One hour with Indonesia’s Banking Executive: Mr. Santoso Liem.
I am spending the next three weeks in Pontianak. My team is about to open a new city in West Borneo, a plan that we’ve been baking, and that I have been pushing for since last year. I pushed for the project to be live in November last year when our operational budget was still plenty — a longer runway. Now came February, and I had to cut 80% of our budget, risking our operational excellence and reputation. I am only hoping for the best.
As I have been contemplating things that happened to me this past year. My mind took me back to about a year ago, the day I sat down again with Mr. Santoso Liem. Luck was mostly what brought me anywhere. I think one of my fondest memory is the first time of meeting Mr. Liem. My amazing mentor dragged me to a meeting with his executive network. Feeling like an impostor, meeting Bank Central Asia’s Board, a giant in the Indonesian banking sector, felt unnerving to me. Yet that day I felt like an executive myself. I felt like I belong there despite my lack of experience.
To my surprise, Mr. Liem has the charm and wisdom of Grand Master Oogway. And I mean this in the best way possible. He welcomed me, the only junior person in the room, and never left me out of the conversation. I was the youngest and the only woman sitting at the round table. After the meeting was over. He shared where he was when the 1998 financial crisis happened. He told us why BCA still stands enduring the pain of that moment. The key to it all is trust. During the 1998 bank rout, BCA ensured that their clients were able to get their deposits on days when other banks failed to be there for their clients. This instilled immense trust in BCA clients that stays long after the 1998 crisis.
So fast forward to late 2021, the Indonesian Bankers Association held a virtual session with Mr. Liem, over the topic of future skills in banks. I was there talking to him partly because I was leading the young banker's team to hold this national writing competition. We hoped that through this competition, we could have more thought-provoking ideas from the Indonesian young bankers. Shortlisted candidates for this competition received mentoring sessions with senior Indonesian bankers. Personally, I was so proud that I got to share with more people my experience working with these amazing executives.
And as I close this note, I wish for my project to turn out okay. That I could carry the wisdom of my mentors and the senior people I met along the way. I hope I could be as inclusive, and empowering to my team now and ever in the future.
