“Being in the IB Diploma program at Sekolah Ciputra, helped me in gaining a lot of experiences of interpersonal skills.”
KEVIN PUTRA TIARA
GRADUATED: 2013
1. After graduating from Sekolah Ciputra, where do you study? What is your major?
The Hague University of Applied Sciences and my major is Safety and Security Management Studies.
2. What did you do after graduating from university?
I first joined a consulting subsidiary of a multinational company named Hill & Associates; where I became one of the expert advisors for around 2 years. After getting experience in a professional environment, in 2019 I decided to challenge myself to run my own business.
3. What is your current occupation?
I work as a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) at PT Panca Jasa Lingkungan (PJLEnviro).
4. What product/service do you provide?
PT Panca Jasa Lingkungan (PJLEnviro) support Indonesia’s efforts to address the water challenges. We hope to create a green and sustainable environment through innovation in this sector. We provide E.P.C (Design and Build) and Investment projects for water or wastewater treatment in Indonesia. We help our clients procure the most suitable technology and equipment to help treat their water and wastewater.
5. What was the inspiration behind your business?
Water is a growing concern throughout the world and Indonesia has been dealing with many water related issues. From the fact that Jakarta is sinking, only 1% of wastewater is safely treated and less than half of the population have safe access to clean sanitation. As a company we acknowledge that we have to take part in creating a better environment and living condition in Indonesia. We realize that water is a growing market in Indonesia and there are only a handful of organizations that are experts in this area. We hope to raise society awareness on this matter and hope we can assist in catching up with the rest of the world where water and wastewater treatment has been a major investment and topic for decades.
6. Do you use social media to promote PT Panca Jasa Lingkungan (PJLEnviro)? If yes, please include the link as well
We do promote and update our company through LinkedIn and here is the link https://www.linkedin.com/company/pjlenviro/.
7. As a CEO (Chief Executive Officer), what are the challenges? How do you overcome it?
My biggest challenge is understanding how to be a great leader. Leadership comes with responsibilities. Just because you are the CEO of a company does not mean that everyone will automatically listen and respect you. That respect has to be hard-earned by showing that you are responsible for taking care of not just the business, but also the people. Building a team that you can trust to help you with the business is a very challenging process. That would take many years and mistakes to accomplish. As a leader you need to showcase your empathy, caring and respect to the people you work with.
8. What was the biggest challenge of moving to a new city?
In every city, the work pace and environment is very different. The city I am currently in, Jakarta, tends to be more accustomed to fast paced, “work hard & play hard” culture. It was a bit of a culture shock in the early days, as the city where I grew up tended to be more laid back and slow paced. I need to get used to having constant meetings and traveling; our day starts early and doesn’t really end until more than 10 p.m., which was gruesome in the beginning. The high influence of politics in society also makes Jakarta a very complex city to move into. In every endeavor you do, there are certain political dynamics that you always have to keep in mind. In general, the adjustment to the culture of the new city was challenging at first.
9. What do you enjoy most about your new environment?
When you move to a new city, we do get the opportunity to meet new people. These people often have skills and wealth of experience that really expands your knowledge of your environment. It helps me gain more perspective on our environment and how this knowledge can help me create a better nation.
10. In what way did Sekolah Ciputra contribute to your job right now?
My soft skills are one of the biggest contributors that was learned early at Sekolah Ciputra. In addition, being in the IB Diploma program, helped me in gaining a lot of experiences of interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, problem-solving, leadership, and empathy. Sekolah Ciputra had also taught me on how to be confident in creating a proper presentation. Furthermore, having friends and teachers with different backgrounds also elevates my understanding of interpersonal skills. Although the topics of discussion will be different during high school and work, the essential basic abilities to give across the message (communication, presentation, speech and written) was taught to me throughout my studying years in Sekolah Ciputra.
11. What was the best thing about Sekolah Ciputra? Tell us something memorable from your time at Sekolah Ciputra
Honestly, the friendship and memories made among our classmates is something that I would cherish forever. We built and grew these friendships through our annual camping trip to various destinations, playing sports on every single lunch break, eating lunch together (boys only) at the same spot every day and a class of less than 25 students; allowing us to be more intimate with our classmates. I think the program created by Sekolah Ciputra gave us the opportunity to grow our bond on and off the campus.
12. What advice would you give to a graduating student?
During the start of my Diploma years (year 11 and year 12), everyone will start to discuss the university they wanted to go to. I do believe that it is good to start thinking about the major you want to take for university early. At Sekolah Ciputra you would be able to taste a glimpse of every subject that will be related to what major you want to take in the university (for example: science/business/art/social/even sports). This is something that I would advise every graduating student to think about thoroughly; figure out what subject excites you and what you are good at. If you are unsure; take a gap year and really understand what you want because your university might define your career path for the rest of your life, so take time to seriously consider all your options. I would also suggest everyone to go abroad even if it is still in South East Asia or Asia as you can enhance your language skills and experience different cultures while seeing the world.
13. Would you recommend Sekolah Ciputra to others? If yes, what would you say about it?
Certainly yes! If I ever come back to live in Surabaya, I know I would put my children in Sekolah Ciputra. Not only that now the facilities around the school have increased tremendously after my graduation; but these facilities also allowed me to learn many hard and soft skills throughout my years in Sekolah Ciputra, which I believe is second to none in Surabaya. The friendship that I have built with my schoolmates also lasted way after graduating from Sekolah Ciputra and is well-off even until today. I have known and trusted many of my Sekolah Ciputra friends that I have now known for more than two decades, and for me, this is something special.
14. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Ocean fishing has become one activity that I love to do; go back to nature and get serenity. Golfing is also another activity that I love to do and I encourage people to try it as well; as it is a good exercise and can be one of the networking activities. On top of all that, it is crucial that I cannot forget to spare my time to support my Manchester United, LA Clippers and Scuderia Ferrari.
15. Anything else you would like to share?
Cherish your high school time. Time does not move backwards, so enjoy your time at Sekolah Ciputra as much as possible; as I did.
