The Making of a Manager …. at CEO SUITE

My initial impression was a tough fau00e7ade, but as I look into her sharp eyes, it was something else that attracts me to her.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnAnd when she relates about her childhood, and her journey through life’s obstacles, I was instantly filled with admiration for her instantly.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnBorn in Jakarta 29 years ago, Ria Alkatiri, the daughter of Husein Alkatiri and Suraidah Djawi, glows with tanned, olive skin. Her friendly disposition reflects strength, and determination; qualities perhaps accumulated with years of tough pruning even from a young age.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnAnd the years of toiling seems to have paid off as we meet today, she hands me a card bearing a u0022Manageru0022 title at CEO SUITE, a leading chain of business centers across Asia. And high up at her office on the 17th floor at the Jakarta Stock Exchange building (offering a panaromic view of the Jakarta street scenes), the sunlight reflects her glistening eyes as she recalls her life’s memories.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu0022I was selling cakes even as a young child. And by teen-age, I had to work as a tour guide, and had to sell socks to help pay for my school feesu0022. Independent even as a child, it was not Ria who would further burden her parents with asking of allowances.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnBut it was perhaps more than the u0022selling of cakes u2026 and socksu0022 that lands her on her destination today as the leader of a team at such a prestigious firm as CEO SUITE. With her unwavering spirit towards goals, targets and challenges, she strikes me as another u0022Cinderellau0022 as I try to identify with her voyage u2026 from a cake seller to a graduate at a business school at George Seymour College in New Zealand, and now, a successful young corporate professional.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnu0022I wanted to accumulate some useful work experience after high school before the consideration of higher education,u0022 says Ria, who soon found herself working for a trading company for a short period before moving on to join Air Asia, where she built up most of her contacts with the u0022outside worldu0022.nWith much of her savings, she then ventured on to fulfill her lifetime ambition to study abroad at Christchurch, New Zealand. Auckland was simply next on her list of conquest as she added to her resume with more work exposure in a foreign land.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnTHREE DAYS LATER u2026rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnWe met again, this time at the Daily Bread Cafu00e9 at the lobby of the JSX building. The warmth and coziness at the cafu00e9 brought our conversation to a more relaxed manner, with discussions about issues much less official.nu0022I enjoy traveling abroad, and I like Europe,u0022 Ria discloses.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnAnd pressed with more personal questions such as u0022love u0026 marriageu0022, Ria answered with some kind of matter-of-fact authority, u0022love is about giving and receivingu0022, her answer is clichu00e9, u0022but everything in a relationship boils down to trust!u0022.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnAnd having had a long-distance relationship which she found difficult to maintain, Ria is single today with a simple principle – u0022I would rather take time, and wait for the right personu0022.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnIt seems as if she has set on a single-minded focus on her career at this stage of her life. And apparently, work is by no means a burden to her, nor will she let any small obstacles interfere with her life’s focus.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnOn weekends, Ria spends much of her time reading although she enjoys clubbing too, but not Discotheque style. In addition to clubbing, this Ru0026B music fan has a whole lot of other interests and hobbies.rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnAs a teenager, she was already the choreographer of her school’s Dance Club, and a Taekwondo athlete. In New Zealand, she used to take her snowboard for ride-outs on the mountains. But unfortunately, she is no longer able to keep up with all her leisure activities. Ria happily settles for minor weight training sessions these days right in her bedroom!rnrnu0026nbsp;rnrnThis is one lady with simple but clear strategies in her life, and it is no wonder she looks happy u2026 much of the time!