice of their heart, paying attention
to small details, taking care of themselves, others and
“big” things (those that are meaningful and important),
found themselves and their inspiration, ignoring luck in
favor of mind, remembering their past, doing their work
with love, appreciating every step towards top-positions,
able to control not only people but their own freedom,
enjoying being emotionally provoked, realizing the fact
that life is very valuable.
There is a strong bond between satisfaction, received
from work and the whole satisfaction from life. But
what if the whole satisfaction from life depends on
well-being? But what if well-being means for us to feel
good and live good. I personally have found an answer
to these questions and I believe that all of you will find
little pieces which will encourage your personal and
professional growth. Because everyone knows that they
come together.
I wish you pleasant meetings with the ladies from HUMAN
VALUES 2!

Madlen Algafari
Psychotherapeut
www.humanvalue.eu4
Introduction article from Madlen
Algafari for “Women - Business Leaders
in Bulgaria”
BUSINESS + LADY = SUCCESS2 + STRESS2
Some years ago I made an approximate portrait of
the ideal Bulgarian leader without claiming that is
profoundly correct. The below mentioned qualities were
concluded by me after various group trainings within
corporate teams.
1. Faultless in his competency, but able to admit personal
mistakes.
2. A character, not a responsibility. Able to be accepted
as a person, not just by his work functions.
3. Interested in people, not their status when entering in
a relationship with his employees.
4. Demanding, but able to encourage.
5. Representative, not looking like a punk.
6. Consistent in his approach, because unstable
behavior leads to mistrust, but who is also able to
change if needed.
7. Able to say NO and SORRY.
8. Who knows how the opposed sex thinks.
9. Proactive and who is risking responsibly.
10. Ready to be a role model.
11. Looking for feedback from his employees, without
being afraid of learning the truth about himself.
12. With adequate self esteem, neither overrated, nor
suppressed.
13. Openhearted and honest.
14. Compassionate to the needs of others and tolerant
for the individuality and opinion of other.
15. Able to lose, without blaming others.
16. To know as close as possible the problems of his
employees, because otherwise it will be difficult for him
to manage them.
It’s like being assigned as a Director of a production
plant, which you haven’t heard of before, you don’t
know neither the production process, nor capabilities of
people working there.
Who do you think is more likely to meet these sixteen
conditions, a man or a woman? There’s nothing feminist
in what’s written above! I’m just saying as a fact that
based on what I’ve read from many professional books
and my fifteen years of experience as a therapist that
in the current Bulgarian conditions the more successful
leaderwillbeawoman.Keywordbeing‘today’!Wehave
had bad experience from the authoritarian regime and
we are very sensible about such managerial approach.
This is why the female vision (which can also be applied
by a male manager) is very successful today. And I don’t
think this is only applicable for Bulgaria. The century old
balance between man and women was shattered.
Male dominance is being accused for many dramas in
today’s humanity. Rehabilitation of a female beginning
contributes to the healthy balance in all aspects of our
lives. I don’t have as an aim to praise Matriarchy. I also
consider myself a strong woman who needs a strong
man by her side!
For centuries the world of business has been considered
a man’s world. According to labor psychologists there
are several styles of exchange and progress in business
hierarchy: power (competition) strategy, active
seduction (in a widest sense of the word), cooperation,
accommodation, compromise, retrieval. But if you think
about these strategies, all six of them are easier to be
applied again by a woman.

Or if we have to summarize, the leader should never
forget that his place on top of the pyramid depends
entirely oh him, as well as on everything below him,
because this pyramid has been built from bottom to top
and there can be no roof without a foundation. Those
who forget it are considered authoritarian leaders.
Authoritarian style of managing leads to aggression
withintheemployees.Andwhensuchaggressioncannot
be expressed in its pure form, it transforms into anger
and finds a different way out – anger towards those
who are like you and towards the whole organization.
The last one inevitably leads to destruction of a team or
entire company. Women in business wouldn’t allow this
to happen so easily. In their biologically programmed
strategy of behavior lies the pursuit of unity, family
and care. Their radars for human relationships are well
developed and the men’s world in which we have lived
for a long time, also developed some male qualities
within her, unlike men those female approaches and
strategies are yet to be rehabilitated and approved.
Pendulum however is always swinging in both directions
with the same amplitude. So far it looks like it’s much
easier for a woman to be the boss. But… no matter
how easy, it is still very difficult for her, because she must
confront Patriarchal presumptions from men in work
conditions, as well as many women on lower positions.
Sometimes women lead a ruthless battle trying to
realize every aspect of her feminine beginning – being
a mother or lady of the house. The burden becomes
too heavy and this is why many women on top positions
suffer from more stress and put a lot of efforts in proving
their abilities. More efforts also reflect on relationship
with her intimate partner, who often feels like an inferior.
This conflicts with his male ego. This brings even more
conflicts to woman-leader who herself needs even more
powerful man beside her, to feel the safety she needs.
It is not a secret that most of the succeeded women are
tomboys, and such a woman needs even more tomboy-
ish man to feel good. Virtuous equilibriums and female
finesse will not work. When a woman is strong, she simply
cannot be weak. This is why her relationships with her
partner often enter the crisis if he isn’t even stronger and
ambitious person.
So there, business plus woman equals square success
plus square stress. “А matter of choice” is the most
logical answer! Psychology however has lots of logics
that sometimes seem like conflicting. There are born
to be leaders, and those born to be privates. Nobody
is better or worse than the other. But it gets bad when
somebody finds himself in the shoes of another! The price
of success of a womаn in business may be a square
stress, but it’s even worse when these strong girls find
themselves in failed realization. I wish you success, girls!
Be the role models for a successful way of managing
your life into even more balanced world, where even
ward can be fought with kind heart, patience and the
feeling of founding the wholeness!
www.humanvalue.eu5

Aggiliki Babaouka
Manager Business Development for Balkans
MAD TV
Sector: Media
“A manager should have trust in the
creative people!“
Aggelliki Babaouka for Human Value
International
Would you present yourself in a professional way? Would
you present in short your company?
I work for MAD TV. It started as a music TV station back
in 1996. Right now, Mad has become one of the most
popular music brands in Greece.
Today Mad operates on a daily basis, besides Mad
TV, four TV channels (Mad/Bulgaria, Mad World/UBI/
Australia, Blue Channel/ANT1 Satellite/USA, GNet/
Goody’s/Greece), one radio station (Mad Radio 106,2
Hz), five music-interactive audio channels in Nova (the
only digital platform in Greece) and websites (www.
mad.tv, www.momad.gr, etc.).
Mad also offers a wide range of B2C and B2B services
such as: Mo’ Mad (a pre-paid mobile telephony in
cooperation with Wind), Go Mad (interactive service in
Novaplatform),MadShop(onlineCDshopthroughwww.
mad.tv, Nova and i-mode Cosmote mobile telephony),
Mad Full Tracks (full music tracks download service in
cooperation with Wind mobile telephony company),
Mad Scanner (mobile service for music identification
for Vodafone, Wind & Mo’ Mad subscribers), real time
video streaming of Mad TV’s program for 2G & 3G
mobile phones and mobile content (ring-tones, logos
and MMS) to all the top mobile telephony companies in
Greece (Wind, Vodafone, Cosmote).
Furthermore Mad organizes a series of events and
contests, namely: Mad Video Music Awards (the only
annual music awards ceremony in Greece), Mad
Secret Concerts (series of secret gigs), Mad Live in
Athens (concerts with international performers), Athens
Music Forum (the only conference for the music industry
in Greece), Mad4Bands (annual competition for
promoting new bands), etc. I think we have moved
forward a lot since 1996.
I am with MAD TV from 1997. It is a long time. I feel like
MAD is my home. My exact position now is Balkans
Development Director. I started as a Sales and Marketing
Director, on 2005 I had a one-year break and came
back to my present position on 2006.
We decided to start our expanding in Balkans with
Bulgaria, since it is close to Greece and the culture is
similar to ours. The next years we are planning to expand
to Serbia, Romania, and Albania.
Would you tell us about your career?
My first job was very funny. I had not finished school
yet. I wanted to have money in order to buy Christmas
presents to my family, so I started working in a chocolate
factory. I was putting little stickers inside the chocolate
packages. I was 17 years old then.
www.humanvalue.eu6

