The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry marks 130 years with prestigious awards for mentors and entrepreneurs.

On June 9, 2025, the first official edition of the "ATLAS - Mentor of the Year 2025" awards, organized by the Council "Entrepreneurship and Startup" at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), took place at the Grand Hotel Sofia. The event, held on the eve of the 130th anniversary of the BCCI, was dedicated to recognizing mentors and organizations that make efforts to build a sustainable business environment in Bulgaria.

The awards ceremony was led by the co-chairs of the Council - Victoria Karaabova-Stoianova and Gena Sabeva. They emphasized the importance of the awards as a sign of appreciation for the key role of mentors in the development of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The winners in the three categories were: in "Development of the Business Environment" - Tsvetan Simeonov, Chairman of the BCCI; in "Link between Education and Business" - Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of the University of National and World Economy; in "Women's Entrepreneurship" - Nikola Bakalov, CEO of First Investment Bank.

Special attention was also paid to the ladies honored at the fifth edition of the "Arena of Women's Business" forum 2025 - Manuela Nikolova, Ivanka Kulova, Bistra Ivanova and Desislava Kinova. A financial grant of 5,000 BGN from the Women's Business Community was awarded to Maria Gineva, a social entrepreneur and a member of the community, for the development of her social enterprise "Rabotilnichka Biskvitite".

The ceremony was attended by business leaders, entrepreneurs, representatives of mentoring organizations, participants in entrepreneurship programs, as well as mentors and graduates of the Council's "Entrepreneurship and Startup" national mentoring programs. All award winners also received the two volumes of the "ENTERPRISING" almanacs, which collect autobiographical stories of individuals who have contributed to Bulgarian business.

Co-chair Gena Sabeva expressed the hope that the next ceremony will unveil new followers of the legacy of the great Bulgarian entrepreneur Ivan Grozev, whose documentary film was screened at the beginning of the event.