14.12.2021
Mr. Jingdong Hua, Vice President and Treasurer of the World Bank and Assoc. Prof. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University (FEBA) had an online fireside chat on 1 December 2021 on the topic “The Role of The World Bank in Promoting Diversity and Inclusion through its Operations and Financial Markets Activities”. All FEBA students were invited to take part with questions and comments in the event.
At the beginning of the event Assoc. Prof. Georgiev welcomed Mr. Hua and the World Bank team and outlined some of the core highlights from the biography of Mr. Hua. Mr. Hua welcomed the students and the team of Sofia University expressing his pleasure being at the FEBA virtual classroom. During the discussion the students enhanced their understanding on the World Bank mission, structure, and operations. Moreover, Mr. Hua inspired the audience with his personal experience and career path as well as with his work and his contributions to the mission of the World Bank in making the world a better place.
Mr. Hua encouraged the students to be curious and positive: “Keep an open mind about possibilities in life, because no matter how well you plan there will be opportunities that will be interesting to you that you don’t yet know. In my case I wanted to be an industrial engineer building fertilizer factories, but if I insisted on my plan, I would have never had this fantastic career. So, I think a subject matter is important but not necessarily critical in terms of your future career. Just remain open-minded, remain curious and be aware of opportunities. But of course, one opportunity is coming your way you are better be ready”.
He shared some of the key priorities in the activities of the World Bank Group, as well as the role of the five institutions in it for tackling the global challenges such as climate change, the COVID-19 crisis, and the sustainable development goals.
The Dean’s Office and the FEBA Career Center would like to express their gratitude to Mr. Hua and to the World Bank team that took part in the planning and organization of the event. Assoc. Prof. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of FEBA, considers that lectures such as this one are key for the preparation of young people for the challenges of the contemporary world. “I believe, that FEBA’s students have the best economic and business education and professors in Bulgaria. One key element for this top position is our ability to bring business leaders and global institutions into the classroom, be it virtual or on-site in our campus. I am grateful to Mr. Jingdong Hua and his team for making this event possible and for reiterating the global challenges we are facing, as well as the responsibility of each one of us for tackling them. I am convinced, that our partnership with the World Bank Group will continue with other similar initiatives”.
The full recording of the event will be soon available at FEBA Online, part of Sofia University e-learning system.