We did not have a special Marketing program in
universities, so I had to study abroad. However, my
family was not very rich. I started in a college in Athens,
and on the 2nd year I decided to move to New York. I
went to a public university there to study Marketing, but
I actually did Communications. I was working in a video
club in order to pay for my tuition.
My first profession in my present field was in 1990, before
going to New York. I was a Product Manager for Yoplait
Yoghurt. I got this job because of a teacher on the
college who really appreciated my creative way of
thinking. It was very hard because I did not have enough
working experience. I stayed with them for almost three
years and I decided to go to New York and finish my
studies.
Later I came back to Greece. I started a job that had
nothing to do with Communications or Marketing. In my
mind I had to start from the lower lever in the industry,
so I decided to accept an offer on sales department
of a leader packaging company. In order to be good
at Marketing, you have to know about how consumers
think. You have to have your own experience starting
from the bottom line. When I got that, I moved on. I
changed two more jobs.
When I read the classified for the position of Sales and
Marketing on MAD, I knew that MAD is the right place
for me. It was like a dream work. The team was very
young and the atmosphere was cool. I was confident
that I was the right person for that position. And I guess
I was right.
I really enjoy what I do. Nothing comes easy. However,
I am sure that by dealing with the difficulties of working
abroad, I become more open-minded.
What sort of challenges a woman at a top management
position encounters?
Many people are telling me that it is a great advantage
to be a woman in business. I think that it has nothing to
do with being a woman. The most important is to enjoy
what you are doing and feel confident about yourself.
The only thing that could be a disadvantage (for some
women) is that a woman at a top level management
position should be good - besides her carrier-, as a
woman, as a lover, as a mother, as a housewife and so
on.
How do you balance personal & professional life? What
compromises do you have to do?
I do not balance it. I cannot lie about that. I am not
a Super Woman. I do not have my own family (still)
but when I agreed on taking this position, I knew that I
would have to work more than the average employees
and would have to travel a lot. I knew that I would not
be able to watch the news at 7 o’clock on TV with my
soul mate on the couch. I was totally aware of all that
and I have made my own choices.
This is something that hopefully is going to change in the
near future. Since the development of MAD on Balkans
is running successfully I believe that soon I am going to
be able to spend more time with my partner in life.
In your opinion and according to your experience, is
there inequality when a woman and a man compete
for a same position?
Both women and men need to find the balance
between being ambitious and their attitude to people.
Both men and women can be equally successful if
they really believe in what they do. But… if there is a
difference between men and women when competing
for the same position, it is definitely not an advantage
on the women’s side.
What is your motivation at this position? What do you
like most in your job?
I like the fact that MAD has a creative way of thinking.
Also I really like that we support music. For example in
Bulgaria we support the local community of зеиодипеия.
We promote them through Mad’s network and we
have managed to make a nice network of performers
in order to help them share their work with the rest of the
Balkans. This is something that really motivates me. This is
something that keeps me happy all the time.
On top of everything else, what motivates me most is
our C.E.O. Mr. Kouris & Mad’s team, which is composed
of enthusiastic people who really love and enjoy what
they are doing.
What is your message to the businesswomen?
Trust creative people and give a chance to people
who really enjoy what they are doing. Positive way of
thinking will lead you to be more creative and definitely
more unique in whatever you chose to do!
www.humanvalue.eu7

Alena Georgieva
Director for Bulgaria and Balkans
Indesit Company
Sector: Domestic Electronics
“Finding your right place is the right
way to achieve the balance!“
Alena Georgieva for Human Value
International
I am Country Manager of Indesit Company for Bulgaria
and the Balkans and our office is located in Sofia. The
Balkan countries, which I am responsible for, are Serbia,
Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia and
Kosovo.
Indesit Company is the second biggest company for
household appliances in Europe and the fifth biggest
company in the world. Company’s sales for 2008 are €
3.2 billion and the sold appliances exceed 15 millions.
Indesit, Hotpoint-Ariston and Scholtès are the main
trademarks of Indesit Company. The company has 18
factories and 24 representation offices all over the world
and has 17 000 employees.
University with a degree in English Philology. Later, I
continued my education at the Athens branch of the
Delaware University. I also majored in International
Business Relations at the University of National and World
Economy. Currently, I am a member of the Journalists’
Union, the Managing Board of the Bulgarian-Italian
Trade Chamber, and the Women Entrepreneurs’ Club.
I started my career at the office of the European
Community in Athens in the 90s where I worked on
joint venture programs for EU countries, Bulgaria
and Romania. After my return to Bulgaria I became
Marketing and Communications Manager at Opel
General Motors. Afterwards, I worked for British American
Tobacco for more than nine years, three of which as
Business Development Manager for Central and Eastern
Europe at the Regional Centre in Budapest. In 2001,
I returned to Bulgaria to take the position General
Manager for Indesit Company in Bulgaria. Three years
ago the Bulgarian office expanded into regional office
for the Balkans and I became Country Manager for the
whole region which is my current position.
As a whole, at the beginning I was working in the field
of marketing and communications, then I transferred to
business development and management. I accepted
the management of Indesit Company Bulgaria because
it was a big challenge for me and I was also interested
in the company and the products it offers.
www.humanvalue.eu8

Iamnotcomfortablewiththemale-femaledifferentiation
in management. Male and female managers face the
same challenges. A woman with a career should be able
to organise herself so that her normal family and private
life is not disrupted. In my opinion a professional is good
at what he or she does irrespective of the gender.
However, men and women have different approaches
in business and negotiations. Women are more likely to
compromise. They are more sensitive to the direction of
the conversation and can adapt to it more easily, while
men tend to exert pressure and compete with each
other. Women’s ability to find the best and mutually
agreeable solution is their greatest advantage.
A woman has to be constantly looking for the right
balance between her professional responsibilities and
her family duties. The family support is crucial for me.
However, I believe that a family should consist of two
partners, both successful in their own careers. Thus, they
would both respect each other’s achievements and
their life together would be much easier.
I think that my 16-year-old son understands and
appreciates what I do. Recently, he shared with some
family friends that he wanted to follow the same path as
I had in the future. The children of successful people are
motivated as they see that their parents’ efforts bring
results. Also, they have the ambition to pursue better
education.
Honestly, I cannot say I need to make any significant
compromises. My family life is organised in such a way
that each family member can manage his own tasks and
together we can enjoy our free time together. People
tend to pity businesswomen because of the common
belief that such women have to sacrifice their personal
lives, and are somehow forced to do their jobs. I strongly
disagree with this opinion because every woman is able
to consciously make her choices.
How do you manage the important things in your
personal life?
Time management from business helps me a lot. My
time is limited, I have to find the most efficient way to fit
in everything, and usually it works. Of course, there are
those moments when I need to get away and recharge.
In such cases I take a trip with my family and completely
cut-off thoughts of work.
I am happy to say that I have not encountered any
inequality between men and women in Bulgaria. The
Bulgarian women have always worked along with men.
When a male and a female candidate compete for the
same position, the one who gets the job is usually the
better prepared and more suitable one.
There are a lot of women on top management positions
in Bulgaria, much more than there are in the West
European countries. Our foreign business partners are
often surprised by this fact.
Challenges motivate me. For example, in Bulgaria we
have to make a lot of efforts to keep our position of
market leader as our competitors catch up quickly. At
the same time, there are many countries in the Balkan
region, which have still undeveloped markets and we
can start the business from scratch and grow there.
I like the dynamic nature of my work. I enjoy the rights
delegated to me. In the past, when I had a good idea,
it would take a long time to push it through all levels and
to finally get green light. And the consequences usually
were the missing of the right moment. Indesit is the kind
of company that gives the freedom to act, as long as
it sees results. This is a great responsibility but I am not
afraid of it. I like it.
Being a successful business leader and a woman is not
an impossible compromise, not at all. When a woman
finds the desired career, she will certainly find the right
balance between professional and private life. Yes, it
takes a lot of efforts, but it is not impossible.
www.humanvalue.eu9

