Building an inclusive culture is never finished: Carlsberg Vietnam exec

Carlsberg Vietnam's recognition as one of HR Asia's Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2026 for the fourth consecutive year, together with its first HR Asia Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award (DE&I), reflects the company's long-term commitment to building an inclusive workplace where people can grow and thrive.

Coinciding with the launch of Carlsberg Group's new Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy, the milestones offer an opportunity to look beyond the awards and explore a broader question: What does it take to build an inclusive culture that drives both people and business success? The Investor spoke with Dang Tran Ngoc Ngan, senior director, People & Culture at Carlsberg Vietnam, to get an insight into her perspective.

Carlsberg Vietnam has just received HR Asia's Best Companies to Work for in Asia for four consecutive years, while also being recognized with the HR Asia Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Awards 2026. What do these recognitions mean to Carlsberg Vietnam?

Receiving these recognitions is something we are incredibly proud of. They are a meaningful milestone, but more importantly, they reflect the culture we have built and nurtured over years.

The fourth consecutive HR Asia recognition tells us our people continue to experience Carlsberg Vietnam as a workplace where they can grow and thrive. Receiving the DE&I Award this year is especially meaningful because it recognizes something deeper: that inclusion isn't a standalone initiative, but part of how we lead, collaborate and make decisions every day.

For us, that is what these awards truly recognize. They validate our long-term commitment to creating a workplace where people feel respected, supported and empowered to contribute. Culture isn't built overnight; it is shaped through everyday experiences, and that's something we will continue investing in.

Carlsberg Group has recently launched its new Global DE&I Policy. Do you think that this reflects the evolving role of DE&I in business today?

The Carlsberg Group's new Global DE&I Policy is important because it reinforces something we increasingly see across workplaces today: diversity, equity and inclusion are not separate from business performance - they help enable it.

It shifts the conversation from why DE&I matters to how it creates value. I particularly appreciate the three principles behind the policy: "Diversity Is Us. Equity Strengthens Us. Inclusion Empowers Us." Diversity brings different perspectives and experiences. Equity creates the opportunity for people to contribute and grow. Inclusion is what turns those differences into better collaboration, stronger ideas and better decisions.

For me, that is the role of DE&I. It is not a standalone agenda; it is part of building high-performing teams and a stronger organization. Businesses that can bring together diverse perspectives and create an environment where people are encouraged to contribute, challenge ideas and learn from one another are often better positioned to understand consumers, adapt to change, and innovate for the future. In that sense, DE&I is not only about people - it is also about building the capabilities needed for long-term business success.

How does Carlsberg Vietnam translate these principles into everyday employee experience?

For Carlsberg Vietnam, DE&I is not defined by policies - it is reflected in how people experience our workplace every day.

We want every employee to feel they can come as they are, speak up with confidence and know that their perspectives are valued, regardless of gender, generation, religion, region or role. We believe great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. That is why we encourage open dialogue, create opportunities for employees to share perspectives, and enable teams to present their initiatives directly to our management team as part of our growth culture.

When people feel trusted and heard, they are more willing to contribute, collaborate and challenge thoughts. Just as importantly, these conversations help leaders stay connected to frontline realities and make better-informed decisions.

These everyday experiences are reinforced through initiatives such as Pride Month's "Come As You Are" campaign, SHELeads - our leadership community supporting women to grow and lead, our commitment to the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), and employee-led wellbeing initiatives that support physical, mental and financial wellbeing while fostering a culture of shared ownership.

For us, the true measure of DE&I is not the number of initiatives we launch, but how our people experience our culture. Achieving an Inclusion Index score of 86 and ranking among the top 10% of Glint's global benchmark for Inclusion for three consecutive years, alongside receiving the HR Asia Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Award 2026, gives us confidence that we are moving in the right direction.

More importantly, it reminds us that building an inclusive culture is never finished. We continue to listen to our people, learn from their experiences and evolve together as an organization.

Looking ahead, what is your aspiration for DE&I at Carlsberg Vietnam?

My aspiration is simple: DE&I to be so deeply embedded in our culture that it is experienced naturally every day, not because of a policy, a target or a program, but because it has become part of how we think, lead and work together.

Success, for me, is when leaders and employees no longer see DE&I as a separate agenda. Like breathing, it becomes part of everyday behavior - how we listen to different perspectives, how we make decisions, how we collaborate and how we treat one another. And that is, of course, an ongoing journey.

Ultimately, this is about something bigger than Carlsberg Vietnam. We would like to play a small part in shaping a future where people from different backgrounds and experiences are valued for what they bring and have equitable opportunities to succeed. If we can help build stronger teams, more inclusive leaders and workplaces where people can thrive and perform at their best, that would be success in its truest sense.