I am proud of the development of the company and my team

Introduce yourself in a few sentences..

I am Dimitar Naydenov, manager of "Corporate Affairs and Communication" at JTI Bulgaria, the company for the Bulgarian market of the leading global manufacturer of tobacco and nicotine products JTI. My job is to lead the management of the company's relationships with all its stakeholders, for the management of all key changes in the operational environment that have an impact on the business, for internal and external communications, and for our investments in communities. Two people take care of all this, and this small but very enthusiastic and energetic team is also my responsibility.

How many years have you completed in the company? How do you feel in it and what does this stage mean for you?

Thirteen years have passed unnoticed in the company. They were filled with dynamics, many diverse challenges, many lessons, falls, recoveries, and many new things. I love my job very much, my theory is that this profession cannot be practiced if you do not truly like it and it is not interesting to you. Thirteen years is not a short time, I believe that during this period I have developed significantly, in skills, emotional and professional maturity. This period coincided with the creation of my family with my wife, a home for him, the arrival of our children. A wonderful and interesting period, overall.

What are the most memorable moments or achievements from your time here so far?

We were part of the introduction of many new requirements, changes, and systems in the tobacco industry, there were many difficult moments, but quite often we achieved complete success and that is a huge reward. I had the opportunity to be part of an ever-growing program for community investments. This charitable activity is very motivating and makes you proud because of the act of doing good. I am also proud of the development of my team – it is extremely satisfying to see how a person develops while working with you, raises their level, becomes a greater professional, and shares positive energy and enthusiasm for success with you.

What motivates you to stay and develop specifically in this organization?

The company is great with its climate, its care for employees, its values, and its international environment, where you can meet people, cases, and challenges from all corners of the world. This is very enriching and motivates you to develop, to increase your contribution. In addition to that, the tobacco industry is extremely interesting and dynamic, there is no boredom and you constantly have to learn new things.

How has your professional path changed from the first day until now – and what has it taught you?

I have been working for over 20 years and my entire professional path is in the field of public relations, and the management of relationships and reputation. This profession was much more exotic when I started than it is now, but back then my parents supported my choice a lot. During this period, many significant technological transformations occurred that strongly affected the way people handle information and media. This also changed the profession itself. I learned to accept change, to be flexible, to be patient. I received a lot of support from my wife, a lot of courage to develop and take new directions. I received a lot of support from my team, from many colleagues, from many people I work with. It is wonderful to have someone to learn from, to take something, and in my opinion this is a very important quality – to be open to receiving from the outside world in order to improve.

What are your aspirations moving forward – both for yourself and for the team or company you are part of?

I want both myself and my team to succeed, to take on new challenges, to have fun while working, and always find a reason to celebrate both the big and small successes. Ideally, work should bring joy and satisfaction. Once you know that feeling, it is very important to preserve and develop it.