In anticipation of EU Diversity Month 2023, the Bulgarian Diversity Charter* announced the winners of the prestigious Diversity at Work 2022 Awards. 12 companies competed with their D&I campaigns in the relevant category of the Annual Responsible Business Awards 2022, the anniversary edition of the prestigious national competition for corporate social responsibility, sustainability and diversity, which the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) held for the 20th time in a row.

Lidl Bulgaria won the prominent first prize, HPE Bulgaria ranked second and Shell Bulgaria took the third position. They received their prizes at an official ceremony  attended by President Rumen Radev, Minister of Education and Science Prof. Dr. Sasho Penov, Deputy Minister of the Environment and Water Reneta Koleva, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy Prof. Emil Mingov, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Irina Shtonova, British Ambassador Rob Dickson.

Not only winners and finalists but all entries were briefly presented during the high-profile event which convened over 250 guests from the executive, private and civil sector, diplomats and the media.

The 20^th edition of the Annual Responsible Business Awards saw a significant increase in nominations in the Diversity at Work category introduced a year ago by the Diversity Charter in Bulgaria to recognise best practice in building diverse teams and inclusive working environments. This special category is part of BBLF’s effort as a co-founder of the local Charter to promote the benefits and encourage a culture of equality, respect and tolerance in the workplace.

This year 12 companies competed for the prestigious award, or 25% more than the previous year, which is a clear sign of the growing importance of diversity and equality among employers and employees in the private sector.

We are proud that four of our own Diversity Charter signatories, namely AstraZeneca, Shell, IBM and HPE submitted their entries. In addition, Accenture, Paysafe, Danone Serdika, Yettel, Imperia Online, Prestige-96, Solvay Sodi and Lidl also entered their D&I campaigns.

Lidl Bulgaria's Lidl Palette campaign for inclusion of people from different groups scooped the big prize in the category. HPE Bulgaria’s Diversity and Inclusion programme aiming at unconditional inclusion, an open-minded work environment and embracing diverse talent earned the company the prestigious second place. Shell Bulgaria's initiative Unique People. Stronger Together brought them the third recognition. For more on these and other campaigns in the category, please visit the Awards Archive.

The entries in the category were reviewed and assessed by an independent and objective committee of experts from the public and NGO sector, and members of the Bulgarian Diversity Charter’s Advisory Board.

In April 2023, the winner and the two runners-up will share practical details of their successful campaigns in building diverse teams and inclusive workplaces at the annual Diversity at Work webinar that gathers BBLF member companies, Bulgarian Diversity Charter existing and potential signatories, public, private and NGO sector representatives with an interest in D&I. The now traditional event enables them to encourage, exchange and promote diversity management policies and best practice and thus contribute to a better social climate and an overall environment of acceptance and tolerance in the society at large.  

*The Bulgarian Diversity Charter was launched in 2020 as a joint initiative of the Centre for the Study of Democracy and the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum. For details: www.diverse-bg.eu