Responsibility shapes safety
"In our industry, safety is more than compliance — it’s part of our DNA"
Alžbeta Grácová
CHRO
Slovnaft (MOL Group)
Menity Leaders Talk · December 2025
Safety begins with personal responsibility
People leadership in a 24/7 industrial operation
As CHRO of Slovnaft, part of MOL Group, Alžbeta Grácová leads the people agenda in an industrial environment with over 3 000 people, where safety, workforce skills and business continuity are closely connected.
In this Leaders Talk with Peter Nemčok, she discusses personal responsibility for safety, difficult decisions involving long-serving colleagues, and the reskilling needed for energy transition.
In this conversation
Six questions on safety, people decisions and preparing the workforce for change
Difficult decisions require clarity and respect
Safety and difficult people decisions
In high-risk environments, safety is not held by rules alone. It depends on clarity, consistency and the way leaders show up every day.
What builds a resilient workforce in your industry?
01
In our industry, safety is more than compliance — it’s part of our DNA and our company culture. We do not tolerate disrespect of any safety rule. Our entire operation is based on the personal responsibility of every employee to protect each other’s health and safety.
What has been your toughest people decision?
02
My toughest decisions are connected to my early years in a managerial role. Ending cooperation with a colleague whose attitude didn’t fit our culture was challenging. Asking a long-serving, experienced colleague to hand over the role to a prepared successor was even harder. In such moments, I try to communicate with respect and clarity — because these decisions affect not only individuals, but also their families.
Alžbeta Grácová, CHRO of Slovnaft (MOL Group), discusses personal responsibility for safety and the care required when making difficult people decisions — in conversation with Peter Nemčok, Menity Leaders Talk 2025.
Trust grows through fairness and consistency
Trust in a round-the-clock operation
When operations run continuously, leadership cannot rely on motivation alone. People need structure, fairness and trust that can hold under pressure.
How do you keep 3,300 people engaged, skilled, and safe in a 24/7 high-risk operation?
03
We work across a wide spectrum of activities and initiatives. Employee engagement depends on the work environment — physical and psychological safety, fair compensation, and company culture. As managers, we focus on developing our people, their knowledge, and their experience. We trust their expertise and create a safe space for learning — because mutual trust strengthens us in everyday and demanding situations.
What leadership lesson has the industrial environment taught you?
04
The most valuable lesson is that clarity, consistency, and empathy build trust — especially in times of uncertainty. People don’t expect leaders to have all the answers. But they do expect honesty, stability, and fairness. These principles guide me every day in a complex industrial environment.
Alžbeta Grácová and Peter Nemčok during Menity Leaders Talk 2025, exploring how fairness, consistent leadership and space for learning help build trust in a round-the-clock industrial operation.
Business continuity depends on future skills
Future skills and the courage to speak up
Energy transition makes reskilling essential, while effective HR leadership requires business understanding and the confidence to speak up.
Which trend will have the biggest impact on your workforce?
05
The oil industry is undergoing one of the most profound transformations. Energy transition — driven by the Green Deal and decarbonization targets — will have the biggest impact on our workforce and operations. Reskilling and upskilling will remain a strategic pillar, because preparing our people for the future is essential for business continuity.
What advice would you give to the next generation of HR leaders in heavy industry?
06
Stay close to the business and don’t be afraid to speak up when your knowledge, experience, and professional opinion need to be heard. Ask questions, stay curious, and continually build your expertise — it’s the foundation of real HR leadership.
In Menity’s CEO and board work across CEE, these questions also matter in senior appointments: who can uphold safety standards, make difficult people decisions and prepare the workforce for change?
About the guest
Alžbeta Grácová
CHRO, Slovnaft (MOL Group)
Alžbeta Grácová is CHRO of Slovnaft, part of MOL Group, responsible for the people agenda across an industrial operation of some 3,300 employees running continuously. She came to HR leadership from law — a route that shapes how she approaches standards, responsibility and difficult people decisions.
About Leaders Talk
Leaders Talk is Menity’s editorial interview series featuring CEOs, board members and senior leaders across CEE. Each conversation examines the decisions, trade-offs and operating realities of senior leadership.
Guests are selected by Menity for the relevance of their experience. No fee is paid or received for participation. Answers are the guest’s own, edited only for length and language, and reviewed by the guest before publication.
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