Anelia Dinova
Managing Partner
Lawyer Agency “Dinova & Rusev”
Sector: Jurisdiction Services
“Be a woman no matter what!“
Anelia Dinova for Human Value
International
I am the head of the law firm Dinova & Rusev. The Law
Office started its operations in 2003 under the umbrella
brand name of PI Partners: the brand name indicated
Law Office’s operational integration with other law firms
in South-East Europe: Thessaloniki, Sofia, Bucharest and
Istanbul. All of the law firms using the PI Partners brand
name have operated in association with Ernst & Young.
Since 1 April 2009 the use of the PI Partners brand and
the Ernst & Young association has terminated. The Law
Office has continued to operate as an independent
law firm in close cooperation with the ex-PI Partners law
firm in Greece, who also acts, since 1 April 2009, as an
independent law firm.
Currently, the Law Office employs as permanent
staff 10 lawyers and our aspiration is to increase this
number significantly in the upcoming months. We
continue to adhere to the high professional standards
of international advisory companies that our origin
has been embedded in. The experience and market
recognitionthatwehavegainedsinceourestablishment
in 2003 helped us preserve and enlarge our client base.
We continue to assist large regional investors (e.g. S&B
Industrial Minerals, Alpha Bank, Sisecam, Assos Capital,
Grekotel) in some of the landmark investments in
Bulgarian during the past couple of years. At the same
time, we have been successful in developing a high-
profile local (i.e. non-regional) client base that includes
companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Kloeckner &
Co. GmbH, Martinsa Fadesa, ENKA Technik. I am very
proud with our team. My colleagues are remarkable
examples of Bulgarian professionals (most of them have
either international diplomas or professional experience
abroad) who combine technical knowledge with
business awareness. It gives me both professional
and personal fulfillment to observe their professional
growth and maturity. I dare say that the professional
environment which we have created in the law office
is akin to the best practices beyond our geographical
area.
I owe my personal professional development to a
company that unfortunately does not exist anymore:
Andersen US. I started with Andersen 15 years ago
when the words “auditor”, “tax consultant”, “business
lawyer” meant a little or nothing at all to almost all of us
here. From the very start of my days at work I have been
lucky to find myself in an international environment
where people were treated as assets, where success
and promotion were dependent on the individual’s
qualities, strive for improvement, quest for knowledge
and development.
www.humanvalue.eu10

During the over 16 years of my professional career I
have worked in St. Petersbourg (head of the then-
Andersen Legal operations) and Bratislava (head of the
branch office of the Czech Law Firm Weinhold Legal).
I have had the privilege to partake in the set up and
development of law offices. I gladly embarked on the
opportunity that Ernst & Young presented to me in 2002-
2003: to return home and lay the foundations of the
Bulgarian operations of PI Partners. Thanks to the people
that I had worked with, this opportunity has developed
and yielded its positive business results. It is only due to
regulatory and legal constrains aimed at limiting joint
consultancy products between auditors and lawyers
that we have, in the first half of the last year, decided to
terminate the association and pursue an independent
law firm’s status.
I started with Andersen as an Assistant (the starting
professional grade in the corporate hierarchy) in 1993;
I became an International Partner with PI Partners and
Ernst & Young in 2005. I am the Founding Partner of
Dinova & Rusev Law Office and I continue to act as its
Managing Partner up to date. I have no other recipe for
professional success than “Work, persistency and more
work”. However, a non-disposable ingredient to it all is
“Believe in what you are doing and enjoy it”. Otherwise
the meal gets sour.
Fighting with perception and prejudice is the main
disadvantage. Fulfillment and the opportunity to
constantly re-confirm one’s stance is the main
advantage. We all as a society nourish much higher
expectationsfromaworkingwomanthanfromaworking
man. Please note that I do not imply sexism of any kind
in this statement. My rationale is objective and legacy
related. Consider the evolution of the human society as
a whole: from the very outset of mankind the females
have been entrusted with the responsibility for home,
birth and family while the males have marched the land
in pursuit for food and territory, have laid the foundations
of organizations and maintained the functioning of the
society in all its multi-faceted dimensions. The last two
centuries have introduced a profound change in that
historical concept as regards the general rule (I am
not talking about the exemptions of Queens, female
scientists and revolutionaries whom we all know about).
But the legacy of our society cannot be dismissed.
That is why today we expect that the average business
woman would “satisfy” much more criteria than the
average business man. The expectations flow from the
three main components of the environment for each
and every one of us: our work (being the society of
our superiors and the society of our juniors), our outside
circle (being the society of our outside-work professional
colleagues, partners, clients and peers in the business)
and our inside circle (being the society of our family
and close friends). All these sub-societies expect from
a female manager to be much more tolerant, much
more multifunctional, and much more diplomatic than
generally accepted for a male manager.
How do you balance personal and professional life?
What compromises do you have to do?
I deeply trust that any human being and a woman in
particular, cannot claim personal completeness unless
they are fulfilled not only at work, but in one’s personal
life, too. Work and family to me form the two feet on
which every human being is by nature bound to walk;
walking on two feet means completeness, thorough
accomplishment of one’s being. And in order to do
that, when you want to pursue a professional career,
you firstly, have to be ready to give more than you may
naturally be inclined to, and secondly, you have to find
and keep a partner who appreciates what you do and
gives you much in return. The successful combination
of personal and professional life is impossible without
such partner. There is a much exploited saying: “It takes
two for tango”. Nowhere is this saying more true and
appropriate that in the life of a professional woman with
a family. And I cannot find words enough to voice-out
my deep respect and gratitude to the male partners
(including mine) who have been making this possible.
Regarding to compromises: mine I do not remember,
probably I have done some. But for his I will be thankful
forever; I know that our family would not have survived
otherwise. Everything one learns in communication
courses and books is tripling applicable in the family
of professionals. Nothing is there for granted and the
more we remember that, the more success in our family
relations we will experience.
personal life?
We talk, we talk a lot. And I mean not only during
week-ends or holidays. I mean the permanent, day-by-
day, minute-by-minute effort to ensure you are being
understood, to provide explanations why you do what
you do or why your voice is down or why you feel the
way you do. Sharing of experiences, problems (even
if he inhabits a totally different professional area),
impressions; seeking advice or understanding about
every tiny aspect of your out-of-the-family existence
strengthens the links between you and your partner,
making your couple a unit. Unless you put efforts in
building and maintaining this connection, you will not
be able to rely on his understanding should you need
to call half an hour before an appointment in order to
cancel it. Like I did just a couple of days ago, it was
family dinner; I had to cancel it because my daily plan
got destroyed by a personnel issue at the office. And
you know what my son said after I called him with the
bad news: “Do not worry, I will see with Dad if we can
make it for lunch tomorrow”. Be sure: I did make it for
lunch the next day.
www.humanvalue.eu11

The need for requesting your loved ones to make
compromises exists, no matter how much you try to
prevent it. When you are dedicated to your work you
are always facing the risk of the urgency, the force
majeure that cannot be foreseen. Work connected
with managing people, clients or projects is very time-
consuming and hides unexpected circumstances.
Thus, it is very important that my family understands
my dedication to my work and supports me in finding
alternatives which are not to the detriment of either
aspect of our life. The dinner-lunch story is a typical
example of such a compromise.
Generally, there is not an up-front benefit for the woman.
It may depend on the environment this takes place in;
many international companies nowadays strategically
maintain certain male to female ratios; if our woman
‘hits the right moment’ she might have a relative
advantage from that perspective. But again ‘relative’ is
very important to stress on. The paradigm that if you are
a beautiful woman you can achieve everything in your
career one way or another does not hold true anymore.
Not in the professional world.
I love my job. I love watching the people that I work with
grow up professionally in front of my eyes – take more
responsibilities and work on more complex assignments.
The success of my clients also brings me professional
satisfaction which is doubled when the client recognizes
the contribution to the project that our team has made.
Motivation is a complex phenomenon and this is more
true nowadays than a couple of decades ago. It has
subjective aspects (what I want to do) and objective
aspects (how I am placed to do it in the specific
environment). Remuneration is very important but it
cannot, in the long run, sustain professional motivation
alone. Most of us work to live, we don’t live to work.
Therefore, I am constantly aware of the fact that
motivation is not endless and self-infusing. It is our job –
the managers’ - to monitor how it changes in people,
what environment related components meet people’s
expectations and what do not meet them; how our
people change and what effects these changes have
on their motivation.
I believe that the fact that we, Bulgarians, do not want to
share our views, problems and seek advice or assistance
forms the biggest challenge for the managers. Often in
Bulgaria a valuable employee is not happy, he/she does
not like or agree with some aspect of his/her work, but
he or she would not voice out the concerns. Dialogue
is not sought, often even rejected when offered. He or
she would prefer to just leave. This is the way we think.
Developing an atmosphere of trust and dialogue without
jumping into familiarity, seeking solutions of problems in
the workplace by virtue of communication and mutual
efforts is a serious challenge. This is true more than ever
now, when good professionals have more opportunities
in Bulgaria and abroad.
Don’t give up on yourselves. Don’t change under the
pressure of success and do not give in to perceptions.
And stay women - for the good and the bad...
www.humanvalue.eu12

