FANTASTICO GROUP, ITX Bulgaria, and Latecoere Bulgaria are the new winners of the Diversity at Work award. They received their prizes at the high-profile ceremony of the 2025 Annual Responsible Business Awards held on 16 March 2026 in Sofia.
The Bulgarian Diversity Charter isdelighted to share that three companies were recently recognized for their best practice in diversity, equity and inclusion at the workplace.
The prestigious accolade recognizes companies’ efforts to ensure an inclusive professional environment. It is part of the Annual Responsible Business Awards, a well-established national corporate social responsibility and sustainability contest organised by the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) since 2003. The Awards’ most recent category, Diversity at Work, was introduced by the Bulgarian Diversity Charter in 2021 to promote best practice in building diverse teams and inclusive workplaces.
The high-profile ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers, jury members, business executives, civil society organisations, diplomats and the media.
The diversity award jury, which includes relevant institutions and members of the Charter’s Advisory Council, assessed all entriesto select thethree winners:
1st prize: FANTASTICO GROUP for their strategy for diversity, equity, and inclusion that builds an environment where every employee, partner, and customer feels respected, accepted, and motivated to contribute to the company’s success, regardless of differences. Vice president Valentina Bojeva, Vice President, accepted the award.
2nd prize: ITX Bulgaria and the Zara retail chain for their Different Opportunities, Real Skills programme in partnership withMaria’s World Foundation. The project provides practical opportunities for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities through work experience in a real-world work environment, leading to the development of skills, confidence, and sustainable employment. Stoyan Popov, Managing Director, got on stage to receive the accolade.
3rd prize: Latecoere Bulgariaand their Factory Stories project that fosters an inclusive culture and leadership by sharing personal stories as well as trainings that all helped build a stronger team. Elena Stoyanova, Business Partner HR, received the award.
Congratulations to the teams behind the winningDEI projects!
The 1st prize winner receives a bonus: an invitation to the official opening of the EU Diversity Month on 21 April in Brussels. The high-level event is part of the EU Diversity Charters Platform’s programme and offers an excellent opportunity for networking and discussions at the international level.
Importantly, the Sofia ceremony announcing the finalists and winners of the DEI award showcased all entries in the category to encourage, inform and inspire their peers in the audience.
The awards were handed out by Maxim Behar, BBLF Board member and CEO of M3 Communications Group, one of the founding companies of the Bulgarian Diversity Charter in 2020. In his speech to the audience, he highlighted the significant contribution of Kamelia Slaveykova, a member of the BBLF Board and Chair of Shell’s Board of Directors, to the inception and promotion of the activities of the Bulgarian Diversity Charter.
The high-profile ceremony was powered by gold partners Alaric Securities, Astellas, JTI Bulgaria, DPM Metals, Musala Insurance Broker, Schwarz Digits Bulgaria, and Telematic Interactive; silver partners Amusnet, Congress Engineering, Lidl Bulgaria, and M3 Communications Group; and partners Coca-Cola HBC Bulgaria and Vinex Preslav.
