Celebrating International Women’s Day 2019

APRIL Group is proudly home to a myriad of talented individuals who contribute to our business and operations in various ways.

In honour of International Women’s Day 2019 this year, we hear from 10 of our female colleagues who work in different areas, including sustainability, research, art, and construction.

Natasha Gabriella

Sustainability Professional

"I handle stakeholder engagement relations and sustainability communication, which includes external communication like our sustainability reports. I studied environmental engineering and industrial ecology in school, so I always knew I wanted to do something that improves the environment and social economy. I’m glad that I’m at a company that’s on the ball when it comes to implementing sustainability – we are making real contributions to advancing sustainable development in Indonesia. It’s also great to see that there are many female sustainability leaders globally, including our own sustainability director! I hope I become one myself in the long term."

Sylsilia Trinova

Community Development Worker

"How would you feel if you got paid to help other people? Will you be proud and excited at the same time? Well that’s how I’ve felt every single day in the past four years since joining APRIL’s Community Development Department. I realized my passion for community development after finishing school. Listening to other people’s problems and working tirelessly to find the best solutions for them, as well as assisting them to achieve better standards of living gives me great satisfaction. When my superior said I have potential to be a future leader with huge impact, that’s when I knew even more that there’s no reason for me to stop doing what I love. I think we have to be confident in our own abilities first in order to help others, and I feel that I am doing the right thing by being a part of this company."

Maggie Vency Maretha

Scientist

"I analyse the DNA levels of our eucalyptus plants to continuously improve and support the company’s plant breeding strategy. There’s satisfaction in knowing that the information we discover in our lab makes a real contribution towards our products which then benefits our customers! I’m one of the youngest R&D scientists here at the moment, so I feel pretty grateful for the opportunities I’ve gotten so far – being able to start and advance my career at a company which has such high-tech facilities is really great. I think that women in biotech are still uncommon in Indonesia at the moment, so here’s hoping this will change in the future."

Itsna Lathifah

Quality Controller

"I started out as a low-ranking technician in 2005 and climbed the ranks through the years – all while being a mother – so I feel that I deserve to be proud of where I am today. I believe the misconception still exists - that a woman has to choose between either being good at her job or being a good parent. It can be difficult to balance both a full-time job and motherhood, but it’s definitely not impossible especially if you’ve got supportive colleagues and managers. People say the pulp and paper production is a ‘male industry’ and women who choose to enter it won’t be able to go far, but I think I’ve been able to prove this is not true."

Regina Putri

Construction Manager

"There are only two women in APRIL’s Fiberline Department - a senior secretary and myself, a female process engineer. However, being in the pulp and paper industry has toughened me up and I’ve never worried about being the minority in a male-dominated industry, especially since my colleagues have always been very cooperative. Also, my superior assesses us based solely on our capabilities, without considering irrelevant aspects. My profession is the result of a long learning process. It wasn’t easy to get here and I am proud that I am living one of my dreams today."

Ni’mah

Artist

"I like everything about being a batik crafter. It is comfortable and soothing work, and I enjoy being able to get creative. Creating new motifs is definitely the best part of the job! I used to stay at home full-time and that was okay, but I much prefer being able to come here and work, and make my own money. I like the independence and also how my family no longer has to rely on just my husband’s income. Family is important but I think all mothers should be allowed to work, if they want to. But, women must be able to do dignified work, and in safe conditions."

Artha Uli

Conservationist

"To maintain a balanced ecosystem, there has to be a group of people who dedicate their lives to protecting our environment. I decided very early on that I wanted to dedicate my life to protecting our forests and optimising their functions by becoming an environmental officer. Right now, I am the only female among 13 environmental officers in the company. It’s never been an issue though, and I am grateful to be able to work with professionals who share a similar vision about the future of our planet. I know it might be hard for other people to understand why I chose the path I did, but I never let their criticism affect me since I believe I’m doing the right thing for Mother Earth and humanity."

Mislaini

Forklift driver

"In 2008, I was inserting paper reams into boxes as part of the paper production line. I would watch a few male colleagues who were forklift operators and think that their work looked cool! I was drawn to the job and thought it’d be really awesome if a female could do it too. So of course I jumped at the opportunity when my team leader asked if I wanted to become one myself. I’ll admit that the training and job wasn’t easy at first, but eventually I got the hang of it as I gained insight, experience and results over time."

Doris Debora

Safety Officer

"As an Occupational Health and Safety Officer, I need to stay on high alert for potential problems that may harm the safety of our workers. To prevent the occurrence of any foreseeable accidents which can cause injury or even death, continuous vigilance is required. As prevention is the most important aspect of my job, I work with planners and engineers to make sure that health and safety policies are always implemented in all of our activities. I think the most interesting part of the work is providing our field workers with standardised personal protective equipment. They’ve always got plenty of questions about this, and being able to give them the answers is a meaningful feeling."

Mariani Damanik

Construction Manager

"Having worked in the Department of Infrastructure and Maintenance at Riau Fiber for 22 years, I can say this field has become my passion. I love what I do and this is exactly the best advice I can give to my employees. In 2005, I supervised the construction of a bridge which is vital to our operations team who is assigned to isolated estates. When it was completed, my superior jokingly called it the ‘Mariani Bridge’ and I really felt the sense of appreciation. Throughout the years, I’ve never tried to be someone else. Instead, I try to focus on improving the quality of my work, increasing my value, and respecting my team."