The winners of the ninth edition of the Insurers for Society 2023 contest were awarded at an official ceremony held on 3 October 2023. With a clear focus on society’s needs, the insurance community marked its professional holiday – Insurer’s Day. The festive event brought together representatives of the insurance industry, public authorities and regulatory bodies, academia, and the media.
In his opening remarks, Yuri Kopach, Chair of ABZ, emphasized that in a world facing ever-greater challenges – social, economic, and climate-related – the mission of insurance to provide security and protection becomes increasingly important and socially relevant. “As an industry, we recognize that there is still much to be done. And to achieve even better results, we rely on the support of all stakeholders. I believe that through joint efforts, commitment, and professionalism, we can provide the protection that our society so greatly needs,” said Yuri Kopach, expressing gratitude to all insurance professionals for their daily efforts, dedication, and humanity.
As tradition dictates, the winners of the Insurers for Society 2023 contest were announced during the ceremony. The fact that the insurance sector celebrates its professional holiday in this way is a clear reflection of its deep commitment to sustainable development and societal well-being. The contest is jointly organized by the Association of Bulgarian Insurers (ABZ), the Bulgarian Association of Insurance Brokers, the Association of Insurance Brokers in Bulgaria, and the United Insurance Brokers. The winners are selected through a vote by the insurance companies and brokers that are members of these associations.
The insurance community awarded first place to the initiative of Generali Insurance AD – The Human Safety Net: Giving a Head Start to Early Childhood Development Services in Bulgaria.
The first prize was presented to Nikolay Stanchev, CEO and Chair of the Management Board of Generali Insurance, by Vladimir Savov, Deputy Chair of the Financial Supervision Commission. Nikolay Stanchev accepted the award with the words: “This meaningful award is a recognition for all our colleagues who are active volunteers in The Human Safety Net initiative. Without their enthusiasm, dedication, and efforts, we would not have come this far. By the end of 2022 alone, we managed to support more than 3,300 parents and over 2,600 children in Bulgaria.”
The initiative was launched by the Generali Group and aims to support people in vulnerable situations. It is based on the concept of “chain help” – those who receive support can one day help others, thus creating a chain of positive change. In Bulgaria, since 2020, Generali Insurance has been working with the For Our Children Foundation to jointly develop the program Giving a Head Start to Early Childhood Development Services in Bulgaria. In 2022, the company organized various fundraising activities, engaging over 200 volunteers. As a result, more than 3,330 parents and nearly 2,620 children received support, and an additional 1,796 children indirectly benefited from the program.
Second place in the contest was awarded to the Life Savers Program by Groupama Bulgaria.
Selin Bolar, CEO of Groupama Bulgaria, accepted the award from Ivaylo Ivanov, Governor of the National Social Security Institute, and shared with the audience: “The ‘Life Savers’ program was launched last year, supported by the Groupama Group, and is unique in the European insurance sector. The name itself speaks volumes – we help save lives by offering free first aid training. In Bulgaria, we have trained over 3,000 families, and across the Group, we are approaching 1 million trained European citizens. We persist in our mission, because there is nothing more valuable than saving a human life! For us, insurers, this value is deeply embedded in our DNA.”
The Life Savers Program aims to raise awareness and provide training in basic first aid. It is being implemented in France, Greece, Italy, Tunisia, Turkey, Bulgaria, China, Hungary, and Romania. All international subsidiaries of the French insurance group are united by a common goal: to train 1 million people in first aid. Since 2022, Groupama Bulgaria has been organizing trainings for employees, clients, and partners, and actively participating in events promoting first aid techniques.
Third place was awarded to the national educational campaign Protect the Child Online by Lev Ins Insurance Company.
Pavel Dimitrov, CEO of Lev Ins, received the award from Yuri Kopach, Chair of ABZ, with the words: “Lev Ins has long been setting the standard in both physical and cyber security, and the recognition from our peers for a second consecutive year proves this! Over the past two years, our ‘Protect the Child Online’ campaign has reached more than 130,000 students, their teachers, and parents. The face of our campaign – Yavor Kolev – along with our team, spoke to children across all regions of the country about the dangers of the internet – in big cities, small towns, and even tiny villages. In recent months, we’ve paid special attention to parents, because it is crucial that they understand the importance of talking to their children about online communication.”
The Protect the Child Online campaign aims to raise public awareness and prevent one of the 21st century’s most serious threats – cybercrime. It also seeks to foster digital culture from an early age. In just a year and a half, the campaign team has held open lessons with more than 130,000 students, teachers, and parents across the country.
