We awarded "Vilniaus duona" Values Ambassadors '26

Every year, we recognise colleagues whose daily work truly reflects our values – openness, drive and a holistic view. These are people who share ideas, are not afraid to speak up, support others, take responsibility, keep learning and look for ways to do things better.

Openness Ambassadors

Artur Hez, a Packer at our Vilnius bakery, has been with Vilniaus duona for about a year, but has already earned the trust and appreciation of his colleagues.

“Very hardworking and well-liked by the team. He is open to new ideas, quick to learn, treats others with respect, helps train new colleagues and brings a lot of positive energy to the team,” says Dalia Zdanovičienė, Head of the Vilnius Bakery.

Dalia Urbikienė, a Packer at our Panevėžys bakery, was recognised by her colleagues for sharing ideas, not being afraid to disagree and speaking her mind openly while always maintaining a positive attitude.

Our third Openness Ambassador is Viktorija Balčiūnienė, Production Manager at the Panevėžys bakery.

For Viktorija, openness is more than just a word – it is an attitude and a way of working. She is eager to learn, open to new ideas and always ready to support the team,” said Šarūnė Kiznienė, Head of the Panevėžys Bakery, when introducing Viktorija.

This year also marked an important career step for Viktorija: she moved from the role of Quality Specialist to Production Manager at our Panevėžys bakery. She also made a significant contribution to the BP3 project.

Holistic View Ambassadors

Edgaras Mirapolskas, a Baker at our Panevėžys bakery, was recognised as one of our Holistic View Ambassadors for his initiative, sense of responsibility and consistent focus on high-quality work, while contributing to the goals of both his team and the company.

Helena Zdanovič, a Line Operator at our Vilnius bakery, was also recognised for embodying this value. A long-standing colleague, she can work in more than ten different roles and looks beyond her own tasks to the bigger picture – the overall result, product quality and helping new colleagues learn the job. In short, a truly versatile team member.

Kristina Lukštaitė, a Customer Service Specialist in the Sales and Marketing Department, has also taken on a wide range of responsibilities during her time with us.

“For Kristina, a new task doesn’t mean ‘wait until I learn how to do it’, but rather ‘give it to me, I’ll give it a try’. Grocery retail, export coordination, taking orders by phone – her greatest strengths are her curiosity and willingness to keep moving forward,” said Vilma Šimienė, Head of the Customer Service Centre.

Drive Ambassadors

When introducing Artūr Bezuško, a Loader at our Vilnius logistics unit, Logistics Manager Vytautas Rygertas emphasised that logistics is an area where drive and versatility are particularly important.

Artūr is someone who looks for solutions rather than problems, pays attention to the people around him and is always ready to support his colleagues while helping the team keep things running smoothly.

Lilija Žukaitienė, a Dispatcher at our Panevėžys logistics unit, was recognised for her ability to coordinate work professionally and find effective solutions to everyday challenges – exactly the kind of drive needed to keep our bread deliveries running smoothly.

Our third Drive Ambassador is Alma Žilinskė, a Continuous Improvement Specialist at our Vilnius bakery.

“In just a couple of years, Alma has become a much-valued member of the team and has made a significant contribution to the BP3 project. She is not afraid to step outside her comfort zone – she started learning English from scratch and within a year was already using it successfully at work. Alma also notices the things that are not always obvious at first glance: where a process needs better coordination, which details need attention and what we could do better,” said Dalia Zdanovičienė.

Health & Safety Ambassadors

This year, we also recognised two Health & Safety Ambassadors.

“None of us is safe unless we are all safe. Our safety culture continues to grow, and more colleagues feel confident speaking up and sharing their observations. At the same time, we want to recognise those who are particularly attentive and consistently suggest ways to make our workplace even safer,” said Neringa Melnikavičienė.

This year’s Health & Safety Ambassadors are Viktor Surkov, a Line Operator at our Vilnius bakery, and Vytautas Simonaitis, a Baker at our Panevėžys bakery.

Congratulations to all of this year’s ambassadors!

These awards are an opportunity to recognise the things that can sometimes go unnoticed in our everyday work: taking initiative, supporting a colleague, showing goodwill, being eager to learn, having the courage to speak up or suggesting a better way of doing things. These are the everyday actions that shape our culture at Vilniaus duona.