Anita Blajevska
Executive Director
Studio Moderna
Sector: Direct Marketing
“Nobody should expect someone else
to arrange his life!“
Anita Blajevska for Human Value
International
Wouldyoupresentyourselfinaprofessionalperspective?
Would you present your organization in summary?
Studio Moderna is an international company, it has been
on the Bulgarian market for more than 13 years. Studio
Moderna Group International has been operating for
more than 15 years in CEE. Our approach is through
direct marketing and sales. In Bulgaria we are known
mostly for our product Kosmodisk, which happens to
be in almost every home. Then we developed TOP
SHOP with different and interesting products. The third
group of products is the brand for mattresses and sleep
accessories Dormeo, which has been on the market
for three years. This year has been extremely successful
for us. We use direct marketing approach – something
people were not familiar on the East markets with two or
three years ago. But all the big international companies
use it now. We are expanding in times of crisis. For
example, our personnel were 100 people last year, and
it will be 170 people at the end of this year. We are selling
through different channels like: TV, magazines, Internet,
our shops TOP SHOP. Also we are developing a chain of
Dormeo shops and our partnership with the big chains
is very significant, wholesale is one of our activities.
Kosmodisk is on sale at the Pharmacies, Dormeo is on
sale at the furniture retail chains. TOP SHOP is on sale
in all the other chains – Baumax and Kaufland, for
example. Our Dormeo pillows are having an auction at
Kaufland right now, and this way we are going to sell a
lot of them.
As sales experts, we are constantly looking for innovative
ideas and we are beginning to put various combinations
into practice. We are a Marketing Agency as well, we
apply marketing the best way, and this is possible only
with the proper employees, trainings and IT solutions.
My career path is very interesting. I am a painter by
education, and my first job was as a Costume Designer
at the National Television in Macedonia. At that period
private companies were just starting to come out and
they all needed advertisement to build their image. It
is happened that I changed my profession and started
dealing with marketing, without realizing it. For some
time I was Marketing Director at the National Television
in Skopie. I have been in Studio Moderna since 2003. I
was Country Manager for Latvia three years, and now
I am Country Manager for Bulgaria. People are joking
that it would be a good idea for me to come back to
Macedonia, because when I go to work in a particular
country, it joins the European Union a few months after
that. I really like Bulgaria, because the mentality suits
me. It is a geographically wonderful country – there
are gorgeous mountains and sea here, along with
archeological and historical places. I prefer to live
here.
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I am an ambitious person and ambition is my driving
force and challenge. My experience in Macedonia,
Slovenia, Latvia and Bulgaria has proven that when
people speak foreign languages, the borders become
invisible. I strive to move forward, because there are
challenges all the way. In my first job as a Designer the
challenge was to justify the people’s hopes in me and
to try to help the whole team to make one product.
The challenge was to draw the maximum out of each
situation, which I succeeded in, in spite of the fact that
there are always limitations during teamwork.
Even now I am often at the situation of being a part of
the team and working side by side with them, no matter
that I am their Manager. My goal has always been to
support my people, not considering my position. I can
claim that pursuing different goals they lead to different
challenges – at the moment the biggest challenge for
me is to put together the best puzzle, which would be
able to satisfy my managers, me and my team.
What compromises you need to do?
I am 45 years old and I consider myself to be a successful
woman. I have been lucky to get married and give
birth to my first child when I was 21, while I was still at
the university. I was committed to both my family and
work for 10 years. When my children grew up, I had the
opportunity to commit more to my ambitions and work.
My family and my career are very important parts of
my life. I am grateful for my family’s support, because if
the ambitious woman is misunderstood by her family all
the time, she will not be happy neither at home, nor at
work. My children are grown-up now and I out 80% of
my efforts into my job. I advise the ambitious women to
have children while they are young.
I have always made compromises and I will always
need to make such. One must measure one’s priorities
– which are more important in a particular period. I
measure them with help from my intuition; intuition in my
opinion has been given to women by God.
One is able to build a good intuition with tests – based
on the results one must make conclusions. There are
various solutions for everything, and these solutions must
be grouped and separated.
How do you manage the important things of your
personal life?
The most important thing for me is health in general and
I wish it to everyone. This is my first rule at home and at
work. One does not have to break down emotionally,
one has to control one’s emotions, so they wouldn’t be
too positive or too negative. This is my basic rule.
Is there inequality when a woman and a man compete
I have been present to situations like this. I have
not been a participant, but I have these examples.
Things, however, changed a lot with the New System
in Eastern Europe, when the most important thing was
the profit. This balanced the recruitment and made the
possible contribution to the profit of the company most
important.
There might be something left from the past, but it will
be vanishing, because profit is the leading motivator in
business. I do not believe that women have a certain
priority over men. In our company the result and the
potential of the employee are most important. Each
candidate has equal chance. When we recruit new
people, we test them, and after that we train them.
Results are most important here, not being a woman or
a man.
What is your drive? What do you like most in your
profession?
Happy people motivate me. I am glad to see happy
faces after finishing a major project. The success of my
colleagues is a motivator for me. Their adrenaline makes
me very happy.
WhatIlikeinmyworkisthatitisaninterestingcombination
of art, media and sales. I am very pleased with our
success to turn sales into art in Bulgaria.
Какво е Вашето послание към жените, ориентирани
към кариера в бизнеса?
As a result of the New System, young girls become more
and more ambitious and I like that. No one should wait
for another to build his life up. We need to remember
that our mothers and grandmothers have not had
the opportunities we have. I enjoy young ladies with
ambition, but I still think that they must not forget that
after all, they are women.
www.humanvalue.eu14

Bistra Ilkova
Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
Aval In
Sector: Financial services – Investment man-
agement
“Having a career is important, but
it’s far from being the most important
thing!“
Bistra Ilkova for Human Value
International
Currently I am the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
at AVAL IN AD, as well as a Chairwoman of the Board
of Directors at Bulgarian Agency for Export Insurance
(BAEI).
AVAL IN is a company created by me, and is licensed
by the Commission for Financial Inspection of Deals
with Financial Instruments. Since 1997 the company
has always been present at the funds market and
is specialized in investment banking in Bulgaria and
abroad. The company is also a member of the Bulgarian
Stock Exchange, Central Depository and Bulgarian
Association of Licenses Investment Brokers. It is serving
25 000 clients – Bulgarian and foreign ones.
I have been in BAEI since 2001. This is a very important
state agency, specialized in supporting Bulgarian
business, insuring its activities from market and non-
market risks. All major Bulgarian banks and companies
are clients of this agency.
Would you tell us about your career ladder? Your starting
point and the path to the top?
I started in 1980 as an administrative secretary at
Branch No 3 of the Bulgarian National Bank. The first
16 years of my career passed in the banking system.
BNB was, among other things, a great school for me; I
have acquired great knowledge, skills and experience
there; I have met wonderful people in the face of my
colleagues, who supported me in my grow from the
lowest position of an administrative secretary through
the positions in accounting, credit administration and so
forth.
After BNB I have taken management positions in Mineral
Bank, Balkan Bank; my last job in the banking system was
the Head of Crediting Department at Post Bank.
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In 1994 I moved to the non-banking financial sector
and the capital markets. In 1997 I started Aval Ins, an
investment intermediary firm, so I can say now that
I have been on the market from the first day of BSE’s
existence. Initially I was working with BSE as a member,
then in 2001 I became a member of its Management
Board. For a short period I have been the Chairman of
the State Securities Commission, the last one, for a few
months before it ceased to exist and merged into the
Financial Supervisory Commission, which was designed
to combine the supervisory functions for capital markets,
insurance and social and life assurance. Between 2003
and 2006 I was the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
at the Bulgarian Stock Exchange and staring from 2006
until January 2010 I was its Executive Director. In 2006
I received the prize Ms. Economics for contributing in
the development of the non-banking financial sector.
In 2007, when I was managing the Bulgarian Stock
Exchange, it received the price Mrs. Economics in
the highest category – complete contribution to the
development of the national economy.
Certainly not different to the challenges any top
manager encounters. I think the key here is to build up a
team of good professionals who function well together,
create a good organization, and look for effective
feedback, for best solutions.
For my job in particular, there are plenty of challenges,
starting from fine-tuning the regulative framework and its
implementation; the company’s development, running
everyday tasks, contacts with various organizations.
Have you ever encountered particular difficulties
because of being a woman?
Absolutely not. It is true that there are few women
on similar positions internationally, 7 or 8 in the whole
world, if I’m not mistaken. However I have never had
any particular hardships. Maybe this is due to the fact
that having started from the lowest level, there are few
things that can surprise me now.
Honestly, I do not feel like I need to do enormous
compromises, things have developed more or less
in harmony. I am married, have a daughter, who
graduated from a University in the USA, got married,
lives and works there and despite my desire that she
returns to Bulgaria it is not her intention to do so, at least
for now.
Going back in time, it was in fact much more difficult in
the past, before I reached management levels. Both me
and my husband come from Velingrad, so immediately
after our graduation in order to fulfill our dreams for
professional actualization in the capital, we had to
fight for the right to remain in Sofia in the first place,
something that now sounds ridiculous, but in the period
prior to changes it was the reality. We both had to travel
often, to prove ourselves, to devote every minute to our
jobs and our companies. Now I feel more mature, and
things seem to happen with less effort.
What are the important things in your life and how do
you manage those?
There are many important things in my life, first of all
come the moral values like honesty, decency, loyalty to
the family, to the business, to the partners. In this regard
no compromise is acceptable. In personal plan nothing
is more important than health; one should take a good
care of one’s health.
How do you observe, is there inequality when a woman
and a man compete for same position? How women
position in the Bulgarian labour market nowadays?
I do not think there is a gender inequality. What matters
are the candidate’s qualities, what his/her CV and
recommendations say. Here I would like to mention that
there is a sort of crisis in professionalism in the sense that
theprofessionaldevelopmentintermsofprofessionalskills
and know-how accumulation is somehow neglected.
I understand the young people’s desire to earn more
money as soon as possible, but they should understand
that career growth requires also being professional,
loyal, tolerant, ambitious.
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profession?
The job itself motivates me. I do not know if I could do
anything else if I had to. I like everything about my job,
its being so interesting and having so many aspects.
In fact there is one other thing I may do. Perhaps one
day, after my retirement, I will go back to Velingrad, the
most wonderful place in the world, and will start running
a small family hotel.
What message would you announce to the working
women?
I would like to remind them that their careers are
important, but certainly not everything. It is important to
find the right balance between private and professional
life.
Can you thing of an interesting story you would like to
share with our readers?
There was one funny situation which happened
when I was working for BNB. Branch 3 was situated in
Vazrajdane Square. It had a big money vault and every
day huge loads of money where brought to its vaults,
it was counted with machines, and then the second
count had to be done manually. That is why every day
the bank should close at 2 p.m., the building should be
locked and all employees, no matter what their job was,
should descend in the vaults to count money. One day
there was a huge storm, with heavy rain, hail, etc. The
area was flooded and so was the vault and the money
stored in it. So, every day for a whole month after the
flooding we had to dry banknotes in the vaults using
some simple heaters.
Later this manual counting ceased as new machines
were bought for both first and second counting.
www.humanvalue.eu17

