Miroslav Krejsa: CSR Begins at Home

Miroslav Krejsa drives into work each day. He looks to the left and the right as he passes through a small forest. He doesn’t like what he sees: Garbage.

What should be a pristine area is spoiled by bottles that have been left behind by picnickers, carpet fragments that have been dumped and old discarded tires abound.

Krejsa is the 39-year-old managing director of Henkel Ukraine, an international company that manufactures and sells washing detergents, household cleaning, cosmetics and beauty products.

His company, a family-owned business, is driven by long term vision and values,  and puts a lot of stock in something commonly known as Corporate Social Responsibility.

However, Krejsa embraces the Henkel philosophy that CSR begins at home. “It is not about charity only,” said Krejsa in our interview at his downtown Kyiv office. “That’s simply the cherry on top after everything else.”

It is also not about talking the talk, but is about walking the walk. Henkel, just recently,  has collected international awards for its commitment to CSR and for its high ethical standards.

“It starts with paying a fair salary, benefits, medical insurance and working environment for employ  and not doing just what the law says as an employer, but putting forth the best principles in dealing with people,” he said. “I don’t believe in giving hryvna toward a charity situation, and then calling a press conference to talk about it.

“Sometimes companies spend thousands of Euros on CSR conferences where they talk CSR but there is little follow-through,” he added.

To emphasize Henkel’s commitment to CSR, Krejsa said his office has started separating garbage, the biodegradable from materials that will not break down over time.

Additionally, his office has plans to form employee and perhaps student teams to help clean up some of the garbage carelessly left after holidays.

Change Management

A 10-year veteran of Henkel, Krejsa came to his position from sales, then marketing and then sales again. He held a sales position in Henkel’s Moscow office prior to coming to Kyiv.

A native of the Czech Republic, one can tell Krejsa has a passion both for his job and his company. He is proud Henkel tends to take a longer view in markets than do publicly traded businesses.

“With every significant change, there is a tendency for a company to dip down before going back up. Change of management takes time,” he said. “You have to focus on the long-term, making sure you have the right people in the right positions.”

Philosophy of Marketing

The consumer in Ukraine and Russia, in Krejsa’s view, is different from the consumer in Western Europe. “People look the same, but you have to learn not just more but learn more deeply,” he said. “They think and act differently.”

It could be that all other marketing barometers are pretty much the same,  such as research, brand indexes and measurement of advertising, he said. However, “you have to know your customer.

“And you have to be able to transfer this knowledge to headquarters to get green light for different  strategies and approaches in specific emerging markets,” Krejsa added.

Henkel Ukraine, he said, does a lot of field research by visiting homes to see what people are cleaning with, what other products they are using,  and just how they are using them.  A typical visit might be to an apartment for a family of four living on a combined income of 400 Euros a month.

Philosophy of Management

Krejsa has a comfortable style of management that helps him get along with his employees. “I think it is important that you talk to people on the same level, and never put seniority to the forefront. This encourages people to speak openly with me.”

A relative newcomer to Kyiv—within the last year—Krejsa said he liked to get and share as much information as possible before making decisions. Then, he often suggests varying options and challenges managers to pick the best one.”

Another important part of management, Krejsa said, was to keep promises. “I try to keep all my promises, not just with current employees but with previous colleagues with whom I have worked,” he said.

Kyiv Versus Moscow

Krejsa admits to not having a lot of personal time since he has taken the top job at Henkel in Ukraine, but what he does have, he likes to spend with his wife, also from Prague, and two children.

He has found Kyiv entirely different than Moscow; and, if one is to read between the lines, better.

“I try not to just adapt but to understand when I move to a new community,” said Krejsa. “In Ukraine I thought I would find a smaller Russia, but that’s not true at all.“I liked Kyiv from the very first day. It is a more livable city than Moscow and the people, in my view, are more open. I am not just talking friends and co-workers but people you meet on the street and in shops,” he added.