“ MY ROLE AS THE GLOBAL CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER IS TO ENSURE THAT WE INTEGRATE OUR SUSTAINABILITY APPROACHES INTO EVERYTHING THAT WE DO”
DRAHOMIRA MANDIKOVA, GROUP CSO, ASAHI GROUP HOLDINGS
Asahi Headquarters, Tokyo
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR JOB? I have been with the business for 25 years and I am originally an economist. I worked in a bank and then I felt like it was not really for me. So despite studying economics, I actually established the school magazine. I was chief editor and this brought me to the beer business because the beer business was about people, about meaningful connections where people really can have fun together.
I came to Plzeňský Prazdroj and I was so curious to know everything. They showed me the original production of Pilsner in cellars and it’ s so unique. And I met people who were from the families of those people who established that brewery and they shared the stories. I have to say I was never drinking beer before. I came from a family where my grandfather was Hungarian, so we drank homemade wine if we were drinking alcohol. It was like the first contact when I had a sip of Pilsner Urquell. I fell in love with it.
It is all about people working there, the brands we have and how we ensure that we are able to bring them to consumers today. I did a lot in Europe about communication, reputation, crisis management, the regulatory agenda and lobbying, but sustainability was part of that.
I always felt it’ s my personal purpose to shift the business environment to broader sustainability. It’ s somewhere I feel I can have a meaningful impact.
90 June 2025