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Human Capital and Education

Mission

Human Capital and Education Committee provides a platform for HR professionals and consultants from multi-national and local companies to share, discuss and learn about the latest trends in HR sector as well as to collectively influence local policy and decision makers for effective solutions in labor legislation and education which will improve the Bulgarian labor market.

Priorities

HCE Committee Priorities 2024 – 2025 (presented before the AmCham Bulgaria Board on May 9th, 2024)

Leadership

Ivelina Panamska, Group HR Manager, MOTO-PFOHE – Co-Chair,
Victoria Vakova – Assoc. Director, Human Resources Business Partner – Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, MSD Bulgaria – Co-Chair.

2023 – 2026

Boyka Docheva, Country HR Leader, Client-facing HRPIBM Bulgaria – Co-chair
Vladislav Marinov, General Manager Human Resources Management Directorate, United Bulgarian Bank AD

2011 – 2023

Zlatina Kushkieva, Managing Partner, HR Consulting Partners
Borislav Slavchov, ABC Innovations (2022 – 2023)

2016 – 2021

Iva Todorova, Government and Regulatory Affairs Executive, IBM Bulgaria
AmCham Board Member (2016 – 2021), Co-Chair HR & Education Committee (2016 – 2021) and Co-Chair Digital Economy Committee (2019 – 2021)

Committee Activities

Human Capital and Education Committee Priorities 2023 presented a diverse scope of activities and projects to secure the coherence with the overall AmCham Bulgaria Priorities (set by the Board in 2022), and to provide a platform for engagement, positioning, and advocacy of the members.

Download the HCE Priorities 2022 – 2023

Empower Her Initiative 2023

The top-down Empower Her Initiative started to take shape by utilizing and uniting ideas and efforts of volunteering HR professionals from the membership. It resulted in a unified program – Empower Her 2024 that consisted three projects – EmpowerBank, Rise to Shine, and Unlock Your Power – that were subsequently developed in the period July – December 2023.

Hackathon

A fourth project emerged from the barnstorming session in July 2023 that took its own development and conceptualization, and implementation – then know as 1st AmCham Bulgaria Hackathon that we co-organized with two universities – the Technical University – Sofia and the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration to Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski.

Committee’s Meetings

December 5, 2023

Committee Meeting: What have been the legal changes in 2023 Employers need to consider:

  • “The next normal of work” – What Should be on Employers’ People Agenda? by EY Bulgaria

November 27, 2023

Committee Meeting on Employee Engagement

  • How to Transform the Collaboration with the Employee in a Long-Term Partnership – Unicredit Bulbank
  • The Power of Involved Employees: Co-Design and Co-Implementation of Employee Engagement Plan is Key to Its Success – by Philip Morris International
  • Beyond Boundaries: Enhancing Engagement through Omni-Channel Learning – by Scalefocus

November 9, 2023

Committee Meeting on the most recent results and trends in total remuneration in Bulgaria. Main responsibilities of employers following the new EU Directive on pay equity and transparency and what are the expectations from companies to comply.

  • Key Results and Trends from Mercer 2023 Total Remuneration Survey (TRS) – presented by Stela Yulzari, Mercer Talent Information Solution Consultant, Mercer Marsh Benefits Bulgaria
  • Employers’ responsibilities as a result of the new EU Directive on pay equity and transparency. How to ensure compliance. – Tatyana Dobreva, Consultant, Mercer Marsh Benefits Bulgaria

November 2, 2023

HCE Committee Priorities – Initial Discussion

July 19, 2023

Join meeting on identifying possible cooperation areas with the Human Capital Committee of the German Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK).

