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| 26 Feb 2012, Issue 3329 · USD: 1.45827 EUR: 1.95583 · Sofia: min -3°, max 4° Varna: min 0°, max 10° · |
| SPECIAL EDITION |
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WELCOME TO THE 'INVESTORS OF THE DECADE' SPECIAL EDITION!
Welcome to the first Special Edition of The Sofia Morning News dedicated to "Investors of the Decade", a Business Survey of Bulgaria's largest English-language media Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Bulgarian-language news site Novinite.bg! We are proud to present to you the participants in the first month of the "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey, a special project on "Who is Who" of the top investors in Bulgaria during the most successful decade in Bulgarian history in terms of attracting investment. Since it was launched on January 30, 2012, the "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com and Novinite.bg has enjoyed much interest! We would like to thank all of the participants and sponsors of our initiative, which we hope you, our readers from around the world, are finding interesting, informative, and exciting! We thank the CEOs of some of the key investors in Bulgaria for sharing their insights, and we thank Bulgaria's top government officials on investments – Minister of Economy, Energy, and Tourism Traicho Traikov and InvestBulgaria Agency Director Borislav Stefanov (see their interviews below) – for their readiness to answer the questions from both our journalists, and the business sector. The Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg dedicated to Bulgaria's "Investors of the Decade" is continuing so please follow it for more investment insights on our websites or in the future Special Editions of The Sofia Morning News! We hope that you will welcome further our endeavor to help make Bulgaria's investment potential better known and better understood! Novinite.com & Novinite.bg Team UNICREDIT BULBANK CEO LEVON HAMPARTZOUMIAN: BANKS IN BULGARIA NOT GROWING, BUT STABLE  Exclusive
interview with UniCredit Bulbank CEO Levon Hampartzoumian for the
"Investors of the Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News
Agency) and Novinite.bg.Does Bulgaria's banking system continue to perform well despite increasing bad loans, faltering economy and "the elephant in the room" – the eurozone debt crisis? Bulgaria's banking system performs well, but it reflects the situation in the real economy. When the economy is struggling, it is quite normal to expect that the performance of the banking system will not be spectacular. When it comes to stability however, there is no doubt that the banking system is stable, but it is not growing because of the economic slow-down. In the middle of December the international rating agency Standard and Poor's confirmed the long-term and the short-term credit rating of UniCredit Bulbank at BBB/A-3, outlook stable. This is the highest credit rating given to a Bulgarian bank and is identical to the rating of Bulgaria, the so-called sovereign rating. This is the highest possible rating a bank can receive in a country and this is a confirmation of how good our performance is. UniCredit Bulbank is the leading bank on the Bulgarian market and even though the other banks are not as good as we are, they are stable as well. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136197 SOLVAY SODI CEO ERIC VANDER VORST: WE STRONGLY HOPE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY WILL HAVE FUTURE IN BULGARIA  Exclusive
interview with Solvay Sodi CEO Eric Vander Vorst for the "Investors of
the Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and
Novinite.bg.Solvay Sodi is the largest Soda Ash plant in Bulgaria and Europe for synthetic soda ash production, with a nominal capacity of 1,5 Mt/y. The first soda ash plant was opened in 1954. In 1974, an entirely new larger factory was built near the old one. Sodi Devnya was privatized in 1997. 98 % of the company's share capital belongs to Solvay Sisecam Holding, registered in Vienna and comprising of the Belgian chemicals group Solvay (75 %) and Turkey's chemicals group Sisecam (25 %). In 2000, Solvay Sodi acquired ownership of some of its main suppliers of raw materials and energy – Deven power plant, the brine supplier Provadsol, and jointly with Devnya Cement – the limestone quarry of Devnya Varoviк. Solvay Sodi is one of the biggest industries in Bulgaria, representing around 1% of total Bulgarian export. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136469 KRAFT FOODS BULGARIA CEO ANTOINE COLLETTE: BULGARIA MOVES IN RIGHT DIRECTION, SHOULD BE FASTER  Exclusive interview with Antoine Collette, Executive
Director of Kraft Foods Bulgaria, for the "Investors of the Decade"
Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg.Antoine Collette took up his appointment as Executive Director of Kraft Foods Bulgaria, in the summer of 2011. His professional experience began in Peugeot Austria, after that he worked for the marketing departments of Henkel France and Danone France. He continued his career in Danone Hungary & Czech Republic as a Marketing Director. Before joining Kraft in Bulgaria, Antoine Collette worked for Kraft's head office for CEEMA region. Where does Bulgaria's greatest potential lie for a company such as Kraft Foods? Kraft Foods attaches great significance to the factor 'location' when selecting the countries to invest in. Situated between Western Europe and Asia, Bulgaria is very well placed, which is why we decided to invest and continue investing here following our acquisition of the two plants in the towns of Svoge and Kostinbrod. Stability, reliability and predictability are the other key requirements for us. We need to know where we are investing, we need to know the laws are not changing from one day to another. In this sense, at least for the moment, Bulgaria is in a good position. Since it first entered the Bulgarian market in 1994 Kraft Foods has made substantial investments in its existing plants in the towns of Svoge and Kostinbrod. Which are the advantages of these small, but attractive for investors municipalities? Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136309 SAP LABS BULGARIA MANAGING DIRECTOR PLAMEN TILEV: BULGARIA IS ALREADY FACING A SHORTAGE OF IT EXPERTS  An
exclusive interview with Plamen Tilev, Managing Director of SAP Labs
Bulgaria, for the "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey of
Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg.How do you assess the effect of the investments of SAP Labs in Bulgaria? In retrospect, how would you evaluate the development of SAP Labs Bulgaria in the past decade? Allow me first to offer some explanations. The so called "labs" are the places where software is created. This is where talent, technologies, and innovations are concentrated. These labs operate within a network called the SAP Labs Network. It integrates ideas and leading technologies in order to answer the needs of specific industries and geographic regions. SAP Labs Bulgaria is a part of the SAP Labs Network. It is typical for SAP to constantly evaluate new opportunities for expanding the network for global research and programming. This also happened back in 2000 when SAP gave its answer to the need to expand its Java competence and made the decision to found SAP Labs Bulgaria in Sofia. Our "lab" takes part in the development and support of SAP platforms for business processes and applications. Out major contribution is in the direction of providing the foundation for on-premise products such as SAP NetWeaver, Composition Environment, BPM, PI, and Enterprise Portal. In addition, we are responsible for the main part of the Java OnDemand Platform and crucial lifecycle management capabilities for the SAP HANA solution. . The investment in SAP Labs Bulgaria has been recognized as the largest software investment not only in Bulgaria but also on the Southeastern European market. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136648 60K CEO JONATHAN GLADWISH: BULGARIA CAN CONTINUE TO EMERGE AS TANGIBLE OUTSOURCING HUB  Exclusive
interview with Jonathan Gladwish, CEO, 60k, for the "Investors of the
Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and
Novinite.bg.Would you present 60k in a nutshell – the gist of your operations, the scope of your investments, your philosophy? 60K is a Business Process Outsourcer working for both International and Bulgarian Clients. We provide sales, customer service and technical support for our clients' customers utilizing many channels of communication such as voice, live chat, email, fax to name but a few. Our investments total over EUR 1.5 M to date in two contact centers based in Sofia. We are currently opening a third center in Belgrade, Serbia and later in 2012 will set up another in Bulgaria outside of Sofia and an additional one either through acquisition or creation in Romania, thus giving 60K a true South Eastern European foot print. 60K's rapid growth and expansion is driven by our employees' excellent results for our Customers, this has encouraged our Customers trust in us, and for them to provide us with greater volumes and additional processes. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136198 ENERGOSERVICE CEO GEORGI MANCHEV: BULGARIA'S NUCLEAR ENERGY NEEDS LESS POLITICS, MORE NATIONAL INTEREST  Exclusive
interview with Mr. Georgi Manchev, CEO of the EnergoService company,
for the "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia
News Agency) and Novinite.bg.Would you present the EnergoService company, and the services that you offer? EnergoService was founded in 2005. It maintains and trains teams of highly qualified specialists who carry out regular functionality and operation tests of various systems for automation of technological processes. This includes planned monthly technical servicing, planned outage services, warranty services, repairs, walkdown and inspections, as well as emergency repairs, and ad hoc technical maintenance. With our transparent policies, honesty, and loyalty towards partners and clients, EnergoService is an exclusive partner for supplying parts and components to leading firms such as Westinghouse Electric Company (USA) and APANTEC (USA). The services that we provide to all clients include – but are not limited to – supply and installation of equipment, spare parts and materials, providing spare parts during outages, as well as maintaining supplies in stock. We have a qualified expert team with rich experience and offer various products, while also performing engineering services – project management, operation and quality procedures development for technical servicing of information, automation, and management systems; project documentation for: dismantling and installation activities; measuring devices and automation; risk analysis and assessment; maintenance of data bases; preparing reports, analyses and programs, training and self-training materials. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136471 GENERAL MANAGER OF SHERATON SOFIA GERASIMOS PERDIKARIS: BULGARIA NEEDS TO KEEP ITS MOMENTUM IN DIFFICULT ENVIRONMENT  Exclusive
