On trust. On transformation. On people.
Trust grows where transparency meets consistency
Jana Vričanova, HR Director at Notino, shapes the company’s people strategy across Europe — supporting growth across nine countries and more than 3,000 colleagues. Her work sits at the point where culture has to scale without becoming mechanical. For Jana, trust is built through transparency, consistency and values people can recognise in daily decisions.
In this Leaders Talk, she reflects on why psychological safety is not a trend, but a condition for growth — especially when transformation moves quickly.
For Jana, leadership is not about control — it’s about creating space where people can thrive.
On trust. On people.
Trust across markets needs empathy and structure
When teams work across countries, trust cannot depend only on personal relationships. It needs clear principles people can recognise across different markets.
Q1: How do you build trust when leadership expectations differ across markets?
Building trust across cultures is about balancing adaptability and consistency. I respect local context, but I always stand on the pillars of transparency and integrity. That is how people know they can trust both me and the system I represent.
Q2: What changed in HR as Notino grew from Brno to 27 countries?
The biggest shift was moving from administrative HR to a strategic business partner. We accelerated decision-making, digitalised processes and started thinking more like an e-commerce company — with data, measurable impact and employee experience as an internal customer experience.
Jana Vričanova with Vladimír Janík — Leaders Talk 2025.
On transformation. On leadership.
Culture unites where structure can’t
At scale, structure gives direction, but culture determines whether people move together when the environment keeps changing.
Q3: What is the hardest part of uniting HR across Europe?
Unifying nine countries and five international HR teams into one shared culture without losing identity. We are no longer talking about headquarters, but about one way of working. One European HR team is emerging — sharing know-how and moving forward together.
Q4: How do you keep people performing without losing them?
People don’t leave when they find meaning in their work and the space to say ‘no.’ That’s why psychological safety, fair performance planning, and transparent communication matter to me. Sustainable performance can only exist in an environment built on trust.
Jana Vričanova on trust, values and transformation — Leaders Talk 2025
On growth. On legacy.
Values only matter in practice
In transformation, values matter only when they help people decide, adapt and stay honest under pressure.
Q5: Why do some HR leaders hold in transformation — while others burn out?
Transformation tests whether an HR leader manages processes or inspires people. Those who burn out focus on control. Those who succeed embrace uncertainty as a natural part of growth and lead through values, not spreadsheets.
Q6: What would you tell a young HR leader building culture in a fast-growing company?
In e-commerce, everything changes fast – and culture must keep pace. The foundation is a shared goal: to understand the customer and grow together. That only happens when values live in daily practice, not in presentations or on office walls.
At Menity, we often see the same pattern in senior leadership work: growth holds better when people trust the direction, understand the principles and see consistency in daily decisions.
Jana Vricanova
HR Director at Notino
Jana shapes Notino’s people strategy across Europe, supporting teams across nine countries and more than 3,000 colleagues. Her work focuses on scaling culture through trust, adaptability and shared principles.
Menity Leaders Talk — October 2025
Interview by Vladimír Janík · Photography © Menity