Julne, 2023

  • EmpowerHer Initiative Bulgaria – Brainstorming Session and its follow-up prioritized three out of nine ideas to be shaped as projects, there were three separate working groups formed in the Summer of 2023. Their volunteer members developed the strategy, scope and plan for the 3 EmpowerHer projects to be implemented in
    • Best practices in Empowering and Support of women – designed with an internal focus (members)
    • Pro-bono coaching to women leaders in member companies – with initial scope of members-only coaching expertise.
    • Early Career development classes with identified high schools (incl. members, such as the American College of Sofia, Anglo-American School)

March 30, 2023

Learn from some of the leading experts what are the “Green skills” that companies need to start developing as a result of the EU Green Deal, and ideas for financing the upskill/reskill of employees:

  • Dr. Maria Trifonova, Chief Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University;
  • Albena Markova, Advisory Partner South Eastern Europe, PwC
  • Borislav Slavchov, ABC Innovation – EU Funding Opportunities for Green Model Implementation and Green Skills Development in the Workplace

March 2, 2023

Initiation of the Empower Her Initiative via AmCham Bulgaria at the International Women’s Day Celebration 2023 AmCham members with EY, BCause, MSD Bulgaria, IBM, UniCredit Bulbank, the American University in Bulgaria, etc.) discussed the challenges for women and potential solutions with representatives of the Ministry of Education, Ladies’ Forum, Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, and the U.S. Embassy.

Diversity & Inclusion

Empower Her Initiative was the corner-stone of the DEI dimension.

Borislav Slavchov, ABC Innovations, was elected Co-Chair of the HCE Committee, together with Zlatina Kushkieva, HR Consulting Partners.

The Education domain priorities included collaboration with AmChams in Europe, with universities in the U.S., and policy building, incl. those related to the Recovery and Resilience Plan; analyzing the needs and expectations of potential investors in Bulgaria, EdTech, technology transfer from and to universities; digitalization of vocational and higher education, etc.

AmCham Educational Partnership

This was a great collaboration with the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, and the New Bulgarian University started in the Fall of 2022 with seven topics delivered by a dozen top HR professionals from member companies before students in the master programs at the two universities. Topics included Employer Branding, HR analytics (using data for decision-making), Recruitment – process, tools and digital solutions, Performance Management, Talent Review, Communication, and Business Etiquette.

Among the members who dedicated time and shared knowledge in 2022 were Katrin Hrusanova, Sales and Events Manager & Natalia Tzvetanova, Recruitment Manager from JobTiger; Victoria Vakova, HR Country Lead Bulgaria, N. Macedonia, Kosovo & Albania, MSD, Nadezhda Vasileva, Permanent Placement Director, Adecco Bulgaria; Savina Dineva, Business Development Manager, Sb Accounting & Consulting, Boyka Docheva, Global HR Partner, Technology Lifecycle Services & Nadezhda Syarova, Talent Acquisition Manager BG, SLO, CRO, SRB, IBM, and Rumyana Peteva, HR Business Partner Supply Chain and Supporting Functions and Stelyana Kasabova, Corporate Affairs Manager, Kamenitza.

Moderators at Sofia University were Prof. Zhelyu Vladimirov and Kiril Velichkov, Ph.D., and at NBU – Chief Assist. Prof. Maria Tumbeva, Ph.D.

November 29, 2022

Sharing specific company practices: Overgas practices for Employees and Vulnerable Groups; EY’s Inclusive Culture: Sharing the Journey and the Experience; Employment and Entrepreneurship in Underprivileged Groups” – by the Trust for Social Achievement (TSA).

October 21, 2022

EU Funding Opportunities of HR Development Programs

This was a partnership with the SME Promotion Agency with which the Committee organized a webinar with speakers: Nataliya Efremova, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Works., Mihail Balabanov, HR Development Center Director, National Agency for the Erasmus+, and Kalin Marinov, Deputy Director, General Directorate “European Funds for Competitiveness”, “Research and innovation for support of HR Development.

June, 2022

  • Developed recommendations to the Government on changes in the labor-related legislation to support the digital transformation, in partnership with the Digital Committee, that AmCham submitted in March 2023.
  • On opportunities and challenges when transferring employees from non-EU countries to Bulgaria; Challenges in transferring departments from Belarus and Russia to Bulgaria; Proposed legislation amendments of the Blue Cards legislation; Globalization of the labor market and a summary of its most common problems and challenges

March 2022

On the topic of Ukrainian refugees employment: how employers should ensure legal compliance of the hybrid way of working how companies have addressed the Legal and Health & Safety aspect of employees’ work both from home and the office

Diversity &  Inclusion

For a consecutive year, the D&I topic gathered professionals from different sectors to present it before members. This time presenters were Darina Georgieva, Overgas Inc., Dimitrina Vassileva, EY Bulgaria, and Petia Goolamallee, Program Officer Employment, and Entrepreneurship, Trust for Social Achievement.

