Postcard from Indonesia
Around the world, Citi Country Officers (CCOs) work to balance the execution of their country business strategy with their responsibilities ensuring the safety and soundness of the Citigroup franchise. Through this blog series, we are pleased to share perspectives from CCOs around the world, as well an insider's look at the countries and cities where Citi operates.
Tell Us about Indonesia
Official language: Bahasa Indonesia
Capital: Jakarta
Currency: Indonesia Rupiah
Population: 208,705,000 (2016 est.)
Weather: Indonesia has two seasons, wet and dry, with warm tropical temperatures averaging 28 °C during the day, throughout the year.
Best Tourist/Historical Sites: Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world, with population centers scattered across a total of more than 17,000 islands. Cities range from Sabang, a municipality centered on a main island and several smaller islands off the northern tip of Sumatra, in the Aceh Special Region in the northwest region of the country to Merauke, one of Indonesia's easternmost cities, located in Papua province. It is also the world's fourth most populous nation, after China, India and the United States.
Indonesian beaches, including those on Lombok and Bali, range from pure white to pink sand, and are widely considered some of the most beautiful in the world. The country also boasts some of the world's most sought-after diving spots, located on the islands of Bunaken, Raja Ampat and Derawan. Among hundreds of National Parks, one of the most popular is Komodo National Park, sole habitat of the famed Komodo dragon, while with more than 150 active volcanoes, Indonesia's prominent location along the "Pacific Rim of Fire" makes fiery sunsets the norm in the skies overlooking the famous volcano of Mt. Bromo, while climbing enthusiasts flock to the Carstensz Pyramid in Papua, a mountain shrouded in eternal snow.
Each of Indonesia's roughly 17,000 islands has its own language/dialect, cuisine, traditional dress, traditional homes and culture. Although the national language is known as Bahasa Indonesia (literally, "the Language of Indonesia" in the dominant Mayal tongue, the country acknowledges over 700 languages rooted in different cultures across the country.
Throughout Indonesia, art is significantly influenced by religion. The famous dance dramas of Java and Bali are derived from Hindu mythology and often feature dramatic elements from the great Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. One of the most famous historical monuments in the country is Candi Borobudur, the world's largest and one of the greatest Buddhist temples, located at Magelang in Central Java.
What I Love About Living In Indonesia: With all its diversity, the Indonesian people are known for their friendliness and tolerance. That is one of the main reasons I love living here. There are still so many interesting places that I have yet to explore, while more frequent and wide-ranging travel is an activity I've planned for my family.
Country Profile
How many years has Citi been in your country?
Citi Indonesia was established in June 4, 1968, and provides a full range of banking services. Our first operations center was in the Hotel Indonesia, with 15 staff members. On July 1, 1976, Citi obtained approval from the central Bank of Indonesia (BI) to change its name from First National City Bank, Jakarta Branch, to Citibank National Association (Citibank, N. A.), Jakarta Branch.
What business units operate in your country?
Citi's franchise in Indonesia provides comprehensive banking services including Corporate Banking and Consumer Banking. We are the leading foreign bank in the country with over 3600 employees, 11 branches across 6 major cities (Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Denpasar and Medan).
What are the opportunities and challenges of doing business in your country?
The 18th-largest economy in the world, Indonesia is currently experiencing a period of remarkable economic growth. Since the end of the Asian Financial Crisis of the late 1990s, Indonesian macroeconomic indicators started to come back on track in the mid-2000s. The country continues to be a favorite destination for foreign investment, and the trade flows and financial flows have been extremely impressive. The country also plays a vital role in Citi's regional strategy, and as such, we are deeply committed to the country. I believe our unique role and our global network will bring positive outcomes to our clients, country and the region.
Personal/ Professional Background
Where were you born?
I was born in Jakarta, Indonesia
What did you study that helped you prepare for a career in banking?
In my early educational years, I never considered working in the banking industry as a career. After completing a double bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, I earned a Masters in Chemical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey and an MBA from St. John's University in New York.
Following my nine years of education in the U.S, in 1988, I was accepted into the management trainee program at Citibank and began my 28 years of service at the company.
What other roles and countries have you worked in at Citi?
I joined Citi in 1988 as a Management Associate in Indonesia, where I started my career in Consumer Audit and Operations before moving into the Consumer CFO role. In 1995, I moved to Citi Australia as the General Manager of the Overseas Mortgage business. After returning to Indonesia, I took a number of senior positions, including Branch Network & Sales Director, Retail Banking Director and Country Marketing Director for the Retail Banking and Credit Cards businesses.
In 2005, I moved to Hungary and was appointed the Consumer Business Manager before taking on the broader CCO role in 2007, which later expanded in 2008 to include a Cluster Head role for a number of Non-Presence Countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Macedonia, Albania, Croatia, Slovenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus and Moldova.
In 2013, I returned to Asia and assumed the responsibility for the Philippines franchise as CCO. In 2015, I returned to my home country as CCO, and have come full circle in my career.
Role and Responsibilities
What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your role?
The most rewarding part of my role is having the opportunity to meet a wide range of people, to interact and work with my team and colleagues and to meet with government stakeholders and clients from around the world. In my view the CCO role is crucial to developing people and leaders. And I consider myself extremely fortunate to work at a company that understands and supports the various aspects of leadership development.
How do you maintain work-life balance? What are some activities you do in your free time?
For me work-life balance is about enjoying what you do. My current role is both demanding and fulfilling. During weekdays I usually spend up to 12 hours at work, while on weekends I dedicate my time to my family. I've loved to run since college, and continue to run at least three times a week, while I spend a certain amount of free time getting better at my favorite event, 10K-runs.
