Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and Yettel signed an agreement for strategic partnership and training as part of the program “Responsible and Sustainable Governance” of the ESG Academy at the Faculty of Economics. Yettel’s commitment is part of the telecom operator’s plan to develop more sustainable business practices within the framework of its long-term ESG strategy (Environmental, social and corporate governance).
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Mihaela Kalaydzhieva, General Director of Corporate Policy of Yettel, signed the agreement, which will allow both parties to cooperate in the ESG Academy activities at the Faculty, which will also include employees from the company. The Academy provides the first national certification program for the training of specialists in sustainable management in Bulgaria.
At the same time, Yettel will provide information on real cases from its practice, which will be included in the teaching process of the Master’s program “Responsible and Sustainable Governance” and will contribute to updating the curriculum of the subjects taught.
“We are facing a completely different reality. We all need to learn to live in a new way, build new skills and nurture new values in our employees. We need to know that every small step, even a small one, can make a big difference. We believe in the motto “If you change one person, you change the whole world,” said Mihaela Kalaydzhieva, General Director of Corporate Policy at Yettel.
“Our partnership with Sofia University is one of the initiatives that will take us in this direction. This is the direction of the business of the future; one that leaves a smaller footprint on the environment so that we can slow down climate change and preserve the most valuable thing we have – our only home called Earth and the people in it,” added Mihaela Kalaydzhieva.
“We, at the Faculty of Economics and Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, are pioneers among the higher education institutions in Bulgaria, and in the region of Southeastern Europe, in terms of integrating the themes of sustainable business management and current ESG requirements. In these initiatives we partner with leading companies from all sectors of the economy and today’s agreement with Yettel proves that,” said Assoc. Prof. Atanas Georgiev.
He continued: “We believe that our partnership with Yettel will bring new opportunities for our students, faculty staff and researchers in the field of social, environmental and digital transformation – interesting case studies, inspiring guest lectures by business leaders and closer connections between research and the needs of the economy.”
Yettel will also contribute to the career guidance and student motivation at the Faculty of Economics by providing opportunities for students to have direct contact with its working environment.