Advertisement
What does it take to grow a successful company across decades, ownership changes, new markets, and new stages of development — while continuing to build on the strengths that made it successful in the first place?At the next AUBG Executive MBA Leadership Talk, Darina Stoyanova, CEO of PRESTIGE 96 AD, will share lessons from the remarkable development of one of Bulgaria’s leading food companies and explore how strong leadership, a clear vision, and a strong organizational culture can support sustainable growth and transformation.
Reserve your spot at https://bit.ly/4dx5cqN
Founded in 1996, PRESTIGE began as an entrepreneurial Bulgarian company at a time when the term “startup” was not yet widely used. Over the past three decades, the company has grown, professionalized, expanded its ambitions, and successfully entered new stages of development.
An important milestone came in 2012, when Citi Venture Capital International and NBGI Private Equity acquired a 90% stake in PRESTIGE. This period supported the company’s evolution from a founder-led business toward a professionally managed organization, creating new opportunities to strengthen its structures, management practices, and long-term growth.
In 2026, PRESTIGE entered another exciting chapter by becoming part of Valeo Foods Group. The acquisition brings together PRESTIGE’s strong brands, market knowledge, and established position in the region with the international scale, expertise, and capabilities of a major European food group.
Drawing on these different stages of the company’s development, Darina will explore how leaders can successfully guide organizations through growth and transformation. She will share insights into building high-performing teams, developing a strong corporate culture, creating alignment around a common vision, and empowering people to contribute to the company’s continued success.
The conversation will also look at integration as an opportunity: how organizations can combine established strengths with new perspectives, capabilities, and resources, and how leaders can create the conditions for people and businesses to thrive through change.
About the speaker
Darina Stoyanova is a distinguished business leader with nearly 30 years of experience and a significant contribution to the successful entry and growth of major international companies in Bulgaria, as well as to advancing responsible business practices across the industries in which she has worked.
She is CEO of PRESTIGE, one of the leading companies in Bulgaria’s food industry. Before joining PRESTIGE, she served as General Manager of Henkel Detergents for Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Albania and as President of Henkel Bulgaria.
Darina is among the initiators and founders of the Bulgarian Detergents Association, the Food and Drink Bulgaria Association, the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, and the Bulgarian chapter of LEAD Network Europe. She currently serves in leadership roles across several of these organizations and actively supports initiatives promoting responsible business practices and a diverse and inclusive business environment.
She is also the founder of School for Leaders: Inspire (Yourself), an initiative supporting the personal development and career guidance of young people.
In 2024, Darina received the Inspirational Change Agent Award at the annual LEAD Network Europe Awards.
Advertisement
Event venue
1 Universitetski Park Str., 1700 Sofia, Bulgaria, Улица Университетски парк 7, 1700 София, България, Sofia, Bulgaria
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.
Discover more events by tag
Entrepreneurship in SofiaLeadership in SofiaConferences in SofiaBusiness in SofiaEducation in SofiaMarketing in Sofia