MILAN BITTNER Role: Malthouse manager, technologist, brewer Area: Brewing Employer: Plzeňský Prazdroj; former: Pivovary Lokbowicz, Pivovar Kácov What can I help my mentee with? self-development ( personal vision, growth mindset, habit building) leadership lean six sigma projects malting, brewing, food production - systems    LinkedIn profil

Milan completed his studies at the Institute of Fermentation Chemistry and Bioengineering (now the Institute of Biotechnology) under the guidance of Prof. Brányik. During his PhD studies, during which he focused on the topic of microbial anaerobic contaminants in beer, Milan had many activities beyond his scientific work. He rose to the position of vice-president in the Academic Senate, and during his tenure he and a group of friends were instrumental in reviving the tradition of Kachekran as we know it today. "We were always in it for the fun. While running for senate, we put up banners around the school with pictures of people we needed to run for senate to get support for Kachekran." He also took it upon himself to nurture the lab's team spirit in addition to his scientific work. These activities fundamentally shaped him, and through them he learned how to work with people, which he always enjoyed. "I always wanted to make the people around me happy, and I liked to make things fun for them. You can take a positive approach to managing people, you don't just have to be a tough boss, but asking colleagues what they need and getting to know them personally and understanding their motivation - that's my vision."

After completing his PhD in 2015, Milan joined the Pivovary Lobkowicz Group as a technologist, which at the time had seven breweries operating under it. During his three years there, Milan worked on various technological topics in all seven breweries, gaining a lot of experience and insight into beer production. This was followed by a short experience as a brewer at Pivovar Kácov, during which he was offered the position of malthouse manager at Plzeňský Prazdroj, where he has been working for almost 4 years now. Milan manages a team of eighteen people, but overall he is responsible for the coordination of about 45 people from the technologists to the maintenance and sanitation staff. The malting plant produces 88,000 tonnes of malt a year, which is enough for about five and a half million hectolitres of beer, roughly a quarter of the Czech beer production. Milan is responsible for ensuring the quality of production, running the operation and managing the people.

"I'm learning to be more of a leader than a manager, I try to be in contact with my people on a daily basis so I know what they are doing. We also try to brainstorm together to find out what makes the team tick and what motivates them to build a team vision." Milan engages in mentoring with the motivation to push himself further and grow. He also mentions that he has two important mentors in his life who have helped him - Prof. Brányik - director of VUPS and former production director from Pivovary Lobkowicz, Ing., Jiří Famera.