Addressing ESG and Sustainability
Unggul Ananta is the Co-Founder and CEO of PT Olahkarsa Inovasi Indonesia. PT Olahkarsa Inovasi Indonesia was incorporated in 2021 and is a B2B company that provides end-to-end Corporate Sustainability Management services.
Over the past three years, Unggul has worked as an expert and consultant with more than 100 partner companies on more than 300 projects from various industrial sectors in Indonesia.
The Innovations
One of the innovations created by Olahkarsa is the Social Responsibility Application called SR APP, the first application in Indonesia that helps companies manage and monitor their corporate social performance. This covers an efficiency for corporations to plan, carry out, and assess their social responsibility programs. Additionally, this application can be accessed offline, but upon connecting to the network, it will automatically sync. it is accessible everywhere, anywhere and simplifies the companies to optimize their social initiatives.
Under Unggul's leadership, Olahkarsa expanded its services to provide comprehensive, end-to-end solutions for sustainability initiatives. These services include the development of sustainability grand designs, research, consulting, program implementation, marketing and communication support, publication, event management, training, manpower supply, and more.
Furthermore, PT Olahkarsa Inovasi Indonesia successfully focused on creating impactful events to raise awareness about sustainability in Indonesia by focusing on multi stakeholder collaboration., exemplified through Corporate Sustainability Outlook 2024 and The 2nd Good Corporate Governance International Conference on ESG in collaboration with the Indonesia Corporate Secretary Association (ICSA), CSR Outlook 2023 in collaboration with the Indonesia Business Council for Sustainable Development (IBCSD), Ready for PROPER, and many more. These initiatives have engaged over 2000 participants, fostering meaningful dialogue and action toward a more sustainable future.
Managing a Fast-Growing Enterprise
Asked how he manages such a fast-growing enterprise, Unggul says: “Managing the pressures and expectations of a fast-growing enterprise as a young leader requires a combination of
emotional intelligence, resilience, and strategic thinking,” says Unggul. The key strategies he employs are Building a Strong Support System, Developing Emotional Resilience, and Setting Clear Boundaries and Expectations.
Transformative Power of Failure
When asked about how he would handle failure, Unggul says: “Failure plays a significant and transformative role in shaping a leader’s journey. While it is often viewed negatively, many successful leaders recognize failure as an essential stepping stone to growth, learning, and long-term success. Failure is a powerful teacher in leadership. It sharpens decision-making, fosters humility, and strengthens resilience. Instead of seeing failure as a defeat, effective leaders embrace it as a necessary part of the journey toward growth, innovation, and success. Learning experience on problems, one of which is maintaining cash flow during a crisis, is very crucial because cash flow is one of the main factors that determines a company's survival. In times of crisis, cash flow can become unstable, so I as CEO must take strategic and quick action to ensure the company remains liquid and can survive.”
Leadership Style
Becoming a company with numerous achievements in just three years is undoubtedly the result of strong leadership. Unggul says that the leadership style that is relevant to his style of management is the servant leadership approach. "I tried to focus on the welfare and development of team members, which in turn can increase motivation, satisfaction, and overall team performance. This can be done by actively listening, empathizing, and encouraging active participation from every part of the team.”
With this leadership style, it helps him shape his decisions and actions. He leads with empathy, integrity, and a commitment to empower others and create a positive impact on their teams and organizations, driving both personal and collective success.
The Way Ahead
Looking forward, he was asked what his plans are for taking PT Olahkarsa Inovasi Indonesia to the next level. Unggul replies that his vision is to become the largest sustainability-based company in Indonesia. To achieve that, he says the company needs to integrate sustainability principles into every aspect of its business, from energy and products to community and technology. “By focusing on continuous innovation, resource efficiency, and social responsibility, companies can ensure continued relevance and positively impact in the future.”
