As an organisation associated with the International Business Leaders Forum, the BBLF has been directly linked to King Charles III since its inception. The story in a nutshell:
On his first visit to Bulgaria, King Charles III - then Prince of Wales - attended the official launch of the Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum on 6 November 1998 in Sofia together with President Petar Stoyanov. BBLF was formed by 12 companies and NGOs following the model of the International Business Leaders Forum, established by the Prince in 1990, and its aim is to promote business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability. BBLF’s first chair was Bill Drysdale, managing partner of KPMG. As a multinational organisation focused on international cooperation, the Forum promotes the idea of responsible corporate behaviour through long-term development and transparent business practices based on ethics and respect for employees, society and the environment. To this end, BFBL works though dialogue and partnership between different stakeholders.
On his second visit to Sofia in 2003, the Prince of Wales attended the conference Practical Management of Business Ethics on the occasion of BBLF’s fifth anniversary together with Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The event also officially launched the Business Ethics Standard developed by the organisation. The Prince and then BBLF Chair Maxim Behar handed the document to BBLF member companies.
The Standard of Business Ethics is still part of the official welcome ceremony for newly affiliated businesses and organisations.
The next event of this kind titled Meet the New CEOs is due on 18 October.
