FINDING THE BEST SOLUTION

The management of human resources is not limited to the recruitment and hiring of people. For Dobromira Manasieva HR is about finding solutions through which businesses meet their goals, employees feel engaged at work, and customers are satisfied.

Dobromira Manasieva is an HR professional with more than 18 years of experience in HR management and process operations. She has worked mainly for companies in the fields of IT, telecommunications, business process outsourcing, including IBM, Sitel, Experian, Vivacom. In the last few years she has shifted her focus to start-up businesses, which she supports on an organisational and strategic level. In addition, she has been involved in lecture facilitation projects such as the Women Entrepreneurs Academy and she has been consulting the development of processes and programmes in various areas of HR.

Dobromira is a graduate of English High School аnd has a Master's degree in Human Resource Management from the University of National and World Economy, and an MBA in International Management from the University of London, Royal Holloway College. She has been a member of the Board of the Bulgarian People Management Association (2014-2019) and co-chair of the HR Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria (2015-2017).

Dobromira is also the owner of Wellness Studio Figura Spool, a special place where women are encouraged to take care of themselves in a relaxing environment with the professional assistance of well-trained consultants.

You are part of several different teams, how did you get at this point?

I started my career in the corporate world, where the clarity, arrangement, and structuring of processes and tasks were my strengths. In this aspect, I am good at change management, optimisation and improvements. Maybe I owe part of the skills I have developed to my violin classes – I started at the age of four and ended up as the first violin in a children’s string orchestra.

Currently, I am an HR manager of the high technology hardware-as-a-service company – Alcatraz AI, and I also have representative functions in the office in Bulgaria. I am the owner and manager of Wellness Studio Figura Spool, which I started with my sister as a hobby, but later on turned into a mission – an incredible place that provides a real sense of a woman. I am a partner at an innovative start-up European Car Xchange (ECX), which enables sales of accidented vehicles directly from insurers to car dealers across Europe via online auctions. In parallel, I engage in diverse consulting projects connected to, establishing and optimisation of processes and development of people in organisations through mentorship, career consulting, audit and improvement of HR processes, entrepreneurial activities, and volunteering.

I think of human resources as a business process aiming at the achievement of a specific result, not as a formal role or a title. HR is not only the common recruitment and people involvement activities, it is more about finding solutions to guide the people in an organisation on how to meet the business goals; to support the comprehensive positive experience of the employees and the customers of a company. This type of management can be performed by an assigned team member who this function is entrusted to. It could be the team manager, the chief executive officer, and of course, the specialised HR department.

How do you build up a successful team?

Success, especially in an organisational context, is not an individual achievement. This is a group play, in which teamwork and synergy win. We have a team when people are united by a common goal, values, and dreams. Things we should still integrate into our culture. The place where I was able to achieve this from the very beginning and because of that is the closest to my heart is Wellness Studio Figura Spool. Created in 2019, it is an innovative studio for the improvement of women’s metabolic state and important vital systems. The vital energy enhancement and the good health of working women, and the support of teenagers in their fight against obesity, are my personal causes. Our expert team of consultants, who I have recruited, trained and now am developing in the studio, has an individual approach to each client to achieve results such as improving the metabolism and lymphatic system, detox, weight reduction, blood pressure regulation, etc. Our greatest success is to turn each visit of our clients in the studio into a wonderful experience. We achieve it by upgrading the wellness service with the approach of the consultants and their special attitude, clients’ feedback, and understanding their needs. Of course, I put the same passion and energy into all my activities. If I am not convinced I would be able to give my all, I just don’t start any venture.

Do you trust your experience or your intuition when making decisions?

I am inspired by the fulfillment from the feeling when I know I have been useful. I rely a lot on my intuition, but it is the result of the experience I have gained. For things unfamiliar and new to me, I rather look for logic and structured analysis. In fact, it's the same thing but located at a different level in our brain. The key to feeling happy is having a purpose, a cause, and seeing your results. For this to happen, it is important to be the best version of ourselves, and this requires the continual development of our intellectual and physical qualities. Any system that is not exercised regresses, so it is important to train both our mind and our body.

It is said that motivation is the key to success. What inspires you in working with people?

When I started my career in HR, even as an intern, I had no clear idea of the profession. But I was lucky to have my first mentors who are strong personalities and the most prominent HR professionals in Bulgaria. That’s why I find it inspiring to be able to pass on my experience and different perspective, which I share with the people I work with, and to see the positive change. In my work, I strive to manage and provide guidance through personal example, even without a title and formal authority, to affect changes that bring satisfaction and success to people. This is my emotional experience in relationships with people and it gives me a sense of completeness.

Sofia, 54 G. M. Dimitrov Blvd, Block 60

Phone: +359 878 177 665

www.studiofigurabg.com