interview with Gerasimos Perdikaris, General Manager of the Sheraton
Sofia Hotel Balkan, for the "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey
of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg.How did you arrive where you are now, i.e. at the position of the General Manager of the Sheraton in Sofia? I came here in June 2009. Before that I was in Asia for 15 years in this field of business. And before going to Asia, I was in London for 6 years so my career in the hotel business spans over a period of 23 years. I've been a General Manager for ten years now, always in city five-star hotels. You've managed the Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan for 2.5 years now. How has the Bulgarian capital Sofia changed in that period in terms of business? It's evident that Sofia has been affected by the global crisis from the point of view of business travel after 2009-2010. 2011 seemed to be a little better at beginning, and now the expectations for 2012 are moderate. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136205 GENERAL MANAGER OF HILTON SOFIA JACQUES BRUNE: BULGARIA'S SOFIA IS BECOMING A CAPITAL TO VISIT  Exclusive
interview with Jacques Brune, General Manager of the Hilton Sofia
Hotel, for the "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com
(Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg.You have been in charge of the Hilton Sofia for more than five years now. What was the Hilton Sofia like when you took over, and what it is today? Hilton Sofia was an icon in the city when I took over. Today Hilton Sofia is a master piece of the hotel panel. Lot of investment has been done to upgrade our hotel, a new bar, new Bedrooms with a very modern and warm style, a new fitness center by Precor, new meeting rooms and a brand new Season restaurant. We also offer one the best loyalty programs in the hotel industry, Hilton Hhonors, with more than 28 million members worldwide. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136213 IDEAL STANDARD VP EAST REGION VASSIL KANEV: BULGARIA UNDER-APPRECIATED AS INVESTMENT, BUSINESS LOCATION  Exclusive
interview with Vassil Kanev, Commercial Vice President - East Europe
Region at Ideal Standard International; Executive Director and Chairman
of Board of Directors of Ideal Standard-Vidima AD for the "Investors of
the Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and
Novinite.bg.At the end of last year Ideal Standard-Vidima became one of the export companies that increased their production. Can we take this as a sign of recovery? We are in the business of (super) durable goods. When people are operating under the pressures of a crisis, the last products they think about are construction materials, bath & kitchen products. People just have other concerns. To dub the moderate increase in sales volume a recovery would be rather premature. However, I would like to point out that the biggest slump for the sanitary business swept with a malicious force over Western Europe in 2008 and resulted in disastrously low sales levels in Eastern Europe by 2009. Ever since, we have put in tremendous efforts to counteract contraction with all managerial tools at our disposal: increasing the overall efficiency of our business, retaining the existing customer base, conquering additional market shares, etc. Bottom line is, we are on the way to recovery but it will take a yet unidentifiable number of years to reach the sales volumes of 2007. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136358 JOHNSON CONTROLS VP JEFF DEBEST: SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR WHAT PRIVATE SECTOR AND BULGARIAN EDUCATION CAN ACHIEVE TOGETHER  Exclusive
interview with Jeff DeBest, Group Vice President Global Electronics of
Johnson Controls Automotive Experience, on the occasion of the 10th
anniversary of Johnson Controls Bulgaria; Published by Novinite.com
(Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg at the "Investors of the Decade"
Business Survey.Johnson Controls has celebrated 10 years in Bulgaria. What would you say are Bulgaria's advantages as an investment destination? Why has Jonson Controls been expanding in Bulgaria for the past ten years? First of all, Bulgaria has a history of software capabilities and electronics capabilities. Second, that history is also fostered by the education system. If you ask what we would ask for from the government, every company is going to ask for continued support, more focus on education, and so on. But we also see that as a two way street: that we in the private sector also need to work with universities when it comes to internships, explaining our needs from a curriculum standpoint. For example, we are meeting with the five Bulgarian universities that we work with because if we are not active in explaining what our needs are and where we stand, the universities will have a harder time in developing their curriculum. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136206 ECONOMY MINISTER TRAICHO TRAIKOV: MAJOR INVESTORS' TRUST INDICATES BULGARIA'S ECONOMIC POTENTIAL  An
exclusive interview with Bulgaria's Minister of Economy, Energy, and
Tourism Traicho Traikov for the "Investors of the Decade" Business
Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg.Between 2001 and 2011 Bulgaria attracted almost EUR 37 B in foreign direct investment. How do you assess this result – is that a lot or too little? Bulgaria's total FDI in the past ten years is indeed substantial, and this figure is useful as a starting point for analyses and comparisons. But in addition to a high FDI figure, it is also important to have the success stories of strategic investors with long-term plans for development in Bulgaria. In 2011, two foreign investors – Lufthansa Technik OOD and Knauf Bulgaria EOOD – received a second certificate for new projects under the Investment Encouragement Act. A number of other large companies continue to expand their activities. In this sense, the trust of major companies who are already active in Bulgaria is an important indicator about the quality of the Bulgarian business environment and the potential of the Bulgarian economy. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137003 INVESTBULGARIA AGENCY DIRECTOR BORISLAV STEFANOV: FOREIGN INVESTORS HAVE STARTED TO BELIEVE BULGARIA STANDS OUT IN ITS REGION  An
exclusive interview with Mr. Borislav Stefanov, Executive Director of
the InvestBulgaria Agency, for the "Investors of the Decade" Business
Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg.From your point of view how did Bulgaria do in terms of attracting foreign direct investment in 2011? If we are to judge solely by the figures, 2011 was not a good year for investments not only for Bulgaria but also globally and for our part of the world. On the one hand, that is normal since the financial and economic crisis has not been overcome yet. Apparently, it is even worsening in some countries. Foreign investment is very dependent on the situation in one's home country – if your own economy is facing difficulties, it can hardly be expected that you would be thinking of new foreign investments. To some extent, this makes investments a lagging indicator of the economy – unlike other indicators such as construction which reflect the economy's immediate state. On the other hand, if we leave statistics and theory aside, last year the InvestBulgaria Agency had a lot of investment inquiries by foreign companies. There were about 170 foreign firms that we worked with in 2011, which is more than the annual number of inquires in the past years. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137019 BOOSTING BULGARIA'S NORDIC INVESTMENTS - INSIGHTS FROM DENMARK, FINLAND, NORWAY, SWEDEN  As
part of its "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey, Novinite.com
(Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg have asked the representatives of
the Nordic countries in Sofia - Denmark's Ambassador to Bulgaria Kaare
Janson, Finnish Ambassador to Bulgaria Tarja Laitiainen, Norwegian
Ambassador to Bulgaria Tove Skarstein, and Goran Svensson, President of
the Bulgarian-Nordic Chamber of Commerce - how Bulgaria can attract more
Nordic investments. (Countires appear in alphabetical order.)DENMARK How would you assess the investments that Denmark and the other Nordic countries have made in Bulgaria over the past 10 years – and how can Bulgaria attract more Danish and Nordic investments in the future? Denmark's Ambassador to Bulgaria Kaare Janson: During the past ten years, Danish companies have realized the potential of Bulgaria. There are favourable conditions market conditions here, which for instance have been discovered by Tuborg-Carlsberg and Danfoss. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137023 HOW DOES BULGARIA'S LABOR MARKET INFLUENCE INVESTMENT? - HR CONSULTANCIES  As
part of its "Investors of the Decade" Business Survey, Novinite.com
(Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg have asked representatives of
leading human resource consultancies in Bulgaria how the situation of
the Bulgarian labor market influences the country's attractiveness for
(foreign) investors.Question: How does the labor market in Bulgaria influence investments? Nadia Vassileva, Managing Director, Manpower Bulgaria As an outsourcing destination, Bulgaria ranks among the top 20 in the world. Our business indicators are extremely favorable: labor cost is still the lowest in Europe, but the demographic structure is such that there is a predominant elderly population and a large percentage of workers with low education and qualifications. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137026 UNICREDIT BANKING STUDY: SLOWDOWN IN THE BULGARIAN ECONOMY WILL PUT ASSETS QUALITY TO TEST  CEE Banking Study 2012, focus on Bulgaria - provided by UniCredit Bulbank for the Investors of the Decade Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and Novinite.bg Authors: Christopher Pavlov and Elena Kostadinova (Download in Word document HERE) Macroeconomic environment Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137015 EBRD - INVESTMENT WITH A DIFFERENCE  Presentation
