Andre Setiawan has worked for Holland Colours for 30 years. He is 57 years old and will retire this year. He has held various positions during these years. He started as Local Area East Sales Manager in 1994 and has been appointed Export Manager for South East Asia and South Korea and Japan since 2019. He has also been part of the global marketing team at Holland Colours since 2024. ‘’To work successfully as a team, it is important that everyone has the same goal. Even if we all come from different directions, we work for the same goal.’’
Can you describe a day at Holland Colours?
In the morning, I start by checking my emails, checking our leads and checking today's meeting schedule. After that, I usually have a meeting with Vincentia Yuvi Indrawati (Export Customer Service), who is based in the office in Surabaya. This could include topics such as: orders, price and delivery, samples and any points we get back from customers. If necessary, we schedule immediate meetings with related departments such as laboratory, production, QC and product development. Besides Export Manager, I am also part of the marketing communications team, so I check to see what I can do for this and check with my colleagues. Examples of this are arranging customer events or fairs. I also jump in to help by having conversations or meetings with others in the Jakarta office, mostly with the local sales team.
What attracted you to work at HCA and makes working at HCA so enjoyable for you?
Holland Colours appealed to me because it was a new market with new products for many different industries and applications - that made me very curious. This is a company with many opportunities, and I always enjoy taking on new challenges in my life. The fact that HCA is a global company also appealed to me. I love traveling and Holland Colours contributes to learning about new cultures and people. I like working at HCA because it is a real people company. I enjoy interacting with others and helping others, and that is definitely encouraged here at HCA.
What makes working together so important?
Individuals have their own skills, strengths and even weaknesses. When the team works as one unit, everyone has the chance and opportunity to listen to and learn from each other. Through that process, the team will be better prepared to deal with anything, including new challenges. Even though I have been working at HCA Asia for a long time, and my colleagues often see me as an expert by experience, I definitely believe that working together is the most important thing. Every day you have someone to share successes and failures with and to mutually support in making the right decisions. By starting a conversation together, new ideas emerge and that is necessary to grow. That is teamwork. With that understanding and those needs, I engage my colleagues every day to work together as a team.
How do you promote this teamwork and trust in each other?
To work well with each other, we must also all understand the importance of working together as one team. Teamwork ensures that efficiency and productivity can be improved. I think it is important not only to state how you want to see something done but also to be a real example in this yourself. I, therefore, remind myself to lead by example. I often try to get together with colleagues and indicate to them that every opinion counts and that you can get further together than alone. With this, I want to convey that working together as a team often produces good results in the development of interpersonal relationships, trust, and solidarity.
Which 3 words do you think best describe HCA?
Accountable, Adaptable, and Innovative
Something else you would like to share about your experience at Holland Colours?
As I experienced many years ago, HCA is a company with a family culture. Even though we keep growing into a more global company with a high level of professionalism, motivation, and innovation, care is taken to maintain the family feeling as before.