Vesela Barbukova
Partner
Aspekti
Sector: Real Estate
“Believe in what you want and follow
your dreams, even if they are not very
profitable!“
Vesela Barbukova for Human Value
International
Aspecti Development and Investment Group combines
several companies which are specialized in different
activities of the construction process. The company is
specialized in residential building and we development
of middle to high class residential products. Buildings
are located mainly on the territory of Sofia city as well
as some other hot spots on the real estate market in
Bulgaria.
In 1996 I created Aspecti with area of activity in
mediation for real estate deals and two years later,
the activity was gradually oriented to investment and
development of residential and administration buildings
and management of real estate. We recorded in
our business biography 56 invested, developed, and
opened objects with built-up area of more than 413
000 m2 in the last 14 years. We have gained the trust
of 5175 clients and more than 21 600 people live in our
buildings. In 2005 the stages of the construction process
were separated from the organizational point of view so
that we could specialize better in each of the building
activities. There is an investor company in the group’s
organizational structure that chooses the projects and
decides their trade fate; company that deals with the
architecture design and construction design; several
subcontractor building companies, and a company that
deals with the management of the ready buildings.
With respect to the current crisis on the real estate
market, Aspecti’s strategy now is to head to the luxury
residences’ development that will be possessed and
managed by one of our daughter companies.
I graduated from the University of National and World
economy, Finance and Credit specialty in 1993. It was a
dynamic time of changes. All of us had to build a new
way of thinking and promptly adapt to the fast paced
economic changes. I started working as an Accountant
and I gained experience in electronic accountancy in
a short time. It was a valuable experience at the time
– 5% of the companies were hardly using electronic
accountancy. Later I applied for a job at my husband’s
company and joined it with the mission to implement
electronic accountancy there. My work in this team was
an extraordinary chance for me to gain experience in
accountancy at the construction business unit together
with almost all economical branches. This experience
came up to be precious. In 1996 I created my own real
estate agency Aspecti which I gradually developed to
the level of the development and investment group it
is today.
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I am an economist but I have chosen this business field
because it contains philosophy of constructing and
building something and wonderful opportunity to leave
something after you. My ambition has always been to
create qualified buildings in a well-settled and organized
infrastructure and thus contribute for the development
of a new culture of living and style of life.
Men are more impulsive in their actions, they easily
handle the risk and work on multiple tasks simultaneously.
However, they lack precision, pragmatism and sense of
reality, as well as a stable position in life, which women
possess. In business the gender in not important for many
years already – it is whether you’re a good professional
and player, or not. There’s no need in proving this.
Challenges in construction business are great due to the
fact, that despite our everyday responsibilities, there’s
also a factor that building we construct become an
integral part of our life and culture. This is why I always try
to put something more into a building, make them more
attractive and functional, create a character, idea and
style.
If a manager on leading position, or anyone with his
own business is claiming, that he successfully balances
between his personal and professional life, he’s not
being completely honest. One thing always comes on
the price of another. Professional development requires
an extreme amount of time and stress – a complete
dedication. You have to be in the loop 24/7. You can
just take a vacation from your responsibilities. In this
sense I personally do not manage to balance – I owe my
family, friends and even myself. Luckily, the relationship
with my husband doesn’t suffer from it, because he is
also managing a part of the company and completely
understands me. The biggest comprise I’ve made for this
is the fact that my children don’t live with us, because
they study abroad and I’m unable to always be with
them. This is a real sacrifice.
profession?
I enjoy creativity and creation of something new.
There are two important stages in every process of
development and completion of a project.
One of them is when we discuss with the team of
architects the functionality and structure of a building
in every detail. This is a crucial moment because you
create a face and a function of a project and you need
to consider every available organizational, material,
financial and other condition. The success of a project
and its ROI entirely depends on correct planning. Second
important moment is finalization work. You can’t make
drastic changes here, only give a specific appearance
to a building, or as I like to joke, to apply a make-up to
a building.
Whatisyourviewofthecurrentsituationandperspectives
the construction business is currently facing?
Crisis this field is currently suffering from isn’t surprising for
any of the professionals in this business. The first signals
about it actually came a year and a half before. I think
that this crisis is like a bitter pill this sector needs in order
to return its strong and realistic positions. It is true that
construction business is currently suffering a lot. To realize
one project nowadays is a very difficult task and you
need to have good experience and rational behavior
to be able to deal with hard crisis conditions.
First of all I expect normalization of conditions and
coming out of the stress. Before the spring of 2010 I don’t
expect any positive change indications. Crisis right now
is ruthless and only few will survive. So called greenfields
will not sell at all, and those under construction will be
very difficult to sell. Areas with bad infrastructure, even
with good location, like Monastirski Livadi for instance, will
not sell. People will buy only the property on top-places,
with finished infrastructure and with small density of
apartments. Companies like ours with risk diversification
will survive. The important factors will be the location
and category of a building, as well as the reliability of
a company. Unfortunately, I don’t expect good news
regarding foreign investments into Bulgarian real estate.
The year of 2010 will be the year of survival. Those who
will survive the competition will be stronger than ever
after this – with completed projects, good fields, minimal
competition and lots of training in the situations of crisis.
women?
They should believe in what they want and should
persistently follow their dreams even if their dream
activity is not necessarily the most profitable one. People
can be contented and successful in their professions
only when that’s truly something they enjoy doing.
www.humanvalue.eu19

Vesela Borislavova
Deputy Director
Rollplast
Sector: Production of windows, doors and
facades
“Family and career – solution of the
problem is reachable“
Vesela Borislavova for Human Value
International
I am the Deputy General Manager of Rollplast. I have
been working at the company since 2001. I manage
the business processes, the daily communication with
clients, suppliers and financial institutions. I am involved
in the development and execution of the business plan
of the company.
Rollplast was registered in 2000. The company’s activity
was manufacturing and installation of inner and outer
blinds. Later we started to manufacture doors and
windows from aluminum and PVC. We have been a
leader in the field of the manufacturers of doors, windows
and blinds for the past four years. We have ambition
to stay on top and to expand our market share. We
cover the whole country through our distributors and
partners.
Our strive is to expand our network to foreign markets.
We opened a warehouse in Macedonia last year.
Expansion in Serbia and Romania has been planned for
this year.
We opened a new production base in Konstinbrod in
2009, and we received an award for it – ‘Investor of
the year’. It is very hard to make investments during the
Crisis, so we are very proud with out investment.
The success of Rollplast is due to the qualified personnel
and experienced management, the quality of the
products, the short terms for manufacturing and
installation, and the post-guarantee service.
I have a diploma for Master of Information Technologies
from The University of National and World Economy.
My second subject was Accountancy and Controlling.
After graduation, I started working as an Operative
Accountant in the fast-food restaurant Mis Kapriz. After
that, I worked in BTC for two years. I started my work in
Rollplast in 2001 as a Financial Director, and I have been
the Deputy General Manager for four years.
www.humanvalue.eu20

