She’s the woman with the warmest, most
motherly smile in Indonesian business.
Shanti Lasminingsih Poesposoetjipto, full ofvigorous energy, tackles business
negotiations with balanced strictness, skill,and open friendliness while dedicating her heart to communities in need. And she’s only 70 !
Poesposoetjipto currently holds several titles under her esteemed name, including being known as the tenth most powerful woman in Asia, and 150th richest person in the world,with assets worth up to Rp 500 billion. She currently serves as the Senior Advisor of PT Praweda Ciptakarsa Informatika. However,she is mostly recognized today as thePresident and Chairman of PT Samudera Indonesia Tbk, one of Indonesia’s largest shipping company, which was establishedin 1953.
This strong, capable woman has gone
through a long journey to become the
affluent entrepreneur she is today. She first
started off as a manager in the Service
Bureau department of NVPD Soedarpo
Corporation, which sold computer data
processing services to third parties. It was
there that her professionalism and passion
for electronics shone, and opened up a
wealth of opportunity to collaborate with
engineers from the Bandung Institute of
Technology. For 33 years, Poesposoetjipto
worked her way up the ladder, building her
career by massing a wide variety of
experiences through various information
technology projects. She has been serving
as CEO of PT Ngrumat Bondo Utomo,
the Family Office of the Soedarpo Family,
in charge of several subsidiaries
in several industries. Eventually, she was
placed on the board of Commissioners of
PT Samudera Indonesia Tbk from
June 2000 to May 2008 before attaining the
presidency and chairmanship.Under her guidance, and through amicable
business connections, the Company and its
businesshas prospered. When she took
charge, she started implementing strict
staff policies, educating her employees to
be mindful ofthe company’s cash flow
in every business transaction.
Her sharp
eyes for professionalism noticed the
smallest detail, and she used this
Transformation to shape and
improve the corporation’s overall efficiency.
Poesposetjipto also uses her natural charisma
to establish strong international
connections, earning the trust of several
clients such as Mediterranean Shipping
Company, Korea Marine Transport Co, NYK
Bulk & Project Carrier, Rickmers-Line,
NileDutch and Hapag-Lloyd AG. As a result,
she holds several international positions,
including being a Chairman of the
Indonesia-Belgium, Netherlands, and
Luxembourg Chamber Of Commerce
(INA); Honorary Board Member
of German-Indonesian Chamber of
Commerce (EKONID) also Founder and
Ambassador of Family Business
Network Asia (FBN Asia). All these are
simply a small representation of her
influence in the global community. Due to
her many positions on international
committees, she became one of the key
players in weaving her company’s seamless
network among the Indonesian islands and
beyond, to the rest of the global community.
By maintaining an aura of high integrity, the
company’s growth under their current
president has contributed much to their
native nation through their business
practices, stimulating its economy and
creating many job opportunities for
Indonesians. To fulfil expectations and to
meet the demands for distribution activities,
Samudera Indonesia provides domestic and international shipping services that includes
Stevedoring, forwarding and port management,
providing the necessary equipment for project
logistics, warehousing and distribution,
cargo inspection and handling, trucking,
container shipping, ship management and
many more. Had it not been for
Poesposoetjipto’s entrepreneur skills, the
Company wouldn’t have been placed 35th
on GLOBE Asia Magazine’s 100 Top Groups
in Indonesia.
This intelligent graduate from University of
Technology of Munich cites most of her
wisdom and knowledge as coming from her
upbringing.
Poesposoetjipto is the daughter of Soedarpo
Sastrosatomo, one of the Indonesian
business tycoons who established the giant
shipping company, Samudera Group. He was
also an Indonesian independence activist. In
fact, Poesposoetjipto gained her passion for
informatics computer science through his
influence. He shared with her his beliefs that
In practicing business friendship is a
crucial factor needed for success. Her style
of diplomacy often breaks the rigid nature
of business collaboration, as she
communicates with her partners on a
personal level to fully understand their
concerns and goals. Because of this, she
has built a well-bonded, coherent
community that work towards the same
goal.
As an advocate of equality, Poesposoetjipto
never has turned down potential
friendships, regardless of race, gender, age,
nationality and background. She often
humbles herself, treating others equally, as
she opens her mind to differing
perspectives. As the director says herself,
“If we entered a company, we act as
members of the board of commissioners
rather than as the ‘big boss’. My colleagues
don’t see me as the owner either. Every
member of the board has the same voting
right and a say in decision making; there
cannot be a percentage of ownership. By
doing so, we are safeguarding aspects of
governance.”
However, this doesn’t mean she’s lenient.
When describing her style of business,
Poesposoetjipto states that she is often hard
on her colleagues. She does not hesitate in
speaking the truth, and directly addresses
the root of any matter, stand firming on
decisions she’s certain would result in the
betterment of her company and others. Her
strict honest and good-willed stubbornness
has enabled her to pursue many of her
projects and expansions which has overall
improved her company’s quality and
efficiency.
Poesposoetjipto is a key role model for
women all over the role, breaking through
the glass ceiling with international success,
and to high acclaim. In her early career, her
talents already shone through the
male-dominated engineering field, earning
her pay equal to her male counterparts in
the company – a rare feat during her time,
and something which remains a challenge
today. Inspired by the feminist ideologies of
her mother Mien Soedarpo, another
prominent Indonesian woman activist,
Poesposoetjipto has become a vocal women’s
rights activist, particularly drawing attention
to the workplace. She was awarded the
“Woman Inspire Award of 2002” in the
Information Technology Sector in the Asia
Pacific region by Singapore Women
Business Connection (WBC), setting a prime
example for women everywhere.
This feminist doesn’t hoard her valuable
skills and knowledge, but rather takes it
upon herself to educate the next generation
of entrepreneurs. Her involvement in the
education field is as intense as her
involvement in the international field of
business. She is currently the Chairman of the
Supervisory Board of Yayasan Pendidikan
and Pembinaan Manajemen (YPPM); a Board
Member of INSEAD Southeast Asia School of
Management (Fontainebleau/France-Singapore),
a Board Member of the School of Business and
Management (SBM) ITB and Supervisory Board
of Member of Sanata Dharma University,
Yogyakarta. She is also one of
the founding members of Wharton e-Fellow.
Because of this, ITB awarded her the title
“Ganesa Wirya Jasa Utama” for her
achievement in the development of
entrepreneurship in Indonesia.
As an avid supporter of nature conservation,
Poesposoetjipto has engaged actively in
several NGOs since 1980s, starting up
several projects under her name. This
includes the establishment of eco-tour
programmes under her family’s ISTA
Indonesia in 1987 and later in 2006 in
collaboration with Indecon
(Indonesian Ecotourism Network).
Her leadership and dedication toward nature
conservation in her home nation has earned
her the “Nature Steward” award during the
15th Anniversary of TNC Indonesia in 2006.
Poesposoetjipto’s friendly yet upright persona
in business, along with her drive and
dedication, and her warm caring heart for
the voiceless, truly makes her a remarkable,
outstanding woman worthy of this year’s
award as “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.”
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