FELIX SOESANTO, BSc, MBA
Major apa yang kamu pilih saat kuliah di IU?
Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Computer Information System in May 2003 Master of Business Administration in Accounting in May 2005
Setelah lulus dari IU, apa yang kamu lakukan untuk memulai meniti karier?
Saya bekerja sebagai Vice President of Asia Derivatives Structuring di Barclays Capital, Singapore.
Biasanya banyak mahasiswa setelah lulus dari Amerika, ingin bekerja dan menetap di Amerika. Alasan apa yang membuatmu kembali ke Tanah Air?
Tidak langsung kembali ke tanah air, sempat menimba pengalaman kerja di Barclays Capital Singapore selama kurang lebih 4-5 tahun, baru kembali ke Indonesia.
GETTING GOOD GRADES BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY START BUILDING YOUR NETWORK FROM DAY 1
Setelah memulai meniti karier di Indonesia, apakah bidang yang kamu pilih sesuai dengan ekspektasi kamu?
Sebenarnya tidak sesuai dengan ekspektasi saya karena pada awalnya kembali ke indonesia, rencana hendak melanjutkan bekerja di bidang finansial / banking tetapi work skill dan experiences yang telah didapatkan di Singapore blom bisa diterapkan di Indonesia bahkan sampai hari ini pun dikarenakan regulation dari pemerintah yang blom mendukung. Jadi ya harus mencari beberapa peluang bisnis lainnya di luar sektor keuangan.
Bisa ceritakan sedikit mengenai kesulitan/ rintangan yang kamu hadapi ketika merintis karier/bisnis di Indonesia?
Ya kesulitan seperti memulai segala sesuatu dari nol lagi , karena network yang telah dibangun di Singapore kurang cocok. Mulailah bertemu dengan banyak orang dari kolega keluarga maupun teman sekolah untuk mecari peluang bisnis baru. Pernah juga beberapa kali ditipu orang sehingga mengalami kerugian. Susah sekali mendapatkan partner bisnis yang trustworthy and reliable.
Current Work
CEO of PT Bina Tower Sejahtera
Own and lease multi-tenant tower BTS provider across Indonesia serving all major telecom operators.
CEO of PT Arveo Pionir Mediatama
Operating a media company providing various services such as event management, brand media and brand advertising.
CEO of PT Agung Alam Anugrah
Specialize in property development as a business solutions and one-stop-living, by providing comforts as well as an ease of modern lifestyle.
CEO of PT Lintas Teknologi Sentra Sukses
Acting as PayEase, China based online payment gateway platform, representative in Indonesia.
How’s your typical day?
Hmmmmm this is tough question since there is no such typical day. Sometimes I can have a day full with meetings outside my office so I don’t get to come to office at all for that day. I also frequently travel to jakarta every other week or sometimes more often. My days are filled with meeting all sort of people from various backgrounds from clients, bankers, business colleagues, fellow organisations members, government people, etc.
Apakah kamu sudah puas dengan karier/bisnis yang kamu geluti?
I guess people always find new ways to expand their business be it horizontally and vertically. I believe in a saying that you are moving backward when you stand still. Especially nowadays we live in a very fast-changing world. There are currently plenty of business opportunities everywhere we turn our head or when we listen or watch new things from social media. To name a few, the advancement of artificial intelligence, autonomous driverless vehicles, robot assistants, medical consultants at the convenience of your fingertips right inside your home, drone deliveries, 3D printings. Keeping up with the latest technology is inevitable.
MAKE SURE TO ALWAYS ENJOY WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE TO DO AND TRY IF POSSIBLE TO MAKE POSITIVE IMPACT TO YOUR COMMUNITY AND SOCIETY IN WHATEVER YOU do
Anggap saja kamu bisa kembali ke masa kuliah, hal apa yang “you wished could have done differently” ?
I would have definitely signed up for Chinese language classes. Or even take it as a minor degree. Language is important tool for business.
Saran apa yang kamu berikan untuk teman-teman yang baru akan memulai masa kuliah di IU?
Get good grades but more importantly start building your network from day 1, that would
be the most important thing you get out of college. Always hungry for learning unchartered territory. Come out of your comfort zone. Try new things. Don’t do drugs. Start thinking the end goal i.e. what you want to do after college and start making plan on how to achieve that goal. Set personal achievement milestones. The key benefit of getting to know lots of people is not only about connection or who you know but also to sharpen your instinct to be able to read into people characters. In order to succeed one needs a great team and choosing the right teammates is essential.
Saran apa yang kamu berikan untuk teman-teman yang baru saja lulus dan akan memulai di dunia kerja/bisnis?
Dont be afraid to fail. Failure is necessary ingredients for success. Key is perseverance. work on things you understand. Strike a balance between new opportunities but still within your grasp. Always grow your mind and keep learning. Remember that after you graduate from college you are admitted to the school of life. Never give up. Keep fighting whatever other people throw at you. There is always light at the end of the tunnel and always keep in mind not to work just for the sake of the money. Make sure to always enjoy whatever you choose to do and try if possible to make positive impact to your community and society in whatever you do. Everything happen for a reason. You only get to the next level when you have completed the current challenges / tasks.