Life at Winoa: Meet Stanislav Zahradnik


Employee Stories, Career Paths & Industrial Excellence

At Winoa, people are at the heart of our industrial performance and global success. Through this series of employee interviews, we invite you to discover the diverse career paths, inspiring journeys, and professional growth opportunities that shape life inside our international company.

From women thriving in industry to experienced team members who have grown through internal promotion and career mobility, from employees who have taken their expertise abroad to support our global operations to young talents leading strategic projects in e-commerce, peening, and aftermarket services, these stories reflect the strength and diversity of our teams.

Stanislav Zahradnik

Job diversity within the company

Question : Stanislav, can you briefly walk us through your journey at Winoa, from joining the Group to your current role and how your responsibilities evolved over time?

Stanislav Zahradnik : I joined Winoa in January 2016, when I was 25. It was my first big international experience, after working in smaller companies with less structure and training. I started as an RSM, responsible for part of the Czech Republic, and grew step by step within the company.

In June 2023, we opened the Tech Center in the Czech Republic, and my role expanded. In 2024, I became Tech Center Manager in Prague, focusing on customer trainings and trials, especially promoting premium and stainless-steel abrasives.

Last year, my responsibilities extended further to include shot peening activities. Through the PAAs project, we opened a peening center in India with our Italian partners, and Prague could be the next location. It reflects Winoa’s strong ambition to invest and expand.

Question : When you joined Winoa just after your studies, what were your initial career aspirations and do you think they are met?

Stanislav Zahradnik : When I joined Winoa just after my studies, it was a bit challenging. The company was smaller at the time, and I didn’t have very big expectations the main opportunity I saw was to grow within sales.

However, as the company evolved moving to new offices, investing in Tech Centers, and creating new departments new possibilities appeared. I was able to step outside the traditional sales path. At Winoa, you’re not limited to one direction. If you have the drive and you’re not afraid to take initiative, you can move between departments.

In many companies, people change roles or even employers every five to seven years because the job becomes repetitive. For me, the opportunity to evolve internally and take on new challenges kept me motivated and is a key reason why I’ve stayed.

From Sales to Tech: Growing Expertise

Question : How did your role evolve from sales interest to becoming a technical expert?

Stanislav: I’m actually still working in sales today. The difference is that now I do it from a technical perspective. In the Tech Center, there is still a strong commercial dimension everything is prepared in advance so that when a customer comes for a trial, the process is smooth, efficient, and straightforward.

Over time, I developed my technical expertise directly on the job. Through customer trials, trainings, and daily problem-solving, I naturally built strong technical knowledge while keeping a sales mindset.

For me, that’s the positive part I didn’t leave sales; I expanded it. I’m able to combine commercial understanding with technical expertise, which creates much more value for the customer.

Learning & innovation

Question: Can you tell us about the launch of new techniques or the technical center and your involvement?

Stanislav Zahradnik : I wasn’t fully involved at the very beginning, but was asked to take on responsibility later on. The Tech Center started completely from scratch an empty hall, the newest in the group so we had to build everything from the basics.

There were tight deadlines and the challenge of leaving the old property, which was a great opportunity to grow. I learned a lot about project planning, even though I wasn’t the leader being part of the team taught me a lot.

One of the best parts was learning from colleagues from other countries, all connected to the project. It was a fantastic motivator and a real chance to gain international experience.

Values & EVP-driven questions

Question: How does Winoa encourage curiosity and continuous learning?

Stanislav Zahradnik : Winoa really supports continuous learning from day one. At the beginning, I went through ongoing training in standard skills, like technical sales. Then came language training one-on-one sessions starting with English, and now German which I really appreciated.

Last year, I even had a personal coach for 20 hours, a great opportunity to work on myself. Growth at Winoa isn’t just personal; it’s collective. There’s strong support from HR, and you can request training in digital, technical, or management skills.

If you want to take on a new challenge abroad, you just need to communicate that to HR. The channels are open — speak up, and you could become part of exciting new projects.

If you want to open new horizons and move into different roads, Winoa is for you.

Opportunity & attractiveness angle

Question: What kind of profiles can benefit from the diversity of roles within Winoa?

Stanislav Zahradnik : Winoa is ideal for people who want to grow professionally and are open to learning new skills and taking on different tasks. Even in corporate settings with small teams, local projects give you real motivation to develop.

Being open-minded is key if you’re willing to explore different departments and roles, Winoa offers great opportunities. With many roles evolving or disappearing in the future, flexibility is essential.

Simply put: if you want to stay in the same position your whole life, Winoa is not for you. But if you step out of your comfort zone, the company really supports your growth.

Question : Why is Winoa a place where you can “grow into” an expert role?

Stanislav Zahradnik : Winoa is very open to personal and professional development for anyone who asks for it. All the training I requested from languages to AI and technical coaching was provided.

If you show drive and the desire to take on more responsibility, Winoa will let you do it. It’s not just about power, but also about responsibility, allowing you to grow steadily.

The company invests heavily in people, knowing that real know-how comes from its employees. With the right external development and internal support, Winoa gives you everything you need to build your expertise and succeed.

Joining an international company

“Winoa is an international company where English is almost mandatory, and communication happens across countries and functions every day.

No position is isolated. There is strong interconnection between departments and levels of responsibility. You constantly adapt your approach depending on the customer, the country, or the team you are working with.

If you enjoy complexity, international exposure, and being challenged to think beyond your immediate scope, Winoa offers exactly that kind of environment.”