On global direction. On local teams. On decisions that have to work.
Direction is global. Execution is local.
In a global company, shared principles matter. They keep the organisation aligned. But principles do not implement themselves. They have to work in real teams, real markets and real business conditions.
For Miriam Krivosudska, working across CEE and the UK showed how different that can look in practice. The same objective can meet different expectations around ownership, speed, feedback and decision-making.
Global direction creates alignment. Local execution proves whether it works.
This is where HR has to stay close to the business — close enough to understand the numbers, the people and the pressure. And practical enough to help leaders make decisions that hold.
On CEE and the UK. On mindset. On how business gets done.
Mindset shows up in how decisions are made
Processes may look similar from a distance. The real difference often appears in how people communicate, challenge, decide, take ownership and move when conditions change.
Q1: When you moved between CEE and the UK, what felt different first?
What I noticed first wasn’t so much the processes themselves, but the mindset around them. In the UK, there was more structure in communication, clearer ownership, and a strong focus on stakeholder alignment and decision-making through agreed processes.
In CEE, people tend to be more flexible and quicker to adapt when circumstances change. Neither approach is better or worse — they reflect different business contexts and strengths.
Q2: What did the UK assignment teach you about CEE?
The UK assignment helped me appreciate the strengths of both environments more clearly. It reinforced how strong CEE organisations are when it comes to agility, commitment, and operational delivery.
Teams in CEE are used to navigating change, ambiguity, and limited resources, which creates a very practical, solution-oriented mindset. The experience showed me that markets develop different capabilities based on their realities and challenges.
Different markets build different strengths. The best leadership recognises them before decisions are made.
Miriam Krivosudská on CEE, the UK and leadership mindset — in conversation with Vladimír Janík, Leaders Talk 2026.
On local translation. On numbers. On decisions that have to hold.
HR is tested in the trade-offs
Global HR can set direction. Its value appears when principles meet local teams, local rules and commercial pressure.
Q3: Where do global HR principles usually get tested locally?
Global HR frameworks are essential for consistency, but they can’t simply be translated word-for-word into local markets. Local context matters — labour law, culture, leadership styles, employee expectations, and even how feedback is perceived.
What works well in one country doesn’t always work the same way in another, even when the objective is identical. The key is to keep the principles consistent while allowing enough flexibility in how they are implemented locally.
Q4: In a commercial business, when does HR have to be closest to the numbers?
HR has to be a true business partner and part of leadership decision-making — not brought in later. The moments when HR needs to be closest to the numbers are often those where the P&L looks good on a spreadsheet, but tells a different story twelve months later through attrition, disengagement, or lost institutional knowledge.
That’s why HR needs to stay close to the numbers during periods of pressure — cost constraints, performance challenges or transformation. HR helps leaders understand where to invest, where to simplify, and how to manage costs without losing critical capability.
The spreadsheet shows the decision. The organisation proves whether it holds.
Miriam Krivosudská on HR, business pressure and decisions that have to hold — in conversation with Vladimír Janík, Leaders Talk 2026.
On continuity. On ownership. On what should remain when a leader moves on.
The work cannot leave with the leader
When a leader moves on, the question is not only who replaces them.
It is whether the team still has clarity, ownership and the ability to decide.
Q5: When a leader moves on — what should remain?
When a leader moves on, what should remain is clarity, stability, and a shared sense of direction. If things stop working the moment a leader leaves, that usually says more about the setup than the people.
Strong teams shouldn’t depend on one individual. Knowledge, ownership, and decision-making need to be embedded across the team, not concentrated in one person. To me, great leadership isn’t about being indispensable. It’s about building a team and a culture that continues to perform and grow, even after you’ve moved on.
We see the same pattern in CEO and board work across CEE:
Direction may be global, but the work is carried locally. A decision only holds when the market, the numbers and the people can make it work.
Miriam Krivosudská
HR Director Commercial & Enabling Functions CEE
Molson Coors Beverage Company
Miriam is an HR leader with more than 20 years of experience across retail, industrial and beverage environments. Her work spans commercial HR, talent acquisition, learning and development, and employee relations.
Menity Leaders Talk — Jun 2026
Interview by Vladimír Janík · Photography © Menity