Lucie Burianova, our communications manager, community engagement EMEA, and one of PPG's 2021 Rainmakers, is the driving force of the community engagement programs in the EMEA region. Let’s hear more about her passion, innovation and successes, even during the peak of the pandemic.
Agility and Innovation in Action
As with most things, the pandemic impacted engagement activities, placing limits on and adding complexity to things our colleagues wanted to do. A situation that could have seen many opportunities to assist others totally shut down.
In response to the crisis, Lucie and the global team were able to develop an entirely new type of program in just one month. Sites could apply for grants that would be used to provide support to local non-profits tackling socio-economic issues exacerbated by the situation (e.g., support for single parents and victims of domestic violence).
I was also greatly involved in developing and marketing our new antiviral and antibacterial
Disinfectant 20R, whose water-based properties are suitable for use on painted surfaces.
Ensuring Her Colleagues Can Make It Happen
Lucie is based at Brno Shared Services Centre, in the Czech Republic, and oversees our community engagement strategy, supporting the growth of community engagement activities across the EMEA region.
One of the most important programs she leads is the COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® initiative. Lucie helps to find partners, manages approvals and communications, takes care of financial and legal aspects, and makes certain everybody knows what to do.
My job is to ensure colleagues and our partners can make it happen, leveraging our paints and funding. I help bring PPG’s mission of protecting and beautifying the world to life in the communities around us.
By the end of 2021, we had successfully completed 386 projects worldwide, of which Lucie was the overseer of over 100!
Not only is it a unique opportunity to experience our innovative products and learn more about our portfolio, but you can really do good in your local communities – change lives with the power of color.
Lucie’s Work Is a Pillar of Strength
Lucie explains that her work revolves around our main pillars – education, community sustainability and employee engagement.
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Education includes community engagement grants that focus on developing work-readiness and STEM skills (science, engineering, technology and math), as well as diversity and inclusion, and environmental sustainability in local communities.
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Community sustainability includes disaster relief support that provides immediate financial aid to local non-profits after natural disasters, including support during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as Colorful Communities projects.
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Employee engagement is about empowering and encouraging employees to do good in their local communities through volunteering opportunities, including our Charity Partner program, where employees vote for the charity they wish to support for the coming year.
Home Is Where the Heart Is
Lucie considers it important to focus our community commitments on areas where we have a presence and that we often call home.
I think it’s better to give back where we work and live to show how we can make a difference in the communities around us.
Lucie would like to see us doing more Colorful Communities projects all over the world, especially in educational environments. For her, it is always best to practice what you preach!
Going Green Is the Real Deal
After being invited to become a member of the EU Green Deal steering group, Lucie was able to take a deeper look at our sustainability efforts in terms of their size and scope. Being aware of the impact our choice of lifestyle or place of work has on the world around us has led to her going beyond just our company-wide initiatives, like PPG Green Week.
For her, what is the most important is that we not only look at our sites and how we can make manufacturing more environmentally aware. By focusing on the development of more sustainable products, we can directly contribute to lowering our CO2 emissions and having a positive impact on our customers.
I think it is crucial that we have evolved around making sustainability the core of our business.
For Lucie sustainability plays a big role in her life, whether at work or at home. She tries to focus more on the environmental aspects of the food she buys to decrease her carbon footprint. Things like elimination of waste, care of animals and eco-friendly household solutions are for Lucie just some of the pieces of the puzzle.
Start where you are and change your daily habits slowly. Because big changes all at once might not be sustainable for you.