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It goes without saying – Bulgaria is a great country. But what is that single thing that makes it a place worth living in, especially for foreigners? We asked this question a Romanian lady and two Italian gentlemen who as part of their international career at UniCredit now have managerial positions in UniCredit Bulbank – the leading bank in the country.

To Vagabond Raluca, Mario and Andrea share what has impressed them most in Bulgaria and compare their opinions on Bulgarian treasures.

Bulgarians make me feel being at home

The liberalisation of the Bulgarian energy market is an ongoing process that is already showing the benefits: more transparent pricing, investments in new technologies, effectiveness. With presence in Central and Eastern Europe, Energy Supply is one of the companies that actively participate in the transformation of the Bulgarian electricity market. We met with Sonia Kadieva, Manager, to learn more about the sector's challenges and potential.

What is Energy Supply and towards what clients is it oriented?

We are still amazed by the rapid change that the digital revolution brought into our lives in a matter of years: from socializing to shopping to security. But we often overlook a crucial aspect of this change: the legal frame within which it takes place. Personal data and intellectual property protection are just two of the many legal issues that appear as humanity travels towards an increasingly digital living.

Modern women have unprecedented opportunities to unleash their potential in all types of career paths. With this, however, comes the heavy burden of balancing between professional ambition, family and children, and personal harmony.

Petya Chapkanova (laser and equipment-based procedures specialist), Yordanka Goranova (medical beautician), Dr Elena Stoykova (dermatologist) and Ekaterina Stoyanova and Yuliya Kruychkova (masseurs) offer impeccable results and satisfy even the highest requirements with latest generation of technology and cosmetics by international brands. They are aware that skin needs complex care to be healthy and beautiful, and offer free examination for precise diagnosis and the selection of the best therapies.

Trayana or Mirage biscuits, Naya wafers... When we crave something sweet, we often opt for the products of a Bulgarian company that for 25 years has taken care of the sweet moments in our life. Prestige-96 wafers, biscuits and cake bars are known and loved not only in Bulgaria, but also in 30 countries around the world. The company is also socially engaged, with focus on children and young adults in Bulgaria.

Personal finance management is one of the most important tasks we have to deal with in our lives. Each day in Bulgaria and the world appear new opportunities for investment and finance and insurance instruments we can benefit from. But how to find our way in a dynamic situation such as the current one? Partnership with a proven consulting company such as Together Bulgaria is the solution for everyone who wants to invest sensibly and with good return.

A couple of months: this time was enough for Silvia Tomova, founder and manager of Privilege Consulting Services, a company for credit intermediation, to prove that well-thought risks are worth taking. Before establishing PCS in 2020, Silvia Tomova had 15 years of professional experience in banking, real estate and trade companies, and in the last five of those she was at a managerial position at one of Bulgaria's largest banks.

I have nothing to wear! How many times we have told ourselves this in front of the gaping wardrobe while running out of time to prepare and leave for the office, an important meeting or a dinner? Rumyana Dimitrova has a solution for the everyday challenge that troubles every professional woman. She established Help Me Dress, a company for professional styling and personal consulting, to help us not only save time, nerves and even money, but also to look good, confident and authentic in our clothes.

Nowadays we often remind ourselves that the future is unpredictable. But professionals such as Gichka Arnaudova, Sales Network Bancassurance Director at Allianz Bulgaria, know how we can profit even in an unstable situation. Gichka Arnaudova has dedicated her professional life to insurance, including with a PhD, and is a member of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. She is married, with 3 children.

In 2020 we all learned to Zoom, from chatting with friends and relatives to attending concerts and conferences, to meeting with recent and prospective business partners. This dramatic shift in communication, from the eye-to-eye to the screen-to-screen, both helped businesses and individuals to deal with the consequences of the lockdown and created a whole new set of anxieties (who has not asked themselves: do I look professional and convincing enough in my kitchen?).

Trust is crucial for each business, but when property is concerned, its importance rises exponentially. This is why we talk with Vyara Apostolova, founder and executive officer of Martin's Real Еstate agency. Through the years the company has proven its ability to win clients' trust with its trademark combination of loyalty, correctness and reliability that benefits all stakeholders.

What is Martin's and what expertise is behind the company?

Opening a luxury hotel in the summer of 2020 seemed like the definition of a not very well thought idea. Grand Hotel Millennium proved the sceptics wrong. Since this astonishing building that towers over central Sofia opened for guests last June, it has not only changed the cityscape: it also redefined luxury experience for residents and guests of the capital. Grand Hotel Millennium opened stage-by-stage, with limited room capacity.

For years, Bulgaria has been a leader in female inclusion and participation in the "male" world of informatics and digital technologies. Professor Sylvia Ilieva, PhD, is one of the trailblazers. She has decades of experience and is one of the scientists who, in 2019, created GATE, a Sofia-based research institute for Big Data and AI at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski."

For years, FOX Optics have been more than a recognisable name on the Bulgarian market: for thousands of satisfied clients, they embody quality without compromise, and innovation, attention to detail and partnership with the best manufacturers of frames, dioptric lenses and sunglasses, contact lenses, magnifiers, low vision systems, elite binoculars. 

Humanity has known this for ages, and so does Hollywood. The actors in the Dream Factory have been famed for decades for their well-aligned, shiny smiles. But most of them were not born with perfect teeth. The Hollywood Smile is more often than not the result of the fine work of experienced dentists.

Today, thanks to the progress in dental medicine, everyone can smile the Hollywood way, particularly patients of Impression Dent clinic.

How can we achieve a Hollywood smile?

•Bonding

•Veneers

•Zirconium crowns

Arvena's face and body creams combine not only high-quality natural products, organic plant oils and organic Bulgarian rose oil, but also lots of love. Arvena is fit to the modern woman's highest standards: no compromises with the products' ingredients, care for nature with easy to recycle packaging, passion and aim for the best possible results.

www.arvenacosmetics.com

FB: arvenacosmetics

Nourish and nurture your face with Hristina Cosmetics special facial masks for all skin types. They cleanse, peel, and reduce pigmentation, they minimise pores and make your skin glow with health and beauty.

With the growing demand for increased mobility of people and goods Bulgaria's crossroad position in Europe can be a blessing. So far, however, the country has lagged in modernising its railways. We talk with Lyudmil Ivanov, PhD, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Railway Signalling, Automation, Telecommunication and Industry Association (RASTIA), about how and why Bulgaria should develop its railways.

Dear Mr Ivanov, what is RASTIA and what is its main goal? 

Online sales have boomed in the past year, but many companies still struggle to translate the increased interest into real growth. What stops them from unleashing their potential? Desislava Makulova knows the answer. The founder and manager of DMG Consult, a company focused on top-quality call-centre services, has seen the businesses of many partners flourish after outsourcing customer services operations to the professionals. The result is happier, more satisfied and loyal clients and businesses that not only survive, but thrive.