Journalism graduate climbs corporate ladder<\/p>\n
Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Graduating with a degree in journalism in the early 1970s,
\nNoke Kiroyan climbed the corporate ladder, eventually to become
\nthe CEO of numerous multinational firms, including the Siemens,
\nSalim and Rio Tinto groups.<\/p>\n
Today, the 59-year-old from Manado, North Sulawesi, holds the
\nposition of nonexecutive chairman of Rio Tinto in Indonesia,
\npresident commissioner of PT Kelian Equatorial Mining,
\nindependent commissioner at PT Asuransi Cigna and the presidency
\nof the Indonesia-Australia Business Council (IABC).<\/p>\n
It certainly seems curious how someone with a social studies
\nbackground could reach the top posts in firms that operate in the
\nfields of medical engineering, electrical appliances,
\noleochemicals and mining.<\/p>\n
\"My pivotal point in life was when I studied (under Siemens
\nsponsorship) in Germany, where I combined a social education
\nbackground with knowledge of corporate finance. It eventually
\nopened up a career route for me,\" 59-year-old Noke told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He continued that being in top management was all about
\nmanaging two things: the business and its human resources.<\/p>\n
\"We have to identify the key drivers of each business, which
\ndiffer from one another, but in principal they are all alike.
\nWhatever we sell, we must sell at a profit: We have to control
\ncosts, boost sales and improve productivity,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Top managers had to learn about the principles of their
\nbusinesses or products, he said, but did not have to master the
\ndetails, as that would be the job of the engineers.<\/p>\n
\"We don't have to know how an electronic product can be useful
\nin everyday life. What we need to know is how to run the business
\ncomprehensively for us to be able to sell the product at a
\nprofit,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Noke holds a bachelor's degree in communications science
\nmajoring in journalism, from Padjadjaran University, Bandung.<\/p>\n
Asked why he took journalism, he laughed and said that it was
\ndue to his own arrogance and that of his friends. They felt
\nchallenged as it was the toughest major at the time, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Only those who thought they were the best had the guts to
\ntake journalism. We thought that if we could master journalism,
\nit would be easier to master other things,\" he said, laughing.<\/p>\n
Initial introduction to IABC<\/p>\n
After graduation in 1973, young Noke went to Jakarta and
\nworked as a personal assistant for six months to the late Eddy
\nKowara, then president director of PT Teknik Umum and vice
\nchairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.<\/p>\n
He was briefly involved in the Indonesia-Australia Business
\nCooperation Council (the predecessor to the IABC), but he
\neventually left to become a management trainee at PT Siemens
\nIndonesia in 1974.<\/p>\n
After eight weeks working in Siemens, he received a
\nscholarship from German cultural center Goethe Institute to study
\nin Germany for two months. He had won the scholarship as he
\nobtained the highest score in a test of German as a foreign
\nlanguage he took in 1972.<\/p>\n
To his surprise, Siemens, instead, asked him to stay in
\nGermany for another two-and-a-half years to study commerce and
\nfinance and accounting for industrial companies under the
\nIndustriekaufmann program offered as a post-high school
\napprenticeship with Siemens AG in Essen.<\/p>\n
\"I learnt all about international business there. We also
\npracticed what we learned,\" he said, adding that Europe was the
\nperfect place to practice it as trade other business activities
\nwas intense between countries in the region.<\/p>\n
The program reached a peak by focusing on finance and
\naccounting, where participants summarized their knowledge in all
\naspects of business -- production, logistics and marketing --
\nfrom the point of view of profit and loss, he said.<\/p>\n
He went on that the apprenticeship was highly integrated with
\nthe country's educational system, where firms were obliged to
\naccommodate such programs, with tax breaks given as an incentive.<\/p>\n
To implement such a program in Indonesia, he said, would need
\nthe commitment of all stakeholders to modify the education system
\nand integrate it with the private sector.<\/p>\n
Afterwards, Noke returned to Jakarta to climb the corporate
\nladder, taking the top post in Siemens Indonesia and resigning as
\npresident director in 1991.<\/p>\n
He spent the next six years at the Salim Group before he
\njoined Rio Tinto in 1997, to take a top management position
\nthere.<\/p>\n
Broadening horizons<\/p>\n
In between, he took the time to read.<\/p>\n
\"There is so much we need to know; there is no time to waste,
\nand one needs constantly to improve one's knowledge and keep
\noneself abreast of the latest developments,\" said the father of
\nthree grown-up children.<\/p>\n
He also tries to work out on his treadmill at least three
\ntimes a week for an hour each time.<\/p>\n
\"At my age this is not \"free\" or \"spare\" time, but essential
\nin order to maintain a healthy body,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Despite his vast experience in the business world, however, he
\ndoes not see himself as an entrepreneur after retirement.<\/p>\n
\"At my age, to become an entrepreneur is not a risk I'd like
\nto take. My path is not there -- I'm a professional executive.
\nStarting a business is not easy; thus, I don't want to put all my
\nlife savings into a business and end up depending on charity,\" he
\nsaid, with a smile.<\/p>\n
He added that he had not grown bored of being an executive in
\nvarious firms, as each business had forced him to learn new
\nthings.<\/p>\n
One thing is for sure: He never stops learning. Apart from his
\nbachelor's degree from Padjadjaran, he also holds a BA in liberal
\nstudies from the College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse
\nUniversity, New York, and a postgraduate diploma in business
\nadministration from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK.<\/p>\n
He recently enrolled for the University of Indonesia's
\nmagister management in social development, as he was specifically
\ninterested in issues of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and
\ncommunity development.<\/p>\n
CSR is interesting to him due to its controversial nature, as
\nsome companies are still reluctant to implement it, perceiving it
\nto be a burden.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, it was very beneficial for companies to maintain
\na healthy reputation and obtain a \"social license to operate\"
\nfrom the communities in which firms were located, he said.<\/p>\n
However, he opposes partnerships in the form of \"bribery\" or
\nthe direct giving of cash, suggesting that it was better to
\npromote capacity-building for the host community to acquire
\nimproved skills for a better life, long after the firms were
\ngone.<\/p>\n
\"I think it's really relevant. Besides, from my practical
\nexperience and reading, I could gain an in-depth awareness on
\nthese issues. Maybe, when I retire I might become a lecturer,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Might it be that the words of young, \"arrogant\" Noke were true
\nafter all -- that it might be easier to meet the challenges of
\nlife itself if you master journalism first?<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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