Door Plantenga

Door brings a wealth of leadership experience to the faculty of The Prague Leadership Institute. Her 25 year career with one of the most recognizable brand names in the world has provided her with a breadth and depth of challenges in demanding markets. She has earned a reputation, within Heineken, the beer industry, and the business community as a whole, as an inspirational, hands-on leader, who brings out the best in people—collectively and individually. Her accomplishments have been recognized within the industry and by the communities in which she has lived, from sub-Saharan Africa to Central Europe.

Currently, Door is an independent consultant for the company The Inclusion Factory, a company specialized in Diversity and Inclusion consultancy. After coming back to Holland in 2014, Door became Managing Director Western Europe. Previously, Door was Managing Director for Heineken Slovensko, with an annual turnover of around 200 million euros. She has more than 25 years' experience in the beer industry and with Heineken. Her career started with several commercial positions in Heineken Netherlands until 2000 when she moved abroad and was assigned as Commercial Director in Ghana (Ghana Breweries Limited, a subsidiary of Heineken in Ghana).

Then, in 2005, she became Managing Director of Bralirwa, a Heineken subsidiary in Rwanda where she stayed until 2009. During her time there, the Rwandan Heineken business grew significantly and more than doubled in size. Her 12.5 years of working in Africa (4 years in Botswana, 5.5 years in Ghana and 3 years in Rwanda) brought her a wealth of experience in developing countries and the deepening conviction that a strong focus on Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability are key operational drivers for any business anywhere.

Door is a strong believer in the Human Element of Leadership and believes great results stem from a compelling company Vision and Mission, and creating a supportive, yet challenging, environment which promotes a high level of employee engagement and dedication to a continuous process of growth, both as a person and a professional.

In 2011 Heineken Slovensko ranked number 2 as the best Employer for large companies in Slovakia by the Aon Hewitt Best employer survey, and recently Door was (as the only woman and foreign manager) one of the 10 nominees for the manager of the year in Slovakia for 2011.

Door studied Philosophy and later received an MBA in the Netherlands, Erasmus University Rotterdam, before joining Heineken in 1985. She is a Dutch citizen and is married with three children.