No matter what the position is, a woman encounters
the same challenges - to find the balance between
the family and the career; to deal with the major and
minor problems. One can do everything with optimism,
constructivism and positive thinking.
It is very hard to find the balance. I think that one needs
stable support from one’s family when building up a
career. One needs to make compromises all the time.
These compromises are regarding the attention you
give to your family. In a professional perspective, you
should never make compromises that would cause a
problem, because a manager is responsible for a lot of
people, who have families, too.
personal life?
My family is the most important thing in my life. When
there is a problem in the family, I do my best to solve it,
and it has the highest priority.
I do not think that there is inequality. I do not think that
there are people who still separate men and women in
a professional way. Many of the employees in Rollplast
are women, even at the manufacturing. When I have
applied for positions, I have never felt discriminated for
being a woman.
In our company the gender has never been important
at the job applicants. We have always valued the
personal characteristics and the professional skills.
Challenges are my motivation. Every day reveals new
challenges. Surviving the Crisis in 2010 is a challenge for
me. I hope the situation wouldn’t be worse than it was in
2009. It is important for me to make the employees smile
every day at work, which has been easy until now, but
will be a challenge from now on.
I like everything in my profession. I like the fact that it
is a Bulgarian company, and thus everything we have
achieved has been discovered by the method of trial
and error. The know-how of the foreign companies is
given by the headquarters, and in our company each
one of us generates ideas, which are being realized.
It is very satisfactory for me to see the results from my
efforts.
Mymessagetothebusinesswomenistobuildupacareer,
because they are more ambitious that the men, they
are more tactful, they have sixth sense and a different
approach to the situations. My message to them is never
to let the dilemma ‘to have a family or a successful
career’ stop them, because it is possible to have both!
www.humanvalue.eu21

Vesela Ilieva
Executive Director
Unique Estates
Sector: Luxurious Real Estate
“Be strong and confident!“
Vesela Ilieva for Human Value
International
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media Economics
and Master’s in “Marketing and Advertisement” from the
University for National and World Economy, Sofia City. I
also have a Master’s Degree in “Corporate Real Estate,
Finance and Strategy” from CITY University London.
I am a certified expert of the Bulgarian National Real
Estate Association and a member of the Royal Institute
of Certified Specialists, RICS. Ever since I began my
professional development, I have been working in the
real estate business. Today I have more than 10 years
experience in the field.
In 2006, we established the first Bulgarian company
specialized in complete services for agencies and
management of luxurious properties – Unique Estates
Luxury Properties. A year ago, after tough negotiations,
the company that I conduct became a member of
Christie’s Great Estates which is the biggest worldwide
network of real estate agents. They sell some of the
most luxurious properties in the world. The only country
in Eastern Europe they have an office in is Bulgaria, and
we are very proud of that. We were working on this
project for two years trying to persuade Christie’s that
there are appreciators of luxury in Bulgaria and that
Christie’s network has a place here.
Besides, Unique Estates is a part of the biggest real estate
holding, AG Capital. It consists of 15 companies dealing
with various segments of the real estate business. Unique
Estates is the luxurious brand of the holding. In fact we
provide services to VIP clients of the holding.
What is special about our company is that we seek
only exquisite and luxurious estates. Our approach is
individual and customized. Our attitude towards our
clients is also unique. Thus, every single client receives
a special service. We have more than 15 qualified
consultants. Most of them have more than five years
experience in the real estate business. Some of them
even have international experience and have worked
in Dubai, the USA, etc. Each person of our team brings
different life experience and interests, and this is how we
can provide our clients with special consulting service.
Our office is in Kempinsky Hotel, Sofia City. This is done on
purpose because this way, our clients feel more relaxed
since they do not visit a regular office. We have more
than 360 unique luxurious properties in our portfolio in
prestigious locations in Sofia and countrywide.
www.humanvalue.eu22

I started as a real estate agent for Address. I moved
through all the levels up to a Manager, Regional Director
in Sofia, and Development Director for Western Bulgaria.
I have been responsible for Sofia, Plovdid, Blagoevgrad,
Bansko, Pleven, and other territories.
Later I got my Master’s degree, and when I came back
from London, I was offered to manage a new company,
so I have been working for Unique Estates since the very
beginning.
I spent four of my ten-year experience in the real estate
business working for AG Capital on a managerial
position and being responsible for the development and
execution of plans. Development includes new areas
and offices, as well as new business sectors/trade sites.
For two years now, I have been the Managing Director
of the luxurious real estate company Unique Estates.
In certain professions, women are more and more
predominant. This is especially true for the real estate
business. In this field, women are often more successful
than men because of their ability to listen to people.
Women possess many qualities which men do nоt.
They are much more patient than men are, and this
is very important in business. Women are better team
players because they are more empathetic and are
able to create a sense of belonging. Female intuition
is significant because we can forestall things. Also, I
think that women are more adaptable and they easily
cope with failure and change. Unlike men, women can
multitask. They organize their day and their tasks better.
They better cope with stress and are more patient with
their interlocutors.
The disadvantage is that we put a lot of emotions
in everything we do. Of course, this is a positive side
sometimes.
Как балансирате между професионалния и
личния си живот? Какви компромиси се налага да
правите?
I like my work a lot and I do it with pleasure. It does not
interfere with my private life. I am a very communicative
person as a whole. My work allows me to meet new
people that complement my personality. I combine my
work with my spare time very well.
Of course, there are many stressful moments. We also
do not have fixed working time because we take into
consideration our clients’ time schedule. However, this
is not a problem for my personal life. When one is on
duty, one works, when one is off from work – one has an
active relax time. My family members all are very active
persons so I face full understanding.
My Master Degree in London was a big challenge for
me. I had to leave my personal life in Bulgaria and
the work I loved as to go to a new place and study
again. However, I made the compromise in favor of my
professional development and the feeling for something
new. There are other situations when I might do the
opposite.
There should always be a balance between the two:
personal and work life. After all, we are women, and our
private life is very important.
It depends on the position they are competing for
and with whom and about what they are competing.
Being a woman definitely helps. Women control their
emotions better and are more diplomatic than men. My
experience comes to show that women are also very
ambitious and combinative in nature.
Especially in the real estate business, women are more
successful because they have the right approach to the
clients.Moreover,mostofourclientsarewomenbecause
they usually are the ones to choose the property. And
they prefer to communicate with women.
My work is very dynamic, and I have to travel a lot abroad
and across Bulgaria. Every day, I get the chance to meet
new and different people and this always energizes me.
I do not consider meetings with clients and partners as
an obligation. Every meeting is a new experience and
a new challenge. Maybe these are the two major things
that I love about my work.
Be strong and confident, courageously strive for your
goals, and smile.
www.humanvalue.eu23

Daniela Petkova
General Executive Director
POC Doverie
Sector: Financial services – Asset manage-
ment (PO)
“Don’t be afraid to be yourself!“
Daniela Petkova for Human Value
International
Since 2000 I have been appointed the CEO of DOVERIE
pension assurance company. I have been with the
company since the year of its incorporation.
DOVERIE is the pension assurance company of TBI
Group. It was established in 1994 as a green-field
project and its success motivated the shareholders to
expand the business to other areas. Thus TBI Group was
formed, which today offers the full range of financial
non-banking services.
In the dawn of democracy, 1989, I took a decision
to develop private business. A year later I left the
country for personal reasons, to come back again in
1991-92. Then I started my private accounting and
finance consulting firm, which, I would say, went rather
successfully. However, in 1994 I faced a new challenge,
i.e. “DOVERIE” project. After I won a difficult selection
process organized by a top consulting firm, I had the
chance to become part of that project. Back then
little was known in Bulgaria of the pension insurance
business and its huge potentials. To me it was the one-
time opportunity to explore something completely new,
which made me put aside my consulting business.
My entry in DOVERIE was at the position of Chief
Accountant. Three years later I was promoted to the
position of the Chief Financial Officer and in 2000 I
stepped into my current position of CEO.
I am proud of the fact that no other but DOVERIE was
the pilot project, the success of which initiated the
formation of the Group, and I was part of it.
Today as the CEO of DOVERIE I am particularly happy
that the Company grew into the biggest pension fund
in Bulgaria. When I stepped into the CEO position the
company had near 100000 clients and assets under
management of approximately 10 million. Today’s
numbers show a client base of more than 1 300 thousand
and assets under management of more than 1 milliard.
At DOVERIE we prefer to view at our achievements as
the result of the efforts of the whole team, rather than a
single person’s.
www.humanvalue.eu24