Position Paper

Sabina Dineva, SB Accounting and Irena Manolova, the HCE Committee prepared Recommendations for improvement in legislation in the area of digitalization of the Labour Code which were combined with comments from the Digital Economy Committee.

The Committee continued to work on the topic of hiring high-quality third-country citizens and welcomed the professional views of Rebeka Kleytman, Manager, EY Law Partnership and Nevena Kovacheva, Associate Partner, EY Bulgaria on the expected legislative changes in the so-called “Blue Card”.

United With Ukraine

After the outbreak of the Russian war in Ukraine, the Committee actively started to seek good examples for the needed legislative changes that would help accommodate the Ukrainian refugees in Bulgaria and integrate them in our economy. This was the case of the exchange with AmCham Poland. Also, the Committee leadership together with law firms have coordinated a communication to employers how they can hire Ukrainians legally.

Cooperation with Partners

Joint meeting held with AmCham Poland (support to Ukrainian migrants) and AmCham Hungary Human Capital Committees (exchanging trends in HR)

December 10, 2021
Human Capital and Education Committee Strategic Meeting
Overview to follow

December 16, 2021,

Joint webinar with AmCham Ukraine was “Global Human Capital Talks: Ukraine and Bulgaria”. Moderators: Yegor Grygorenko, Deloitte Ukraine, and Zlatina Kushkieva, HRCP. The session included insight of Jan Peter de Jong, Microsoft UA, Boyka Docheva, IBM Bulgaria, and Veselina Stoycheva, Musala Soft. The two teams talked about the new priorities and challenges for productivity management, motivation, and ethics, and shared best practices.

November 25, 2021

Joint virtual meeting with the AmCham Hungary HR Committee led by the two Co-Chairs – Zlatina Kushkieva, HRCP, and Róbert Dobay, Act2Manage, discussed the Digital Transformation of HR

November 3, 2021
AmCham Bulgaria Reaffirms Priorities While Continues to be The Transatlantic Voice in Bulgaria

“During the Strategic Retreat on September 16-17, 2021, the Board welcomed the seven new members of the Board, decided to continue working with the existing committees, such as Energy and Mineral Resources, Healthcare, HR & Education, Tax and Finance, while Digital Economy merges with E-Governance.

  • HR & Education Committee changes its name to Human Capital and Education Committee.

In 2021, the HR and Education Committee again performed at its best. It connected HR professionals across AmCham and went beyond by sharing best practices and trying to find the solutions for the future of work in terms of digitalization, generation overlaps, post-covid recovery, future of work, challenges of the new normal, job flexibility, remote working, corporate identity, employer branding dynamics, HR automation, e-signature, and gamification of HR processes.

Those topics were presented and discussed by professionals such as Snezhana Koleva, Associate Director, People & Culture, Coca-Cola European Partners Bulgaria, Andrea Tognetti, Head of HR, UniCredit Bulbank, Irina Ioncheva, Ph.D., HR Manager, Adecco Group Bulgaria, Eva Makedonska, HR Director, Ingram Micro GBS, Svetlozar Petrov, Managing Director, JobTiger, Maria Stoeva, Head of Business Development and Rositsa Diamandieva, Business Development Manager, Manpower Bulgaria. 

November 18, 2020
On November 18th, 2020, AmCham Human Resources and Education Committee held a virtual meeting on Diversity and Inclusion that was moderated by Zlatina Kushkieva, HR and Education Committee Co-chair and Managing Partner at HR Consulting Partners.
Read the in-detail coverage from the virtual meeting. 

