The Bulgarian Stock Exchange explored among more than 320 Bulgarian companies that are public and traded on the Exchange on the occasion of International Women's Day. Every year, the Exchange joins Ring The Bell for Gender Equality global initiative, organised by the World Federation of Exchanges under the auspices of United Nations Global Compact and UN Women.
This year, we also embrace the official UN message: "Right. Equality. Empowerment. For all women and girls."
In this context, the BSE team carried out an in-depth survey among companies regarding the representation of women in senior leadership positions in business. The results show that the number of women serving as CEOs in public companies has increased by 10% compared to 2024, reaching a share of 23%. The data also indicate that 65% of companies have female representatives on their management bodies.
The sectors where women are most strongly represented in leadership positions are construction and transport, followed by finance and real estate. Bulgaria ranks fourth in Eastern Europe in terms of female representation on the boards of public companies.
Today's Ring The Bell for Gender Equality ceremony was opened by Manyu Moravenov, CEO of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, and Denitsa Velichkova, Deputy Chair of the Financial Supervision Commission.
A special guest speaker was Krasimira Hadzhiivanova, founder of the platform "Maiko Mila" and the social enterprise "Ole Male", which supports parents of children with disabilities by providing them with opportunities for employment and income. She shared her experience and concrete examples of how social entrepreneurship can become a route to leadership, as well as the key challenges women in Bulgaria face on their path toward financial independence.
This year, we also embrace the official UN message: "Right. Equality. Empowerment. For all women and girls."
In this context, the BSE team carried out an in-depth survey among companies regarding the representation of women in senior leadership positions in business. The results show that the number of women serving as CEOs in public companies has increased by 10% compared to 2024, reaching a share of 23%. The data also indicate that 65% of companies have female representatives on their management bodies.
The sectors where women are most strongly represented in leadership positions are construction and transport, followed by finance and real estate. Bulgaria ranks fourth in Eastern Europe in terms of female representation on the boards of public companies.
Today's Ring The Bell for Gender Equality ceremony was opened by Manyu Moravenov, CEO of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange, and Denitsa Velichkova, Deputy Chair of the Financial Supervision Commission.
A special guest speaker was Krasimira Hadzhiivanova, founder of the platform "Maiko Mila" and the social enterprise "Ole Male", which supports parents of children with disabilities by providing them with opportunities for employment and income. She shared her experience and concrete examples of how social entrepreneurship can become a route to leadership, as well as the key challenges women in Bulgaria face on their path toward financial independence.