Along with nearly 60 participants, our interested colleagues filled our Pipacs event centre at the meeting organised in cooperation with the German–Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce, where the large number of guests was joined by a number of exhibitors, including the Audi Academy and Széchenyi István University, the latter enriching the knowledge material of the workshop with its two stands. How can Environmental, Social and Governance considerations become profitable guidelines beyond mandatory regulation? These and similar financial questions were the focus of the programme, during which participants shared their good practices in areas such as knowledge development, web-based training, ESG-related business development and ESG data&IT. In addition to learning about the aspects and valuable and relevant content of other economic operators, it was also an excellent opportunity for networking, resulting in a mutually supportive professional community in the second year of cooperation.

From our company, Dániel Nagy, our colleague, was the main organiser who got involved in this project and the world of ESG a few years ago as assistant to the director of finance, IT, procurement and compliance at Audi Hungaria.

“I believe that Audi Hungaria's internal identity puts it at the forefront of social responsibility, but as a profit-oriented organisation, it must also keep an eye on the economical aspect. Our conference provided many good examples and valuable approaches on how to incorporate this understanding into our practice. As an organiser, I found myself in a really nice role, which was highly challenging though, but I'm really looking forward to learning more about ESG, as it is an important topic for the future. It's true for me personally, but also at a corporate level, we can say that the more insight we have, the more we can take into account the big picture, all its aspects, and be sure that our investments in the future will pay off.”

The professional programme of the workshop was supported through theoretical content by the Széchenyi István University of Győr, where the first ESG Master's programme was launched in Hungary. Henriett Czipf was one of several of our colleagues who successfully participated in the training conducted in strategic partnership with Audi Hungaria. Henriett, an HR Development Specialist Manager, also contributes to the development and implementation of our corporate strategy as a Must Win ESG co-lead, but also actively uses and shapes ESG values in her daily work.

“It's always a question of what we are doing for sustainability. Beyond the reporting obligation, I think that under the umbrella of the four rings we have the corporate values that we live ESG very much by. Both at the data level, but also in terms of the soft, non-quantifiable aspects. Based on data points, for example, we can identify how many training hours an employee receives, but equally important is the supportive environment and development opportunities that a good workplace provides. As an HR professional, leadership development is close to my heart, as our workforce is the key to our future. It is therefore important that they are led by managers trained in a framework of consistent and appropriate expectations.

Sustainability goals and aspirations have been present in the various business areas of Audi Hungaria from the very beginning, and have been brought together under the ESG framework. But for future generations and to inspire future employees, it is essential that we further improve our company’s sustainability performance. I’m very happy to have had the opportunity to take the ESG course at the university, where we learned from representatives of several other large companies, alongside Dr. András Torma, Associate Professor, who is also an environmental specialist at our company. And I'm proud that my workplace really lives by this approach, as ESG is a focus area of our corporate strategy.”

Environmental, social and governance principles therefore play a central role at Audi Hungaria, where they permeate the work of the various areas – such as environmental management, human resources, occupational safety, health management, and so on – on a daily basis. The threads come together in the ESG Strategy and Governance area, whose main tasks include the sustainability strategy, the implementation of sustainability programmes and the sustainability reporting itself. The mutually complementary work of the organisational unit and Must Win ESG, with a number of sustainability projects in close collaboration with several disciplines, enables a rigorous end-2-end process from strategy through planning to implementation. This relatively new area is headed by Gregor Wenk, one of whose main tasks is to coordinate and integrate the Group's requirements, sustainability strategy, legal regulations and related processes into one system. Also, it is particularly important not to lose sight of practical implementation. And as the head of Must Win ESG, he drives forward corporate initiatives, sometimes as project leader, sometimes as back-up.

“Audi Hungaria has a special responsibility towards the environment, our employees, society, our partners and customers. I see ESG as a great opportunity for our future, especially now, in a period of transformation. In order to improve our ESG performance, we place great emphasis on implementing the requirements of AUDI AG and the Volkswagen Group, in addition to EU and national regulations. We also promote cooperation within the Volkswagen Group through a number of initiatives to position Audi Hungaria as a reliable and progressive partner in the field of ESG.

We feel a high level of openness and support for our activities in the company, both among project participants and at ESG-related events. There is a strong motivation among our colleagues to make Audi a provider of sustainable premium mobility. This value-driven way of thinking and acting within our community is a major contributor to the support that sustainability projects enjoy.”