July 29, 2020
On July 29th, 2020 the HR & Education Committee organized a consecutive webinar to present two opportunities for partnerships. At the opening Iva Todorova, Co-Chair of the committee and Board member presented the recent activities of the Chamber incl. the feedback with proposals that AmCham sent last week to the Ministry of Labor and Social Works with regard of the open for discussion Amendments and Supplements Act of the Labor Code.
Read more here.

July 18, 2020
AmCham Bulgaria Position on the Bill for Amendments and Supplements of the Labor Code.
Read the Position here.

April 6, 2020
AmCham Bulgaria sent a position and proposal to the Government with regard the recently introduced and discussed support to employers, the so-called Rule 60/40. Read the position here.

February 11, 2020
On February 11th, 2020 the HR & Education Committee had a planned meeting at the American Corner at the Sofia City Library. Both Co-Chairs of the committee – Iva Todorova and Zlatina Kushkieva – welcomed the audience of 30 professionals from the AmCham HR community. The event had two main topics covered by some of the top-HR experts. First, it was the presentation of Rumiana Bosseva, CEO, ARS Bulgaria on “Agile HR through Flexible Technologies”. The second presentation was the shared experience of Hewlett-Packard Global Delivery Bulgaria Center titled “Work That Fits Your Life”. 
You can read more about the event here.

July 9th, 2019: the Committee held a meeting for best practice sharing with guest speakers:

June 13th, 2019: Best practice Sharing Meeting with guest speakers:

  • Metodi Georgiev, Executive Director, Cargill Bulgaria and Head of Cargill Business Services in Sofia, who delivered a presentation with topic “Empowering the young” and presented an initiative of Sofia University powered by Cargill
  • Mariya Yaneva, Team Leader/Permanent Placement, Adecco Bulgaria, who delivered a presentation with topic “Carrier Transition”.

June 4th, 2019: Joint meeting with the AmCham Quality Management Working Group on “Change Management” with guest speakers:

“Communication in change management: the internal support of a transformation” – Experience from the Rebranding of Monbat

  • Vanya Babanin, Global Director Marketing & Communications, Monbat Group

“Controlling Planned and Unintended Changes”

  • Ahinora Kolarova, Quality Manager, ISG Technology

May 23rd, 2019: ¨Employee Engagement¨ with guest speakers:

  • Anna Gabrovska, Country HR Manager, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bulgaria
  • Iva Petrova, Fundraising and CSR Expert, BCause Foundation
  • Rumiana Boseva, CEO, ARS Bulgaria
  • Svetlozar Petrov, Managing Director, JobTiger
  • Toufic Hawly, Co-founder and Director of Business Development, Easy Exhibit

April 2019

On April 23rd, 2019, The AmCham Human Resources and Education Committee held a meeting with topic ¨Employer Branding¨ with guest speakers:

“Employer of choice or employees of choice” – Coca-Cola Hellenic Bulgaria EVP Strategy – the journey

  • Anna Gabrovska, Country HR Manager, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bulgaria
  • Nikoleta Sveshtarska, Organizational Development Manager and HRBP, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bulgaria

“Invent Boldly, Reinvent Rapidly – the story of an EVP” – An employer branding journey to date – the why, the what, the how

  • Maria Atanasova –  Director, Human Capital EMEA, Progress

“The hunt for Talents: mission possible” Building a strong employer’s brand – audiences, tools, measurement

  • Svetlozar Petrov, Managing Director, JobTiger
  • Katya Dimitrova, CEO, InterImage

Read more about Human Capital and Education Committee in 2018

Committee Priorities 2017

December 2017
On December 7th, 2017, the AmCham Human Resources, Education and CSR Committee held a meeting with Deputy Ministers of Labor and Social Policy Mrs. Zornitsa Rusinova and Mr. Lazar Lazarov who presented the priorities of the government in the area of labor and social policy and specific priorities for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU 2018.

