President Director of Unilever Indonesia, Benjie Yap, stated that to succeed as young talent and build a strong professional career, individuals must be highly adaptive and able to collaborate across functions, especially amid intensifying global competition among companies.
“Our experience at PT Unilever shows that young talents are immediately challenged to be adaptive from their very first day at work, and they are continuously encouraged to learn across disciplines and collaborate with various teams,” Benjie Yap said while speaking at the Inspiring Unileader Goes to Yogyakarta–Semarang discussion, organized by Unilever Indonesia in collaboration with Student Representative Board of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Gadjah Mada (BPM FEB UGM), and LinkToWork at the Learning Center Auditorium of FEB UGM on Wednesday (Nov. 12).
A similar point was made by Hendri Widiarta, Vice President, Human Resources, of Unilever Indonesia, who added that learning from failure is an essential part of building professionalism. For him, learning from imperfect experiences helps individuals understand workplace realities and strengthen their abilities.
“Through programs like this, PT Unilever introduces various career development opportunities that students and fresh graduates can join,” he explained.
He outlined several programs, including the Women Unilever Leadership Fellowship (WULF) for female engineering students; the Unilever Future Leaders’ League (UFLL), an annual business competition; the Unilever Leadership Internship Program (ULIP) and ULIP Customer Development, which offer six-month student internships; as well as U-FRESH and the Unilever Future Leaders Program (UFLP), designed for young talents and fresh graduates aspiring to careers in sales and management.
Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs of FEB UGM, Dr. Bayu Sutikno, stated that such partnerships represent a concrete form of collaboration between student organizations and industry.
“Talent development initiatives like this are expected to help bridge students into the professional world while also preparing future leaders,” he said.
Chair of BPM FEB UGM, Sabiq Muhammad Al Ghozi, noted that the collaboration between Unilever and BPM FEB UGM reflects the transformation of student organizations, which now serve not only as platforms for self-development and organizational activities but also as bridges connecting students with the professional world.
He expressed hope that BPM FEB UGM will continue to play an active role in supporting students’ career development.
Reporters: FEB UGM/Kurnia Ekaptiningrum
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya