Progress Bulgaria

Join us at the next Drinks with Progress and learn how to build an engineering team from scratch. Our colleague Stoyan Todorov, Manager, Software Engineering, will share his personal experience, challenges and lessons learned.     💡 Topic: How to Build Engineering Teams from Scratch   📅 Date: February 27, 2025   🕖 Agenda: 7 – 8 p.m. (+ Networking and drinks till 9.30 pm)   📍 Location: Progress office Reserve your spot here: https://lnkd.in/dj7Cz944

We are excited to share that we won 1st place 🥇 in the “Management of New Employees” category at b2b Media Employer Branding Awards.    This award is all about our cool onboarding program that helps new team members feel right at home and ready to grow.     Thank you, b2b Media! 

Career transitions are common at Progress and Milen Elkin, Senior Product Manager, Digital Experience, knows that very well. Milen started his career journey as a software developer. Making decisions about the future direction of the products he was responsible for opened up a meaningful challenge for him: to define the product development strategy. This inspired him to explore what else exists at Progress and today he is leading product management for Reporting and Report Server products part of the top tool for developers Progress Telerik, continuing to make an impact and contribute to the success of the business. “Being able to grow my skills, find deeper meaning in my work and grow while staying connected to the amazing colleagues and friends who support me – this is freedom and empowerment. It’s possible only within a company like Progress that fosters a positive culture and provides an environment where people can truly thrive.”

We’re excited to share that our colleague Ivan Hristov, Manager, Software Engineering, will speak at DEV.BG’s .NETworking conference on April 9, 2025, at Sofia Tech Park. Don’t miss his session, “Future-proof: Reusing Old Codebase in Cross-platform .NET Apps," and the demo he has prepared.     Come and say “hi” at our booth where you can learn about the career opportunities with Progress, have a chance to win cool surprises, and have lots of fun.  More information here: https://dotnetconf.dev.bg/

Dr. Shirley J. Knowles, Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Progress, talked about the benefits of diversity in the workplace at the third edition of Bulgaria’s first Academy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She shared real examples from her own experience, best practices and discussed how to address challenging situations. The session sparked an interesting discussion with the participants.     The Academy for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is organized by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and Sofia University, and we’ve been part of it since the very first edition.  

Thank you for joining us at the first Drinks with Progress and Leadership Talks event in January! Our speakers, Gyurgitsa Kostadinova, Ilian Iliev and Genady Sergeev, shared their personal stories about the power of mentorship. We learned that:    ✔️Books cannot replace the power of mentorship  ✔️The mentor is here to support and guide the mentee, but it is the mentee that should set clear goals and proactively work for achieving them  ✔️We are always both mentors and mentees, even without realizing it, as we continue to learn throughout life    Don't forget to subscribe to our meetup group and follow our page to learn first about the next event: bit.ly/46I8nWV. 

What’s the career path from an intern to director?     Our colleague Ani Girgitsova-Dimitrova knows the answer. Having started from supporting leadership training programs, Ani has gone a long way and today is leading Talent Management at a global scale at Progress. She says often times it was her colleagues who pushed her to go beyond and above from what she thought she could achieve.     “I’m still a geek at heart, fascinated by how organizations evolve and adapt. Being part of Progress’ journey and helping with whatever I can to shape its future is what keeps me inspired and excited for what’s to come,“ Ani said.     Ani's journey was driven by curiosity, a what-can-we-learn-from-this mindset and the fortune of meeting amazing people who encouraged her to grow.

In an interview for Bloomberg TV Bulgaria’s morning show, “Business Start,” our Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer Dr. Shirley J. Knowles discussed diversity, equity and inclusion for attracting and retaining talent amidst the rising criticism in the US.    Gen Z wants to work for companies whose values are aligned with the people and everyone feels valued and supported. To attract Gen Z, employers need to prioritize diversity and inclusion, said Dr. Knowles. https://lnkd.in/dP3G7C7x

Marking our 10th anniversary of Progress in Bulgaria, we celebrate our success, but also our people and their career triumphs. In our new series, “A Decade of Success: Inspiring Career Stories,” you’ll meet several leaders and professionals with diverse career paths showing that nothing is impossible.     Meet Stefan Gyoshev. He joined the company as a customer service representative in our US office and today is Senior Vice President, Sales, managing multiple teams globally out of Bulgaria. Stefan grew through the ranks covering every possible contributor sales role before ending up managing his first team and eventually leading the sales organization for the Digitial Experience business unit at Progress.     “One of the things that kept helping me advance my career is my genuine curiosity to learn as much as possible about our products and how we do business and what makes us successful,” he said.     Stefan’s secret sauce for success includes:  ✅Engage with all other aspects of the business beyond your own role  ✅Focus on what you can control and control it well - how you show up to work, how productive you are, how well you prioritize your time   ✅Be proactive. Don’t wait for tasks or someone to tell you how you should develop. Take control of your own destiny and do not seek “excuses”.      Stay tuned for the next story!

Yesterday we hosted a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) meetup with Dr. Shirley Knowles, our Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, joined by some of the most active DEI leaders and experts from businesses and NGOs in Bulgaria. Together we discussed best practices across industries, opportunities and current challenges. Here are a few takeaways from the session:    🔊 Get everyone onboard: Communicate the “why” behind DEI  🤝 You are not alone: Build partnerships across teams and organizations  ▶️ Stay the course: Stick to your values and authenticity    A huge thank you to everyone who joined and contributed to the enriching conversation.