Press Release

Presentations of:


April 2017
On April 26th, 2017, the AmCham HR, Education and CSR Committee held a meeting to discuss focus areas and priorities laid out in the Human Capital Development section of the AmCham White Paper, as well as Committee’s agenda, activities and events in 2017 in support of these priorities. You may read more about the discussion in the Minutes of Meeting

HR, Education and CSR Committee Priorities for 2016

May 14, 2016

AmCham-BCAF Volunteer Day 2016

March 29, 2016

CSR Subcommittee Meeting

Presentation: Survey: Attitude to payroll giving in TOP 100 companies in terms of total revenue
Speaker: Stoyan Mihaylov, Junction Bulgaria

January 21, 2016

AmCham Tax and Human Resources Joint Committee Meeting: Supply of Staff Arrangements in Companies Part of International Groups – Tax, Accounting & Legal Aspects

  • Evelina Evtimova, Corporate Tax
  • Valentina Lukova, Global Employer Services/Tax Services
  • Alexandrina Alexandrova, Accounting and Payroll
  • Zvezdelina Filova, Attorney-at-law, Deloitte Bulgaria EOOD and Deloitte Legal Law Firm

October 22, 2015: How to Plan the Assignment / Employment in Bulgaria – For nationals of countries outside the EU & European Economic Area and Switzerland. Practical cases of EU Blue card / work permit based on intra-company transfer – specifics and advantages

  • Nikola Seymenov, Senior Consultant, Deloitte Bulgaria EOOD

September 16, 2015 Discussion on the latest amendments to the Labor Code (in force as of July 2015): Flexible Working Hours, Paid Annual Leave Amendments, Termination of employment contracts

  • Tanya Stivasareva, Manager | Attorney-at-law, Ernst & Young Law Partnership

November 21, 2014: “In preparation for 2015: Presentation of Compensation practices and policies 2014“

Mercer Compensation survey results (presentation attached in folder HR Committee – Activities in 2014)

  • Kamen Atanasov, Country Manager at Grain Bulgaria – a Mercer affiliate

OD&M Compensation Survey – CoRe 2014 (presentation attached in folder HR Committee – Activities in 2014). Bulgaria Labor Market – trends and forecasts

  • Stela Dimitrova, Product Manager Information Services

AIMS Compensation survey

  • Maria Shishkova, Managing Partner of AIMS Human Capital Bulgaria and Dale Carnegie Training Bulgaria

July 1, 2014: “Importance and Satisfaction of the Employees with the Working Environment Factors“

  • Elena Andonova, Marketing Manager, Sofia Airport Center

January, 2014

On December 4th, 2013, AmCham submitted a letter-request for a meeting with the Minister of Labor and Social Policy Hasan Ademov in order to discuss proposals for improvement and modernization of the labor legislation in Bulgaria. Among the proposed discussion topics were: easing of restrictions on the use of fixed-term contracts, changes related to the regulations on overtime employment, adaptation of the regulations on temporary employment, as well as regulation of traineeships.

You may read the full text of the letter of invitation here (letter to Hasan Ademov) (in Bulgarian).

Furthermore, following instructions by Minister Ademov, the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy submitted an official statement on the proposed topics related to amendments of the Labor Code. You may read the official statement of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy here (letter from Hasan Ademov) (in Bulgarian).

October 22, 2013: haring of Company Practices in Employee Engagement

“How to Engage Employees During Transformation”

  • Blagovesta Kremenova, HR Director, Danone Bulgaria

“Engagement to the People…”

  • Lyubomir Terziev, HR and Administrative Director, Electrostart AD: “Engagement to the People…”

“Career & Develop Process”

  • Katerina Shopova, HR Director, British American Tobacco Bulgaria: “Career & Develop process”

“Engagement on Focus in Harsh Times”

  • Natalia Georgieva, HR Manager, Blizoo Media and Broadband EAD: “Engagement on focus in harsh times”

Driving Employee Engagementt – Globally and Locally

  • Gergana Gancheva, Project Leader “Best Employers Study”, AON Bulgaria

June 5, 2012

Topic: Internships Project for school and university students a recently launched program by Ministry of Education, Youth and Science
Speaker: Evelina Christova, PhD, Ministry of Education, Youth and Science