of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Bulgaria by
EBRD Bulgaria Country Director Daniel Berg - for the "Investors of the
Decade" Business Survey of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) and
Novinite.bgFormed during the demise of the Soviet system, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development was giving a unique mandate – to foster transition in Eastern Europe through project finance, primarily in the private sector. Besides transition, the EBRD is the first multilateral financial lender whose founding documents emphasise the need to support environmental and sustainable development in all operations. Transition also includes helping to build the institutions necessary for underpinning a market economy, and demonstrating and promoting market-oriented skills and sound business practices. The Bank was given flexibility to achieve these objectives by working with both government-owned borrowers and private ones. The EBRD strives to ensure the highest quality in each of these areas. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136201 UNICREDIT BULBANK  UniCredit Bulbank is the biggest Bulgarian bank in terms of assets, exceeding BGN 11 B as of end of June 2011.UniCredit Bulbank is servicing over one million individual clients and households, high profile private customers, small and mid sized businesses, larger domestic and multinational corporates, municipalities and budget enterprises. UniCredit Bulbank Employees: appr. 4 000 Customers: over 1.3 million Branches: 230 all over the country Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136207 SAP LABS BULGARIA  Headquartered
in Walldorf, Germany, SAP is the world's largest business software
company – with more than 54,000 employees and development locations in
more than 50 countries worldwide.A global network of SAP Labs spanning Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, and the United States, enables SAP to operate locally, yet organize globally. The labs concentrate talents, technology and innovation and provide the necessary infrastructure for software research and development, as well as its maintenance and support. SAP Labs Bulgaria was established in 2000 when SAP decided to come to Bulgaria in order to fill out a concrete product gap. By leveraging the potential of the human capital in our country the lab in Sofia grew to more than 500 employees and managed to position SAP as a key player in the worldwide Java community. The investment of SAP Labs Bulgaria into the Enterprise Java space powers up practically all Java-based products at SAP. As a technological center involved in the research and development of SAP's platforms for developing business processes and applications, the Bulgarian Lab contributes to the foundation of the on-premise deliveries such as SAP NetWeaver, Composition Environment, BPM, PI, Enterprise Portal – including their administration and lifecycle management. In the on-demand space, SAP Lab Bulgaria is delivering the major part of SAP's Java OnDemand Platform SAP Lab Bulgaria is one of the pioneers and leaders in applying Lean thinking and agile methodologies to large-scale software development in Bulgaria. The company is an active member of the Bulgarian business community organizing and supporting business events with focus on software development. It also collaborates with Bulgarian universities under the SAP University Alliances Program. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136531 60K  60K is a rapidly growing outsourcing contact centre, providing high quality and value added Contact Centre Services.It specializes in providing unique solutions for its clients' entire contact center and fulfillment needs with services tailored to clients' requirements, both current and future. For that 60K has developed a cost effective pricing matrix which ensures quality Customer responses and deliverables. 60K has the resources, technology and operational expertise, to assist companies to grow globally and surpass client sales, services and marketing expectations with a proactive Customer Centric approach. It provides people who act as the face and voice of its clients' products and services utilizing state of the art technology, software and telecommunication systems. In addition, 60K offers its clients the flexibility and success that comes from working with a technologically and financially stable business partner who is committed to continually invest in processes, procedures, people, facilities and infrastructure, to ensure the highest levels of operation. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136263 CEZ BULGARIA  CEZ Bulgaria EAD was founded in the middle of 2005 to represent the international power company CEZ Group.In implementation of the strategic plans of CEZ Group for Bulgaria to develop the Bulgarian power market, CEZ Bulgaria EAD has focused its activity on several important lines of development: Investment in fixed assets that will contribute to the improvement of the quality of supplied electricity on the territory, serviced pursuant the licences; Improvement of the level of service of the electricitycustomers on the territory, serviced pursuant to the licences; Creating opportunities for the professional and career development of the employees of the companies from CEZ Group in Bulgaria. CEZ Bulgaria EAD is a single-shareholder joint-stock company, 100% property of CEZ Group. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137014 ENERGOSERVICE  EnergoService was established in 2005 with an initial legal registration as a Limited Liability Company.Due to the high performance goals set for the company in 2008 EnergoService was reorganized as a Joint-Stock Company (AD) with 100% effectively paid up capital. Since 2006 EnergoService maintains the world largest and most complex Computer Information and Control System "Ovation®" ever installed as well as the Radiation Monitoring Systems on Unit 5 and Unit 6 Ventilation Stack 1 and Ventilation Stack 2 and Auxiliary Building Ventilation Stack in Kozloduy NPP. Thanks to the cooperation and partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company (USA) and APANTEC LLC (USA) EnergoService has completed successfully various projects related to the Ovation® and RMS system optimization. EnergoService is an exclusive partner for supplying parts and components to leading firms such as Westinghouse Electric Company (USA) and APANTEC (USA). The services provided to all clients include – but are not limited to – supply and installation of equipment, spare parts and materials, providing spare parts during outages, as well as maintaining supplies in stock. EnergoService has a contract with the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant EAD for service and maintenance of computer information and control system "Ovation®" primary and secondary loop and Radiation Monitoring System (RMS) for the ventilation stacks of Units 5 and 6 and the Auxiliary building. This service guarantees the operability and functioning of the NPP systems. EnergoService is working actively with Westinghouse and APANTEC. "Ovation®" is a trademark of Emerson Process Management. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137012 SHERATON SOFIA HOTEL BALKAN  A LANDMARK OF REFINEMENTCAPTIVATING GRANDEUR The sun sets over an iconic, arc hitectural gem, where views, indigenous flavors and the vibrant colors of the destination await. Nestled in the heart of Sofia along the major historical sights and places of interest — Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan is an ideal haven for exploring this charismatic city. You may spend the day browsing antique shops, history-filled museums, noteworthy buildings and architectural landmarks, and secluded parks. Built in 1954-1956 as part of the new architectural creation in the heart of the city, the Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan is one of Sofia's most treasured landmarks. Known for its traditional approach to hospitality and exceptional level of service, it has welcomed many VIPs and celebrities over the years and has always been an integral part of the country's history and life. The hotel is adjacent to the President's Palace and it is located just blocks away from the vibrant city life, art venues, entertainment and shopping areas as well as the governmental offices. Experience gracious hospitality on a grand scale in our 184 rooms and suites, evidenced by soaring high ceilings, interesting architectural details, opulent bedding, marble bathrooms and a host of thoughtful amenities. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137002 HILTON SOFIA  Hilton Sofia
has the perfect location in the heart of the city, opposite the Sofia
Congress Centre (National Palace of Culture), surrounded by the South
Park and overlooking the Vitosha Mountain.Hotel guests are near the commercial district and government offices. Boutiques, restaurants and nightclubs are within walking distance, while Sofia International Airport lies 13 km to the east, an approximate 15 minute transfer. With 245 rooms on 8 floors, equipped with the most modern in-room facilities, 2 newly renovated Executive Floors, the Executive Lounge, Business Centre, Health Club with in-door pool, Hilton Sofia is the perfect choice of the modern traveler. Hilton Sofia provides highly flexible facilities for virtually every type and size of meeting. All indoor venues are versatile and suitable for social occasions, receptions or formal meetings with various set-ups. Our "Hilton Meetings" services ensure 6 state-of-the-art meeting rooms with daylight, "eight-hour" chairs, Internet access, capacities from 2 to 50 people, as well as a modern and extensive Business Centre with Internet connectivity. For conferences and banquets, Hilton Sofia offers a ballroom for 320 delegates. Hilton Sofia boasts 245 rooms, including 54 Executive rooms, 16 Park Executive Suites, 1 Presidential Suite and 2 rooms for disabled guests. The modern and luxuriously furnished rooms are all equipped with Internet connectivity (wired and wireless), in-room safe, electronic lock system, adjustable air-conditioning, minibar, coffee & tea making facilities, satellite TV, iron and ironing board. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136200 TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT UNICREDIT BULBANK  1.
