Manolis Souliotis, CHRO, AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS explains how ESG transformation starts with people, not policies.
When you work in a global, listed organisation serving blue-chip customers, ESG is not something you can treat as optional. It is a requirement. It’s expected by regulators, by investors, and by the markets in which we operate.
But ESG is not just about reporting. We need to be constantly looking forward – defining targets and tracking progress as well as publishing results. We also need to approach ESG as an integral part of business strategy, building a long-term direction that shapes how the organisation operates.
At AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS, our approach has been to treat ESG as a transformation, not a compliance exercise. That means integrating it into how we think about the business, how we manage people, and how we make decisions.
While environmental priorities are clearly important, my role as CHRO has been focused on the social and governance dimensions.
Building diversity into our hiring strategy
One of the simplest lessons I have learned is that diversity is not something you can fix later. It has to be embedded in your talent pipeline.
We operate across multiple countries, and our workforce reflects that. In some teams, you will find people from across Europe, USA, Asia and Africa working together. For us, the primary criterion has always been skills. We are open to talent from anywhere, and we actively look beyond geographic or cultural boundaries to bring the right skills and ambition into our business.
ESG is a journey.”
Like many organisations with a strong technical and manufacturing heritage, we have not yet reached the level of gender balance we would like. But we are making headway. For example, at the Andorra site of Tag Systems, a member of AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS, we have a mostly female leadership team and our COO is female too. To keep up the momentum for gender balance, we are actively encouraging more female candidates, ensuring visibility of opportunities, and being deliberate in how we build our leadership pipeline through our recruitment, selection and onboarding practices. We’re also taking a transparent approach to payment parity.
We’re focused on creating an environment where people feel included once they join us too. For us, that has meant embedding our values more deeply into the organisation. We are currently working to integrate those values into our performance management processes, so that inclusion is not just a statement, but something that is reinforced through how people are evaluated and developed.
Ethical technology and psychological safety
As an applied technology company, we are very aware that the way we use technology has human implications. AI is a powerful tool, but it can also create uncertainty for employees. People naturally ask: what does this mean for my role? Will technology replace me?
If you do not address those concerns directly, you risk damaging trust. That’s why our approach has been to make sure our team understands that we are using AI to improve processes, not to replace people. Proactive messaging and clarity are important because people need to feel that they are part of the transformation. We want to bring them with us on that journey, not risk them feeling left behind, and we can do that by helping people understand both the potential and the pitfalls.
What that looks like in practice is training programmes focused on responsible AI use, data privacy and governance awareness. In this way, we’re not just equipping our people for technical transformation, we’re also ensuring ethical culture is embedded in this brave new world.
Upskilling for the future
If there is one area where ESG, business performance and employee expectations all come together, it is skills.
If organisations do not invest in upskilling, they are not only putting their business at risk, but are also failing their people. At AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS we have taken a structured approach to upskilling, introducing an online learning platform that offers both mandatory and optional training. Employees can follow defined learning paths, but they also have the flexibility to choose areas that are relevant to their own development and interests. This includes technical training, soft skills, and emerging topics such as AI and data-related capabilities.
We also encourage employees to participate in external conferences and industry events, so they can stay connected to broader market developments.
Upskilling is about more than productivity. When people feel that they are developing and gaining relevant skills with an organisation that is investing in their future, they become much more engaged. So, our investment in a training platform not only delivers the skills we need, but also the sustainable workforce that will help us drive growth and maximise the value of our human capital.
Governance only works if people understand and trust it
As a listed company, AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS has to operate within a strong governance framework, but governance is not just about compliance; it’s also about how fairly and consistently we manage our people.
One of our key priorities has been to strengthen this area through a more aligned and transparent performance management model, and we are currently developing a group-wide framework that will allow us to assess employees using consistent criteria across all regions.
the value drivers are not policies, frameworks or reports, but people.”
But designing a good model is only part of the challenge – getting the implementation right will be critical. That is why we are placing a strong emphasis on how the model is introduced through training and communication, with local HR and leadership teams in each market playing a key role in ensuring that the model is applied correctly and consistently.
We are also moving towards a fully digital system. This allows for greater transparency, better reporting and more effective oversight, ensuring that performance data is visible, measurable and actionable.
This much I know
ESG is a journey. We are still developing our long-term targets and refining our approach with systems in place to measure progress and a clear direction of travel. Our ESG journey at AUSTRIACARD HOLDINGS is not being driven by a single function, but by a governance structure that brings together leadership at the highest level, including the CEO, CFO and myself. This ensures that our ESG priorities are aligned with our overall business strategy.
If I had to summarise what I have learned from our ESG transformation so far, it would be that the value drivers are not policies, frameworks or reports, but people.
Our ESG transformation is bringing together a framework for how we hire and develop people in ways that leverage value from diversity, build trust within our organisation and create a culture that supports both business performance and governance.
Ultimately, ESG is not a bolt on; it has to be built into an organisation as a culture and a strategy.