June 1, 2012

Topic: How to translate intangible into numbers – employees engagement in business perspective
Sponsored by: AON Bulgaria, AonHewitt
Speakers:
Mr. Hristo Borissov, CEO, Aon Bulgaria | Aon Risk Solutions
Ms. Gergana Gancheva, Project Lead, Aon Hewitt Best Employers Study Bulgaria

March 9, 2012

Presentation: “Productivity. Effectiveness. Efficiency. Together. Now”.
Speaker: Mrs. Lyubov Georgieva, Country Manager at PEP worldwide – BulgariaFebruary 22, 2012Presentation: America for Bulgaria Initiative in BG and EN
Speaker: Natalia Miteva, Program Officer, America for Bulgaria Foundation

December 15, 2011

Topic: Share HR Practices – Mentoring and Coaching ProgramsPresentation: Mentoring Program in Avon Cosmetics Bulgaria – sharing of best practices
Speaker: Eva Pentova, Avon Cosmetics Bulgaria, HR Business Partner Bulgaria, Albania, MacedoniaPresentation: Building Coaching Practice and Culture in Business Organizations in Bulgaria
Speakers: Aneta Mladenova, Consulteam and Veselka Tsocheva, Consulteam

December 1, 2011

Topic: Employment Relations: Legal Issues
1. Termination of labor contracts – court practice update;
2. How the employer should handle a workplace harassment;
3. Restriction of competitive activities / non-competition agreement;
4. Future amendments to Bulgarian Labour Code – temporary employment agencies; distance work, etc.
SPEAKERS:
Ilya Komarevski, Managing Associate, Attorney-at-law
Veselka Petrova, Senior Legal Counsel, Attorney-at-law
Tsvetkova Bebov & Partners, the correspondent law firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Bulgaria

November 15, 2011

Topic: Coaching: The Most Innovative Tool for Business in Bulgaria
Speakers:
Peter Goryalov, Co-Founder & President and
Irina Goryalova, Co-Founder & Communications DirectorMeeting materials:
ICF Brochure Main
ICF Brochure Inserts
ICF Bulgaria Masterclass_Diane Brennan
ICF Bulgaria Masterclass_George RogersSeptember 20, 2011Topic: The Business Walks Into The Universities
– Universities in Bulgaria and worldwide. Business oriented education. Differences and similarities
– The business walks into the universities. Business seminars’ structure in the university. Topics toward the practical application of knowledge.
– Internships
– The future of the projects in the sphere in BulgariaSpeakers: Magdalena Nikolova, CEO and business trainer at MLC International, AmCham and Ani Dimitrova, Experience

June 16, 2011

Topic: Share HR Practices – Talent Management and Leadership Development
Talent Management Practices for Development and Retention of Professional and Management Employees – The IBM Approach
Presenter: Boyka Docheva, HR Business Partner, IBM
Leadership Development – Sharing of Citibank experience/practices
Presenter: Dessislava Lashkova, HR Manager CitibankIntegrated performance & talent management practices at Philip Morris Bulgaria
Presenter: Bilyana Ivanova, HR Business Partner, PMB

June 8, 2011

Topic: EU Funds for Human resources Development
Guest Speaker: Ms. Tanya Hristova, Head of Cabinet of the Minister of EU Funds ManagementFebruary 9, 2011
Topic: Remuneration Surveys – 2010 edition
Presentation of remuneration surveys available on Bulgarian market covering all forms of cash compensation, long-term incentives and benefits, etc.

Presentations:
Iva Todorova, ConsulTeam Human Capital Bulgaria Presentation
Albena Ivanova, Concepta BP, representative of Hay Group Presentation
Boncho Bonchev, PricewaterhouseCoopers Bulgaria Presentation
Georgi Jurov, AIMS Human Capital Presentation

June 29, 2010

Policy of the Ministry of Labor in the sphere of social works; European Programs – Current and upcoming programs under Operational Programs “Human Resources”
AmCham HR Committee invited Valentina Simeonova, deputy minister of labour and social policy, and Martin Petkov, expert with Consulto Bulgaria to give more information to member companies regarding policy of the ministry, European programs, and current and upcoming programs under operational program Human Resources.

