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Through its ‘growing for good’ value and initiatives such as ‘One Suntory Mizuiku' and ‘One Suntory Helping Hands’, Suntory has built a humanity-wellbeing culture that strengthens engagement, empowers employees, and extends its impact beyond the workplace.
Suntory’s journey towards an award-winning HR culture is anchored in its corporate value, ‘growing for good’, which emphasises sustainable growth while caring for people, society, and the environment. Insights from its 2023 Employee Engagement Survey revealed a strong need for deeper wellbeing support, prompting the launch of initiatives that empower employees to lead change, foster open dialogue, and create better engagement, retention, and sense of belonging.
Guided by the 'Yatte Minahare' spirit of never giving up and the Gemba mindset of learning directly where work happens, Suntory strengthened connections through EXCOM connect sessions, coffee with CEO chats, focus groups, and one-on-one check-ins. These platforms allowed the company to understand what drives employees, the challenges they face, and the support they need to thrive. Insights from these conversations informed bold, people-centered actions that accelerated innovation, strengthened unity, and built trust across the organisation.
Speaking to HRO following Suntory’s silver win for 'Excellence in Corporate Wellness' at the HR Excellence Awards 2025, Thailand, Piengchit Sriprasart, SVP People & Culture and Corporate Affairs, Suntory Beverage & Food (Thailand) and Yosayut Sahawatcharin, SVP People & Culture and Corporate Affairs, Suntory PepsiCo Beverage (Thailand) share their key lessons for HR leaders:
Nurturing talent means empowering people and building a culture that encourages bold action.
Q Tell us about your inspiring HR initiative – what sparked the idea, and how did you know it was the right path to take?
The foundation of our initiative lies in our commitment to the corporate value of 'growing for good', which emphasises sustainable business growth while caring for our people, society, and the environment. Insights from our 2023 Employee Engagement Survey highlighted a strong need for deeper care and well-being support. In response, we strengthened a humanity-wellbeing culture by empowering employee engagement champions and focus groups to foster open, authentic dialogue across the organisation. This approach improved engagement, retention, and sense of belonging — affirming that we were on the right path.
The 2025 survey further validated our progress, showing a meaningful rise not only in humanity-wellbeing culture scores, but also in sustainability sentiment, recognising our role in empowering employees to give back to society and the environment. This reflects the impact of initiatives such as the One Suntory Mizuiku Programme and One Suntory Helping Hands, which enable employees to take the lead in environmental protection and community support.
Q Every journey has its ups and downs – can you share a challenge your team faced and how you worked through it together?
In today’s fast-changing business environment, transformation demands agility — yet it can also create uncertainty for employees. Guided by the 'Yatte Minahare' spirit of never giving up and our Gemba mindset of learning directly where work happens, we launched EXCOM connect/coffee with CEO sessions, focus groups, and one-on-one check-ins.
These platforms allow us to see beyond data — to truly understand our people: what drives them, the challenges they face, and the support they need to thrive. By listening deeply, we build trust, create a culture of openness, and ensure every voice matters.
Most importantly, these insights empower leadership to take bold, informed action — making decisions grounded in real employee needs, accelerating change, and driving innovation with confidence. Through employee engagement champions and taskforces, we strengthen unity, resilience, and our ability to adapt, innovate, and succeed together. True to the 'Yatte Minahare' spirit, we pushed forward with pilot programs and creative solutions, proving that perseverance and bold thinking can turn challenges into opportunities.
Q What impact has this initiative had on your organisation so far, and what do you hope it inspires in the wider HR community?
This initiative has created meaningful and measurable impact across our organisation. Rooted in our corporate value of 'growing for good', we focused on strengthening a humanity-wellbeing culture in response to insights from our 2023 Employee Engagement Survey. Guided by our 'people-first' and 'empowered by people' approaches — recognising that our people are at the heart of our success and that every voice shapes our growth — we are committed to nurturing happiness, balance, and well-being, ensuring employees do not just come to work, but come to grow. As a result, we have strengthened retention, morale, and cross-functional collaboration, while also sparking greater innovation and shared ownership of our transformation journey.
Building on these outcomes, we hope our journey encourages other HR leaders to place genuine well-being and continuous improvement at the centre of their organisations. When companies lead with empathy and purpose, they unlock sustainable growth and create lasting value for both employees and society.
Q Looking back, is there a moment, person, or value that kept you and your team motivated throughout the journey?
Living our 'growing for good' value, we support employees to grow both as individuals and as a team. To build collaboration and a sense of shared purpose, we encourage recognition, inclusion, and active participation in sustainability initiatives. Through SunnyStars, an online recognition platform, colleagues appreciate and celebrate one another. Meanwhile, volunteer programmes such as One Suntory Helping Hands empower employees to give back — collectively raising funds and providing support to underprivileged schools and communities, improving the quality of life for children in need. These efforts strengthen teamwork while extending our impact beyond the workplace.
Furthermore, with strong leadership support and the dedication of our employee engagement champions and taskforce, we are reminded that our work uplifts not only our teams but also society. These shared actions and moments of recognition embody our 'growing for good' spirit — driving meaningful impact, strengthening community bonds, and advancing positive change together.
Q If you could offer one golden nugget of wisdom to HR professionals aiming for excellence, what would it be?
Nurturing talent means empowering people and building a culture that encourages bold action. Our 'people-first' and 'empowered by people' approaches work hand in hand with the 'Yatte Minahare' spirit — supporting individuals to grow while inspiring the courage to listen, innovate, and act boldly.
Excellence in HR begins with listening, enabling continuous development, and creating opportunities to give back. It also means embracing bold ideas and learning from setbacks, turning them into fuel for growth. When we put people at the center and lead with empathy and purpose, we build a culture that thrives — one that creates lasting impact inside and beyond the organization.
Culture is built one conversation, one action, and one connection at a time. Stay relentless, stay inspired, and continue driving innovation and positive change.
Read more interviews on why organisations have won trophies for their HR practices - head over to our Winning Secrets section!
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