To pursue your goals persistently

Maya Gerasimova, winner of the "Brand Manager of the Year" award for 2005, was born in Kazanlak, has a 17-year-old son. He has been working in the field of marketing and sales since 1992, taking his first steps in the market of cosmetics and essential oils in "Bulgarian Rose Sevtopolis". She has worked at Nestle and Danon, but finds her real challenge to be working for the last 2 years for one of the most dynamic and rapidly developing Bulgarian companies - BELLA Food Industry. In his little free time, he likes to go to the cinema and the theater and to play sports - skiing in the winter and tennis on the court in the summer.

What profession did you dream of as a child?

I wouldn't say that I had a very specific dream, but I would still say like most girls - to become an actress. As a child, I used to draw and play the piano, but professionalism in anything requires a lot of work, and it seemed boring to me to play or draw for 8 hours a day, and that's why I gave up a professional realization in the field of art.

What are your professional ambitions now?

To continue to successfully lead the marketing department of Bella Food Industry. The management of our company has very ambitious goals for imposing brands in the food industry, after this great success the bar is really very high, but I hope that the next brands that we will launch will repeat the success of "Leki".

What does the award "Brand Manager of the Year" mean to you, which you received in this year's edition of the competition, for your work for the Leki brand?

For me, this award is a recognition not only of my work, but also of the work of the entire Marketing department of Bella Food Industry, as well as the support we receive from the other departments – sales, production, total quality. The very concept of "Manager" implies teamwork and this is the success of the entire team. However, I would say that this is a recognition for me, how I organized the work on the entire launch and development of the brand, as well as presenting the results to such a wide audience.

If you take stock of your journey, what would you cite as your greatest success?

Professionally, perhaps this award is the highest I have received in my career, but personally, it is the birth and upbringing of my son.

What do you spend more time on - your family or your profession?

Unfortunately, I have to admit that I currently spend more time on my profession, because the goals I pursue professionally are really high and require a lot of time and energy, but I still use every free minute, to share it with my family.

What would you like to teach your children?

First of all, that each person must fight and deal with life's difficulties on his own, set ambitious goals and pursue them persistently. I am a Capricorn, and this sign is distinguished, in my opinion, by persistent pursuit of ambitious goals.