Mariya Gabriel: Women are a driving force for a better and fairer world
08 March 2024 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel was a keynote speaker at the international conference ‘EmpowerHer: Elevate to Excellence’, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria (ACC) in partnership with European Female Founders on the occasion of International Women's Day. EmpowerHer is a global initiative of the American Chambers in Europe that promotes women's entrepreneurship and leadership skills.
The conference was opened by the CEO of ACC Ivan Mihaylov, and among the participants in the discussion were the Minister of Innovation and Growth Milena Stoycheva and the Chair of the Board of the Bulgarian Innovation Forum Monika Stanisheva.
‘Today we celebrate the achievements of women who empower, unite and show how the entrepreneurial spirit, combined with inspiration and drive, can contribute to economic growth. It is a day to recognize the driving force of women who provide answers to challenges. They are inspirational leaders and need every voice to give visibility to their talent and experience’, Mariya Gabriel said.
During the discussion, representatives of the Bulgarian innovation ecosystem shared their experiences and provided guidance for future actions. The conference was attended by Plamena Cherneva — board member of European Entrepreneur Founders Forum and founder of Nordic Women in Tech, Boyka Docheva — HR Director at IBM Bulgaria, Milena Kostova-Organdzhieva — Managing Director at MSD Bulgaria, Darina Stoyanova — CEO at Prestige-96 AD, Rumyana Peteva — HR Director at Kamenitza, Tsvetanka Mintcheva — CEO and Chairman of the Board of UniCredit Bulbank, Anne-Charlotte Joubert — Coordinator at European Female Founders, Salomé Le Goff — Program Director at Willa, Francisca Eiriz — Head of Project Management at UPTEC.
The following themes emerged: support for women entrepreneurs, more women-led companies, the need for women's leadership programmes and information campaigns. These messages were supported by Gabriel, who called for common actions and initiatives. On her initiative, among the priorities of Bulgaria's membership in the UN Human Rights Council for 2024—2026 is the inclusion of more women and girls in all spheres of political and public life and access to STEM education with a special focus on girls.
‘The key words for success are creating a link between education and entrepreneurship, strategic investment and access to capital. The next step is to organise an initiative to give more visibility to the success stories of girls and women innovators in areas such as energy, health, mobility, climate, science and education. We need support for those who are already active and inspiration and support for those who have decided to follow their path,’ Mariya Gabriel concluded.
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