Presentation

February 3, 2010

Working Meeting with Official Guest Speakers: Krassimir Popov, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Zornitza Russinova, Director of DG “European Funds”, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Liliana Stankova, Head of Unit at Ministry of Labor and Social Policy and Rositsa Stelianova, Executive Director, Employment Agency on the following topics of discussion:

1. Blue Card Council Directive 2009/50/EC;
2. Operational Program Human Resources development– Program for part-time employment;
3. Development of a list of large clients in the Employment Agency like the ‘Large Taxpayers and Insurers’ of the National Revenue Agency.

November 25, 2009

Meeting with Krassimir Popov, Deputy Minister of Labor and Rossitsa Stelianova, Executive Director, Employment Agency.

Topics:

  • Operational Program Human Resources Development and Grand scheme 2010
  • Working Permits and Labor visas for Non-EU nationals
  • Developments of the labor market and unemployment

 Main Achievements:

  • The AmCham Human Resources Committee has been established on July 9th, 2008.
  • Since July 2008, five working meetings were conducted.
  • A meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs was held on October 10th and ways for cooperation between the Ministry and the Chamber were discussed.
  • As a result of the meeting with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, AmCham was represented at the first Bulgaria Job Fair in Madrid.
  • AmCham research on corporate internships conducted and released.
  • The October issue of AmCham Magazine was dedicated on HR topic presenting the results of the AmCham Internship Programs Survey. The HR professionals and the interns shared their experience and views on the topic.
  • The Human Resources Committee in cooperation with the Public Affairs Committee sent position papers on the following issues raised during the meetings:
  • Working Permits
  • Personnel Lease issues
  • Food Vouchers issues

CSR Subcommittee Archive

This time, we have chosen education as our main topic and we would like to encourage our members to share their knowledge and experience with children and young people in Bulgarian schools.

Abbott Products EOOD, AIMS Human Capital, American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), Amgen Bulgaria EOOD, Atos IT Solutions and Services EOOD, Citibank N.A. – Sofia Branch, Eurobank EFG Bulgaria (under the brandname of Postbank), IBM Bulgaria, Johnson Controls Electronics Bulgaria, MBL | Part of the CB Richard Ellis Network, Radisson Blu Grand Hotel, Stanton Chase International Bulgaria, Sopharma AD, Titan Zlatna Panega Cement, VUZF University Higher School of Insurance and Finance

AmCham Magazine dedicated on Members’ Volunteer Projects, issue May 2011

October 15, 2011 – Event Media Coverage

May 28, 2011 – Event Media Coverage

AmCham Magazine Coverage

May 15, 2010  Event Media Coverage

October 23, 2010  Event Media Coverage

May 16, 2009  Event Media Coverage

October 24, 2009  Event Media Coverage

AmCham Corporate Social Responsibility Committee is glad to invite you to be part of the new initiative AmCham GREEN PROJECT 2009.

The aim of the AmCham GREEN PROJECT 2009:
• to support AmCham members in their environmental activities;
• to spread targeted information;
• to share achievements;
• to enlarge individual projects and/or start new ones.

Top 3 actions to reduce your carbon footprint at work:

Don’t go! – Telecommuting that is, working from home through an Internet connection to the office, can drastically reduce the average workers carbon footprint. The average European car, releases 169 grams/km CO2. Traveling a convenient 30 km round trip over the work year produces more than 1.4 tons of CO2 emissions – equal to the weight of your car.

Don’t keep running! – Did you know that in Bulgaria over the course of a work year, the average computer being put in sleep mode, as opposed to being left running produces 97 kg less CO2 emissions? To save 25% more, don’t just sleep – hibernate!

