Women in Family Business (Samator Group)- Imelda Harsono

Being the next generation in a company is not easy. Many companies are out of business when the leadership relay is passed on to their children. But not all companies that are managed by the next generation just fall away. Imelda Mulyani Harsono proved her ability in her father’s company, Samator Group, in developing his business.

In today’s article, we look at how Imelda Harsono joined her family business (Samator), founded Samudera Biru Internasional,  and the challenges she faced.

Who is she

Imelda is the founder and managing director of Samudera Biru Internasional, a renewable energy company seeking to facilitate wide-scale adoption of solar projects throughout Indonesia. She serves on the Board of Directors of Samator Group, Indonesia’s largest industrial gas producing corporate group, where she also manages the Legal, Governance, Risk and Compliance (LGRC) group. Imelda is also the Executive Director of Aneka Gas, Samator Group’s largest subsidiary company.

Previously she served as Head of the Procurement Division of Samator Group since 2005. She joined Samator after her graduation in 2003.

Imelda holds a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from the National University of Singapore, a Master of Management from Universitas Pelita Harapan Graduate School of Business (Cum Laude), and a Master of Laws in International Commercial Law from University of Edinburgh in Scotland.(Source: Samudera Biru)

Challenges she faced

Imelda found it hard to find common ground and find win-win solutions for contract negotiation solutions with suppliers or customers . It took time, patience and the ability to ‘think outside the box’. Apart from running her business, her most challenging and most rewarding endeavour is raising her twins.

For those who may find themselves in similarly challenging positions, Imelda says to never be afraid of failure. It is crucial to power through even when times are tough. “When you are at your lowest, you can give up or power through. When you power through and beat your fears, I think that’s what real success is,” said Imelda in an interview with Indonesia Tatler.

If you would like to know more about this, do join us in our next “The Working Family” event on 29 May. For more information, visit our event page @ https://herfamily.peatix.com/

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