The Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) recently conducted a survey among 300 companies listed on the exchange to assess women's representation in leadership roles. This initiative was part of the global "Ring The Bell for Gender Equality" event, aligned with International Women's Day and supported by the World Federation of Exchanges, the United Nations Global Compact, and UN Women.

The survey revealed that 60% of these companies have women in their managing bodies. However, only 3% are entirely managed by women on their Boards, while another 14% have exclusively female executive directors. The findings highlight that nearly 40% of the companies surveyed do not have women in their managing bodies.

Assoc. Prof. Manyu Moravenov, CEO of BSE, stated: "For another consecutive year, the Bulgarian Stock Exchange supports the global initiative for equality by highlighting the positive trends in business. Our survey results confirm the steady growth of women in leadership positions in public companies. This is a clear sign that gender equality is not only possible but also creates real added value for business performance."

Gender equality has significant economic implications. It could potentially add $12 billion to global GDP and boost productivity by up to 35% in certain countries. Despite this potential, only 12% of fund managers globally are women. According to data from the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact, at current rates, it will take approximately 152 years to close the economic gender gap.

At the Ring The Bell event, Ms Darinka Georgieva from the Bulgarian Network of the UN Global Compact addressed attendees alongside special guest speaker Ms Maya Doneva from the European Women’s Lobby. Doneva is known for her #be_disappointing campaign against discrimination and gender pay disparities.