Then of course a large portion of this extraordinary
growth is due to the unique opportunity, created
with the legislative changes which gave birth to the
compulsory additional pension assurance followed by
our initial positioning on this new market space among
the key players.
In fact before taking the CEO position I had left the
country again for a while, and it was exactly the
anticipation of this unique market opportunity what
made me come back and accept to lead DOVERIE,
attracted by the rare opportunity rather than by the
position itself.
The professional challenges a manager encounter are
the same for both genders. Both men and women on
managerial positions face the same challenges and
it is all about the personal choice of the price, as a
compromise with their personal life, everyone who has
headed on management is ready to pay.
compromises you have to make?
In order to be good at something, one needs to
concentrate completely on it. I think the search for
balance at any moment in life of more than one to
commit to is pointless. However the right balance can
be reached from the point of view of a longer period of
one’s life. As to me, during the time when my son was
growing my career was put aside and I had devoted to
him all my time and attention. Later when he became
more independent it was time for me to concentrate
on my career.
The greatest compromise I had to make was the choice
in which country to live and work. I left the comfort of life
I had outside Bulgaria and came back as to participate
in “DOVERIE” project.
How do you carry on the important parts of your private
life?
In fact the things to do are always much more than I
can practically handle. I have learned to filter what is
most important and give it the priority.
How do you observe, is there inequality when a woman
and a man compete for a same position? How women
position in the Bulgarian labour market nowadays?
At DOVERIE, absolutely not. To be honest, there
are certain positions more suitable for males or
females. However any gender discrimination in terms
of professional development opportunities is not
acceptable. At DOVERIE we have many candidates
for a vacancy, both males and females, and during the
phases of the recruitment process all of them, naturally
try to show their best. I have noticed that a common
mistake the candidates make is to over-play. In this
sense sometimes men interviewed by women tend
to over-play more or act over-relaxed, because they
underestimated the interviewer.
Our practice is to have at least three persons in the
interviewing commission, both men and women, so the
gender is excluded as a selection factor. We look for
the right professional skills and personal qualities to fit
well in the team.
profession?
There are several driving forces, which shaped my
achievements including professional ones. The first one
that is really important for me is striving for excellence:
whatever one does, one should always try to be the best
and make all the efforts. The second one is constant
learning and improvement. I have always derived
satisfaction from adding knowledge, new skills and more
value to what I do. The motivating strength of seeing the
results comes next. More significant the results are more
motivated I am. Last but not least, I have been often
called a workaholic. I believe hard work is one of the
necessary prerequisites for success.
On the other hand, I hate the routine and lack of
creativity. If I feel that I have reached a point from which
on I cannot further develop or otherwise improve the
project I work on I would rather move on to something
else than do the same everyday.
What I like at this position that it gives me more
opportunities to actualize my ideas and see the results.
I always put the best of me in the effort to achieve
satisfying results.
women?
“Keep going! And not be afraid to be yourself!”
www.humanvalue.eu25

Joanna Dimitrova
Director Directorate “Finances and Property
Management”
State Enterprise National Railway Infrastructure
Company Head Office
Sector: Transport
“I’m motivated by the idea that some-
thing has to be done the best way
possible. Better than before…“
Joanna Dimitrova for Human Value
International
IamJoannaDimitrovaandIholdthepositionoftheDirector
Directorate “Finances and Property Management”.
The company that I work for is State Enterprise National
Railway Infrastructure Company Head Office – a
state company, completely owned by the Ministry of
Transportation. NCRT is an operator which servers the
complete railway infrastructure in Bulgaria, generates
revenues from infrastructural fees and manages whole
rehabilitation of railways, railway transportation as well
as reaching maximum speed (currently about 160 km/h);
as well as all activities concerning the management,
development and support of railway infrastructure in
Bulgaria. In the beginning of 2010 NCRT had around
15 490 employees and the company itself is one of the
biggest in Bulgaria.
I am directly responsible for the whole financial policy of
the company: budgeting, calculating the income and
expenses, managing of capital transfer, subsidiaries,
financial policy as result of infrastructural fees, benefits
and social policy, communication with syndicates,
contracts and completion of contracts with external
suppliers, as well as everything concerning operational
management of processes and control over various
decisions of the Board of Directors. And of course,
management of the complete financial discipline as a
result of financial crisis and shortage of liquid financial
resources.
My career path is very interesting because I started
my professional development as a secretary – back
when I was in the University I decided for myself that I
must get a job in order to pay for my education and
that’s how I started working in the Municipality. In 1993
in parallel I was working in the radio “Liani”. There was
an economical bulletin regarding mass privatization
and we were educating the listeners how to buy various
shares. I was notices by the Mayor of the Municipality, I
was invited on the interview and after this I received an
offer to become an Administrative Assistant. After a year
I was promoted to Administrative Questions Consultant,
after this - Senior Specialist in GRAO, and finally Chief of
GRAO.
www.humanvalue.eu26

After I finished my education I decided to focus on
major professional projects in my field – Corporate
management, Planning and Finances. I transferred
to private business and slowly climbed on career
ladder – Junior Specialist, Senior Specialist, Manager,
Senior Manager, Deputy Executive Director, Executive
Director, Chief Executive Director with membership in
several boards; until I was invited for the position Director
Directorate “Finances and Property Management”.
For me the challenges are very exciting because it is
not so important for me if a professional is a man or
a woman, but it is important if a person is responsible
towards his position and if he is fulfilling his obligations
towards people who trusted him, and how the reached
goals with reflect on the organization where this person
is executing a certain function.
In my opinion women are more emotional, direct in
their actions, are guided by emotions, but I can say that
for me it is not like this. A top position requires a much
bigger responsibility, correct judgment, immediate
decisions, as well as relying on experience from the past
and present and correct analysis for the future. People
must be guided correctly in order for them to make the
correct decisions because otherwise it would lead to
negative results which are always financial by nature,
as well as losing market share, position, etc.
Womenmustbeabitmorepractical,cleverandinvestall
their efforts to be equal with men because unfortunately
management is still more of a men’s priority. It is possible
that women on all levels to be fewer than men but we
don’t give up when it’s concerning top management.
One professional is better than the other only due to his
decisions and competency, and everything else is a
question of willingness to win.
I dare to say that I balance perfectly! I believe that if a
person doesn’t develop well in personal life, he can’t
develop well professionally because both come hand
in hand. If you are not happy personally or with your
family, even with your friends and people around you
then you bring the negative aspects to your work and
thus to your employees. We shouldn’t forget that we are
different on the job and in the family, but both conditions
are connected.
I try not to make compromises, with myself before
everything. From requirements towards myself I learned
not to make compromises because it leads to more
of them which always leads to problems. This chain
reaction is like a boomerang that at a certain point
reflects on my personally. If neglecting small mistake is
a compromise then YES this happened before because
we all make mistakes.
personal life?
The omportant things in my personal life are: my family
to be happy, my little son to be healthy and able to
enjoy the presence of his parents. Of course I try not
to work too much at home or better said, I try to work
when he is asleep not to leave him without attention.
Since nobody likes to have a working person next to him
at home I make everything possible to be available for
my husband after 23H because the happiness of others
is important for me. I don’t say that I always succeed in
this but I try to manage. I enjoy everyday activities like
cooking and cleaning because they’re pleasant and
don’t bother me.
www.humanvalue.eu27

I personally haven’t encountered something like that. I
believe that it depends on the person who is making the
decision – only in this case we can talk about certain
selective preferences. It’s all up to the personal beliefs.
In all other cases I think that it all depends on how one
person manages different questions and who is offering
a better solution.
What motivates me is natural willingness to win. As an
ex-badminton player I always try to be better as well as
help others with my skills and knowledge. I’m motivated
by the idea that something has to be done in the best
way possible, better than before and one day it to
reflect with a positive result. In short, I try to make best
decision in the right moment and for it to be useful for
everybody, who is working in the company.
In my career I enjoy the most the ability to make the most
optimal and suitable decision in every case. In my current
job I like the challenge in optimizing many processes
towards better efficiency, perfecting the performance
of business units, development and implementing a
better financial discipline as well as proving that state
companies can also work well, with competence and
to be structured in the most professional way.
In personal life I am motivated by the ability to create
better living conditions and education for my child as
well as living comfort for the whole family. My aim is
to make people around me happy and if they fill this
way, than I consider myself a satisfied and succeeded
person! What is your message to the businesswomen?
Dear ladies, work hard and never underestimate
yourselves! Always prove to yourself that you
can do better. Also never forget that the people
around you need attention and most of all, a
woman needs to be a woman, not a machine!
www.humanvalue.eu28

