Get to Know Raisha Syarfuan, President Director of PT Sarinah

The recently appointed leader is ready to elevate one of the most iconic retail destinations in Indonesia into a cultural experience centre worthy of national pride.

First established in 1966 on Jalan M. H. Thamrin, Jakarta, Sarinah has now become, unequivocally, a national icon. The original building of the retail department store, fittingly named Gedung Sarinah, now in its sixth decade, continues to stand tall and mighty in the heart of Jakarta, as it has also materialised several outlet branches both within and outside the city. That being said, the best of Sarinah, as it turns out, is still yet to come. The recently appointed President Director of PT Sarinah, Raisha Syarfuan, sat down with Indonesia Expat as she shared her professional background, what everyone could expect from “Sarinah Transformation 2.0”, and many more.

Hi, Raisha! Let’s get started by introducing yourself a bit. What can you tell us about yourself?

I studied at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, where I majored in design and management with a focus on luxury business. Then, I moved to Paris for a year to continue pursuing luxury business management. After I graduated, I worked in New York for a bit, where I got my gemologist certification from Gemological Institute of America (GIA), so I am a certified gemologist for diamonds, pearls, and natural stones. In 2009, I moved back to Jakarta, where I handled the luxury brands at a shopping mall. Due to my love of numbers and my very niche knowledge in the affluent and luxury market of Indonesia, I got offered the job at Bank Mandiri, which was my first State-Owned Enterprise (Badan Usaha Milik Negara or BUMN) experience at the time, where I led the rebranding of the Platinum Credit Card and managed strategic partnerships to elevate the bank’s premium offerings. Around five years later, I worked at Time International, where I worked directly under Irwan Mussry as the CEO. At Time International, one of my job responsibilities was to oversee the sales, marketing, and digitalisation at the time. I also opened my own digital consulting company. Then, after having my own company for almost four years, I was appointed to be the President Director of Sarinah.Gedung Sarinah (Sarinah Building)

I understand that you were officially appointed as the President Director of PT Sarinah in May, which is still very recent. Can you tell us the journey leading up to this role? And what ultimately encouraged you to take up this role?

If you look at the history of Sarinah, it was made because President Soekarno went overseas a lot at the time after independence. He travelled to Europe and the United States, and then he realised that we didn’t have a modern department store. We didn’t have modern retail in Indonesia at the time, where international tourists visiting Indonesia could purchase high-quality products to bring home, as well as experience the Indonesian culture. Furthermore, I’d like to make sure that Sarinah, from now on, serves as a sustainable company for the culture as well as the economic cycle—because we often work with local artisans.

Additionally, being appointed as the President Director of PT Sarinah is kind of personal for me. Several private entrepreneurs were asked by President Soekarno to be involved in the conception of Sarinah—and one of those entrepreneurs was my great-grandfather.

How would you describe your leadership style? And what do you believe is the number-one key in being a good leader?

I am a very straightforward person. I love numbers; I’m a very data-driven type of leader. Thanks to my previous experience, I prefer to know my employees first and foremost. I spent my first week as the President Director getting to know all the people who work at Sarinah. Afterwards, I went straight to numbers, like, “What do we have now? What are we going to achieve every month?” I also prefer to keep my doors open for my employees. It’s not everyday-top-to-bottom in terms of my giving out instructions and such. I am more than willing to listen to the employees about what problems are happening. I am here to solve those problems with them—instead of merely giving out orders and telling them what to do.Indonesian Cultural Department Store

I think before we talk about what lies ahead, we need to see what is going on right now. At least from your point of view, how do you see Sarinah today as a retail destination?

As of today, Sarinah continues its legacy, which is an Indonesian department store. It is a cultural department store, but, at the end of the day, it is a department store. Also, sometimes it can be quite tricky to explain what Sarinah is. Sometimes, people who are not familiar with Sarinah would wonder, “Is it a department store? Is it a shopping mall? Is it just the name of a building?” That’s why I think, with globalisation and social media and e-commerce evolution, everything has to change. It is time to realign and shift the idea of Sarinah—this time, as more than just a retail destination.

One of your grand plans as the President Director of PT Sarinah is “Sarinah Transformation 2.0”. What is it, exactly?

“Sarinah Transformation 2.0” is not a total overhaul. Instead, the keyword here is “elevation”. We are elevating the purpose of Sarinah. It’s about time for us to go back to the data and see what is working, what is not working, and what is needed for the future of Sarinah. “Sarinah Transformation 2.0” aims to elevate Sarinah from a retail destination to a cultural experience centre. Through storytelling, we aim to educate both the locals and the international visitors about the history of Indonesia as well as the history of Sarinah itself.

There is so much about Sarinah than just being a retail business. Going forward, Sarinah is poised to be more present to the local artisans as well as the local brands constituted as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.

It should also be noted that “Sarinah Transformation 2.0” is not a rebranding. We still maintain our logo, which is actually the handwritten name of President Soekarno’s caretaker. To boot, with that spirit in mind, we still maintain the same ethos—that is, of being the caretaker of Indonesian culture. We believe that culture is about storytelling, that everyone should experience and be a part of the story. Ultimately, “Sarinah Transformation 2.0” is best described as a realignment.

Is it true that, under the banner of “Sarinah Transformation 2.0”, you also wish to both empower local brands and forge global collaborations? If so, why do you believe those two elements are vital —separately and also, together?

Sarinah is very much keen on supporting local Indonesian brands—and these brands are actually pretty broad. There are local brands already within the standard quality of exporting, and there are those still on the very small scale. On the other hand, it is the memories that can turn local brands into global collaborations. International visitors who once frequented Sarinah back in the day may find what Sarinah has to offer so precious to them. For the present era, if we’re talking about international visitors, we still need to have something in Sarinah that is familiar to them. What is essential here is how to find the very fine line on which what is local and what is global is one blended culture in which we live, breathe, and forge personal connections every day.Inside Sarinah

Nowadays, the issue of sustainability and inclusivity has become prominent in every kind of industry, including retail. What do you have in mind for Sarinah when it comes to promoting, as well as manifesting, sustainability and inclusivity?

With Gedung Sarinah being the cultural heritage building, there are a lot of things we can do and cannot do in terms of innovations. To manifest our commitment to sustainability, we are enforcing technology to preserve the original aspect and structure of Gedung Sarinah, all while also making sure that consumption of electricity is still under control.

Moreover, we also have a programme called Sarinah Pandu, in which we educate local brands on how to scale their businesses and develop export-quality products while emphasising the importance of sustainability. In reality, many small-scale enterprises still unknowingly use harmful materials in their production processes. It should also be highlighted that sustainability goes beyond environmental practices—it also encompasses economic empowerment. It is crucial for these businesses to understand how they can create a positive and lasting impact on artisans, local women, and even children within their communities.

In terms of inclusivity, we aim to have sections here where all religious upbringings can be represented. We do not just stop at modest fashion and accessories. For example, we are currently in a conversation with theological schools that produce rosaries. We are also making sure that Gedung Sarinah can be more accessible for the disabled.

SARINAH

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}