How Carlsberg Vietnam is building high-performing teams through trust and empowerment

Andrew Khan (left), managing director of Carlsberg Vietnam, discusses how trust and empowerment help build high-performing teams

As Vietnam’s workforce and business environment continue to evolve, organisations are rethinking what truly drives performance. Beyond strategy and execution, long-term growth depends on whether people feel trusted to take ownership, supported to grow, and empowered to contribute.

This was one of the key themes at Work the Nordic Way 2026 on May 21, where business leaders explored how Nordic values such as trust, empowerment, collaboration, and flatter organisational structures are being adapted within Vietnam’s changing workplace landscape.

Among the speakers were senior leaders from Carlsberg Vietnam, including Andrew Khan, managing director, and Dang Tran Ngoc Ngan, senior director of People & Culture, who shared how the company is building a growth culture rooted in trust, collaboration, people development, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) to create stronger teams and a more resilient organisation.

From Growth Culture to psychological safety, Carlsberg Vietnam leaders shared perspectives on building more adaptable and people-centred organisations

Trust, empowerment and people-first leadership

During the panel discussion “The Structuring Success: How Nordic Companies Build High-Performing Teams,” Khan reflected on how growth culture has long been embedded in Carlsberg Group and Vietnam’s DNA, shaping how teams move with speed, staying passionate to consumers, and leading with positive energy.

Drawing from Nordic leadership values, Khan shared that strong organisations do not become more efficient by adding more control and layers. They become faster when teams have clarity, trust, and enough room to operate.

“Growth culture is not something we put on slides; it’s how we work every day,” Khan said. “When people feel trusted and empowered, they move faster, take greater ownership, and solve problems earlier. That creates stronger teams and ultimately a more resilient organisation.”

Carlsberg Vietnam’s managing director sharing at the Work the Nordic Way 2026

Growth culture is also closely connected to how Carlsberg Vietnam approaches DE&I and future-ready leadership. For the company, DE&I is not viewed simply as representation, but as part of building broader perspectives, stronger collaboration, and a workplace where people feel empowered to contribute and grow.

Across the Carlsberg Group, strengthening women leadership continues to be an important long-term priority, with the ambition of reaching 42 per cent women in senior leadership roles by 2032.

Carlsberg Vietnam is advancing women leadership through a structured DE&I roadmap

In 2025, the company signed the Women’s Empowerment Principles established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, reinforcing gender equality through talent development and succession planning. Earlier this year, Carlsberg Vietnam also launched SHELeads – a women leadership community designed to strengthen confidence, capability, and connection among future-ready female leaders.

Carlsberg Vietnam launched SHELeads in early 2026 to strengthen future-ready women leaders

A culture where people can grow

For Ngan, senior director of People & Culture, growth culture is also about creating an environment where people can perform sustainably, not only through speed and results, but through trust, wellbeing, and psychological safety.

Speaking at the event, Ngan reflected on how workforce expectations are changing. Employees today are not only looking for better jobs, but for better work lives – with greater focus on flexibility, wellbeing, career development, and meaningful workplace experiences.

According to Ngan, Nordic values such as trust and empowerment resonate strongly in Vietnam, but they need to be applied with cultural understanding. Building trust in a Vietnamese workplace requires open communication, local sensitivity, and safe spaces where employees feel comfortable speaking up, trying new things, and learning from mistakes.

Senior director of People & Culture at Carlsberg Vietnam shared perspectives on trust, psychological safety, and Nordic values in Vietnam’s evolving workplace

“Trust is the foundation of everything,” she said. “When people feel psychologically safe, they are more willing to speak up, raise challenges early, try new approaches, and contribute to building a stronger workplace together.”

A wide range of initiatives are also organised to support employee growth

As conversations at Work the Nordic Way 2026 reflected, the future of work may depend less on hierarchy and more on whether organisations can create environments where people feel trusted to grow, contribute, and solve challenges together.

For Carlsberg Vietnam, that belief continues shaping how the company builds its people, leadership, and culture – in line with its purpose of 'brewing for a better today and tomorrow.'

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