Be warm and stay cool! Buildings account for 40% of the energy used in the European Union and the vast amount of this is related to heating and air conditioning. Keep the summer temperature in your offi ce ≥ 25°C and ≤ 22°C in winter. To reduce more expenses and CO2 emissions, limit use of the heating and cooling system during non-working hours.
1) A Carbon Footprint refers to the quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, measure in units of CO2, produced by human activities during the life-cycle of a specifi c service or product.

denkstatt presentation  

Top 3 actions actions to reduce your environmental impact at work:
Hear all about it… by reading newspapers online. Environmentally responsible publishers in Bulgaria have begun promoting free online access to their publications. Save some cash and fi nd your favorite articles – online today!
Bottle this bottle that… reduce the amount of waste arising from bottling beverages by buying larger quantities rather than individual servings. Better yet, drink from the tap!
Waste or resource? Urban mining is the hottest new green term! It refers to using old electronics as a source for precious and other useful metals, rather than traditional mining. Separate the items you no longer use and recycle them.

To get started on topic, please check on the links below for more information on resource management:
Solutions for the world’s water woes
Taking care of the trash

Resource Management_Presentation
DEVIN PET lightweight bottle project
Utilities Magazine article

In a democracy, one must use the power of the ballot to elect the candidate with the best attributes. So too is the case in capitalism! Every Leva, Euro, or Dollar you spend is a vote for the approval of the products and services you buy.

Recognizing the scale of contemporary environmental challenges and the complexity of purchasing decisions, civil society, government, and business have come together to make purchasing decisions easier. The following labels are among the most popular “eco-labels” in Europe. Certifi cation criteria promote businesses to operate with a lower impact on the environment, thus facilitating the
transition to a more sustainable society.

Biodiversity is diminishing at an alarming rate. The premier organization monitoring threatened species, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, recently announced 25%-36% of mammals are currently at risk of extinction due to habitat loss. The study also revealed that the efforts to recuperate some of these species have been successful.

No one can save everything – we have one planet and one chance to get it right, which means we must all cooperate. What can your business do? Among the options why not give just 1% to the planet?
Check out: www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

Why go green? AmCham Hiking Tour

As part of the AmCham Green Project and its July-August topic “Nature Conservation”, the CSR Committee organized on July 25th a one-day journey to one of Bulgaria’s most magnificent and inspiring mountain areas – The Seven Lakes region of the Rila Mountains, part of one of the largest National Parks in Europe.

Top 3 actions to reduce your environmental footprint at home

Dress your home, not just your honey! Insuring your loved ones wear a sweater in the winter rather than turning up the thermostat is a great fi rst step. However, dressing your home with proper insulation is the most economically effective way to reduce energy bills and increase the comfort of your home.

Penny wise and pound foolish. Do you regularly use convectional or radiation heat at home? While these electric sources are inexpensive to purchase, their operating and environmental costs far outweigh those of air conditioner heat
pumps, which use up to fi ve times less energy!

A,B,Cs of DIY (do it yourself) – When purchasing appliances for your home be sure to look for the European Union Energy Certifi cate. Manufactures are obliged to include a label specifying the efficiency of their products as a part of the packaging materials.

Green_Life_Presentation

Read more about the project activities


GREEN News & Links

On July 16, 2008 the European Commission presented its Sustainable Consumption and Production Package (SCP), which is a series of proposals with the objective of improving the environmental performance of products and increasing the demand for more sustainable goods and production technologies. AmCham welcomes the SCP package and believes that its impact on business may be positive and negative at the same time. Below are AmCham EU position papers on several policies from the policy package: Proposal for the extension of the Eco-design Directive; Proposal for the revision of Eco-label Regulation; Proposal for the revision of the Eco Management and Audit Scheme Regulation; Proposal for a Regulation for an Environmental Technology Verification Scheme; and Proposal for a Retailer Forum establishment.

ENV_SCP_ACTION_PLAN
ENV_SCP_ECO-LABEL_REGULATION
ENV_SCP_EMAS_REGULATION
ENV_SCP_EVTS.sflb ENV_SCP_RETAILER_FORUM

News from This Committee

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Empower Her Initiative Kick-Off

29/01/2023

On January 24, 2023 AmCham Bulgaria together with the U.S. Embassy in Bulgaria kicked-off together the Empower Her initiative in the country. “I’m excited for…