Since its founding, UniCredit Bulbank has been unconditionally the No. 1
bank in Bulgaria in terms of assets. According to the most recent data,
at the end of the first nine months of 2011, the bank's assets are over
BGN 12 B.2. Thanks to UniCredit Bulbank over 1 600 young families enjoy a new home – this is how many "First Home" mortgage loans the bank provided in 2010 and the first half of 2011. 3. Over 1.3 clients have trusted UniCredit Bulbank – 1.3 million people cannot be wrong, right? 4. UniCredit Bulbank is a traditional partner of business in Bulgaria – it is No. 1 when it comes to both corporate credits (appr. BGN 5.9 B as of September 30, 2011), and corporate deposits (over BGN 3.9 B as of September 30, 2011). 5. UniCredit Bulbank has the highest possible credit rating that a financial institution working in Bulgaria can get – a long- and short-term rating confirmed by Standard and Poor's at BBB/A-3. (By definition, the credit rating of banks in a certain country cannot be higher than the credit rating of the country itself). 6. UniCredit Bulbank is one of Bulgaria's most awarded financial institutions. It has won numerous Bulgarian and international awards. Some of those really worth mentioning are "Best Bank in Retail Banking 2010" by the banking ranking of the Pari Daily; "Client's Bank 2010" by the Bank of the Year Association, and "Bank of the Year" by "The Banker" international magazine. Full list of the UniCredit Bulbank's awards over the years VIEW HERE Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=137001 TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT SAP LABS BULGARIA  1. SAP Labs Bulgaria was established in 20002. Nowadays the number of its employees is 500. 3. SAP Labs Bulgaria won Hewitt Best Employer Award in Bulgaria for 2006 and 2008. 4. SAP Labs Bulgaria became ICT company of the year for 2008. 5. SAP Labs Bulgaria received the award for Corporate Social Responsibility of the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies for 2011 6. SAP Labs Bulgaria ranked second in the Employer of the Year category for 2011 of the Eventex Awards for its support of the organization of a national round of the FIRST LEGO League youth competition in robotics. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136532 TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT 60K  1. 60K is a Business Process Outsourcer working for both international and Bulgarian clients.2. The company provides sales, customer service,technical support, administration and sales for our clients' customers utilizing many channels of communication such as voice, live chat, email and fax. 3. 60K was founded in 2008 with a starting investment of EUR 1.25 M 4. 60K has over 450 employees with 200 more expected to be hired by the end of 2012. 5. The employees of 60K are aged between 20 and 44. 6. Locations: 60K at present has 2 offices in Sofia, and plans to open three more offices by the end of 2012: one in each Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136261 UNICREDIT BULBANK'S CSR SUPPORTS PROJECTS WHICH SHOW GOOD PRACTICES In its CSR Strategy, UniCredit Bulbank supports projects which show good practices Throughout 2011 UniCredit Bulbank continued to be among the companies in Bulgaria with the strongest social commitment. Pursuing its mission to support the development of local communities, the Bank aligned itself with a number of initiatives. When selecting which causes to support UniCredit Bulbank follows the principle that the projects and initiatives fulfilled should lay the foundations for long-term and sustainable practices. During the year the bank remained committed to the continuous main focus of its social policy, namely health and social services, sports, arts and its traditional Gift Matching programme. An important aspect of UniCredit Bulbank's sustainable development strategy that also remained was its National Green Campaign in which for the first time employees of the Bank and their families also took part with voluntary work. Health and Social Services 2011 marked the start of a new significant project in the field of social services implemented through the joint actions of UniCredit Foundation, Tulip Foundation and UniCredit Bulbank. The Trust in the Family Project, as it name suggests, aims at preserving the integrity of families at risk and preventing the abandoning of children in institutions. Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136694 SOLVAY SODI GETS BULGARIAN ECO-INVESTOR AWARD  The
chemical plant Solvay Sodi received Bulgaria's annual "Investor in the
Environment" award by the Bulgarian Forum of Business Leaders.The ninth annual prize for environmentally responsible business was presented by Bulgarian Vice-Minister of Economy Julieta Hubenova. For the 2011 edition, a record of 65 competition projects by 45 companies have been tabled for the contest. The winners of the award will receive the right to compete for the European Environmental Award in 2014. "Solvay Sodi is constantly striving for improvement of environmental protection via controlled use of natural resources, limiting the levels of emissions in the atmosphere, waters and soils, as well as waste reduction," said the chemical factory management in a statement. "In view of its commitment to sustainable development, Solvay Sodi invests heavily in covering the highest international standarts, including developing its co-generative facility, worth BGN 150 M. The latter is the only reasonable way to ensure the energy needed for our industry," added Solvay Click here to read the story: www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=136981 |