Elena Marinova
President and Owner
Musala Soft
Sector: ICT, Software
“We should not forget that we are all
human beings!“
Elena Marinova for Human Value
International
I am President and Owner of Musala Soft. I hold a BSc
degree in Economics and MSc degree in Strategic
Management. My core responsibilities within Musala
Soft include building up corporate image, developing
marketing strategy, communicating with key accounts
and supervising HR. Our Board of Directors consists of six
people, five of them with solid technical background; I
am the only one with pure business profile. Regarding
social and community activities, I endeavour fostering
Bulgaria’s positive image as internationally recognized
IT destination. I take active part in projects aiming
promotionandsupportofBulgaria’sbusinessclimateand
brand, enhancement of IT education, encouragement
of innovation and science and development of young
talented people.
Musala Soft is specialized in providing complete
software solutions and IT consultancy. Our mission is to
understand clients’ needs and provide effectively the
most adequate technical solutions for their business.
The major part of our activities is software consultancy
and development services to foreign multinational
enterprises such as DHL, HP, IBM, and SAP. Among our
keyaccountsinBulgariaareM-Tel,OMVandtheNational
Revenue Agency. Our services are also extended to
various innovative SMEs, mainly located abroad.
Our team is of 160 professionals - mostly software
engineers, graduated from the best universities in
Bulgaria. Among them are winners of international
competitions in Informatics as well as engineers with
extensive work experience in diverse software projects.
We are working on a global scale and our goal is to
create a multinational and multicultural environment.
Our clients are one of the gates to our global business.
The other one are the internship programs we organize
– they are open both to Bulgarians and foreigners. In
2009 for example, we had 16 interns: 7 foreigners and 3
of the 9 Bulgarians were studying in universities abroad.
We also maintain a Technology and Innovation unit
consisting of about 20 people who are working on R&D
projects in cooperation with Sofia University St. Kliment
Ohridski, Technical University - Sofia and Bulgarian
Academy of Sciences. Besides, we have a joint research
group with the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics,
Sofia University.
www.humanvalue.eu29

We are strongly investing in business processes and
standards. Musala Soft holds the leading certificates for
processes management: ISO 9001:2000 and CMMI Level
3 (the highest one in Bulgaria).
In terms of technologies, Musala Soft is committed to
providing latest commercial tools and skills to our clients.
We are member of IT industry leaders’ partner programs
which gives us access to the latest technologies
and educational resources: IBM Premier Business
Partner for Software, Microsoft Gold Certified Partner,
Oracle Certified Partner, TIBCO Consulting Partner.
Team members are committed to non-stop learning,
knowledge sharing and a high degree of personal
involvement – certifications, improvement, project
management, etc.
It began in 6th grade when I entered Sofia High School of
Mathematics. There I was surrounded by many talented
kids. Afterwards I decided to continue studying in the
First English Language School where I found myself
in the great company of elite students as well. When
becoming a student at the Faculty of Economics and
Business Administration, major Economics, my main
interests turned to be in human resources, management
and marketing. Luckily enough I have always been
part of highly competitive environments, where people
were talented, ambitious and capable – that had an
exceptional influence for my personal development.
While at the university, I used to work as journalist, editor
for an international economic magazine and I was
teaching English language as well. The best part of
being a journalist was making the research – writing itself
wasn’t so amusing. The most exciting part of my work
as a teacher was the communication with children. It
is interesting to know that many people in Musala are
teaching or have been working as lecturers or assistants.
This experience is quite valuable for the professional
development – teaching creates a number of valuable
skills communication capabilities and clear expression
of ideas to mention some.
My “real” career began with and still is Musala Soft. I
met Dido, the current CEO of Musala, who was having
plans to start a software company. That’s how on the
1st of April 2000 Musala Soft was born. At that time our
office was an apartment and we started a little before
the crash of .COM – a crisis in the IT industry comparable
to the current economic one, but concentrated in one
business domain only. TWe managed to survive, and
even started some new projects and attracted new
clients.
Gender does not really matter for people interested
in business, when it comes to closing deals and work
efficiently. The higher in hierarchy, the less important
gender is. If you have nerves of steel and can cope with
less sleep, if you are able to communicate and have a
strong team, then you are in the game. From this point
on it is up to ideas, insight and adequate estimation of
time, place and methods, human connections. A little
luck is needed as well.
I reckon the biggest challenge for me is being strong
enough in every single situation and at the same time
synchronize the interests of each party in the work
process. Somebody said “If things are under control,
then you are not fast enough” – high speed is exhausting
but exciting. In business you are developing at the pace
of those around or you are no longer part of the game.
And if you manage to be faster than the others then you
are the one who creates the rules – succeeding here is
extremely satisfying.
Of course, everyone needs to relax sometimes.
In addition, every mother is facing the same challenges
– give her children the best she can, educate them
accordingly, spend enough time together and give
them a horizon in life. I am not an exception.
Balance between different interests is a key necessity
- regarding family, intra-company, clients, society… I
am a determined and organized person. I always follow
my priorities but of course, sometimes I am unable to
foresee and arrange everything just like everybody else.
It is the same with most managers - the end of the 9 to 5
working day is not the actual end of the work duties. The
higher the position, the most difficult choices you have
to make, facing undefined situations where the decision
is never a standard one – parameters are changing and
there are always questions remaining.
I believe the reason I am able to find a comfortable
balance is because I am quite different in my
professional and in my personal life. In professional plan
I am organized, controlling and avoiding high risk levels.
. In my personal life I am rather chaotic and extreme.
Still, both ways, I love meeting many different people
and that energizes me. My family supports me a lot,
especially when it comes to my son Victor.
www.humanvalue.eu30

personal life?
Talking about important things in life… My son Victor is
the most important thing in my life. In business terms, most
valuable is having a strong and united team and quality
partners. Regarding my social activities my biggest
efforts are currently targeted at education, science &
innovation and development of young talents.
My family is always with me too. I cannot imagine my
success without them.
I adore the mountains and like hiking, I also love sleeping
until late but unfortunately the last one is a luxury.
One cannot simply rely on a smile to achieve success
and build a career. More important is identifying the
right person for certain job and matching personalities
and ideas. Human relations and capacity of establishing
contacts are really important in business.
Female charm or male aggression can help at first but
professionalism is what counts ultimately. Women differ
from men in their way of thinking based on senses. They
are more flexible and arrange their priorities better. Their
analyses are usually “softer” and based on the human
factor. Women are also great on multitasking. A team
is better when it consists of men and women –genders
complement each other.
After all, the basic difference between women and men
is that women can be mothers, at a given moment. From
business perspective this is a question of uncertainty and
risk because no employer can predict what will happen
with a pregnant woman. Even women do not know
how they will feel after giving birth: how long they will
be absent,what work regime they will prefer, etc. The
role of the state is very important here – there are many
good practices for controlling the risk by compensating
both employers and mothers during maternity leave
and helping mothers’ return to the office. Corporate
thinking and resource planning are necessary in order
to prevent considerable corporate losses and at the
same time, keep female presence in teams.
I like meeting interesting people and having the
opportunity to “create” my own environment.
And what I like the most about Musala is the team. It
gives me a sense of security and stability. It is an amazing
feeling knowing that we can achieve every single
goal we embrace together. I like to see the spark of
inspiration in my colleagues’ and partners’ eyes when
we encounter interesting tasks. I like the commitment to
the job and the ability to make work also fun.
I really appreciate having the opportunity and the
freedom of achieving goals which are not strictly related
to financial benefits but have long-term social effects.
Good examples are all educational initiatives – e.g. “IT
Leaders Academy” developed together with FMI, Sofia
University and the “Business Leaders Academy” – a joint
effort with the Faculty of Economics at Sofia University.
All the lectors we invite are enthusiastic about speaking
to the students. For me, organizing all these is great
pleasure because I meet world class leaders people
and for students it is an opportunity to get to know real
business, learning from experts’ experience.
At the end of the day, in the world of business there is
no difference between women and men. We should
always remember we are all human beings.
www.humanvalue.eu31

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