Sari’s story
Sari Rachmi, Retail District Manager of Sales and Operation, found her purpose at work in helping the team to reach their career goals and dreams. She explains how Shell’s open and collaborative culture reflects her love of teamwork and plays an important role in her career satisfaction.
Hi, I’m Sari, District Manager, Sales & Operation based in Indonesia. With a degree in Accounting from the University of Indonesia, I joined Shell in 2006 through the Graduate programme. What I love most about Shell is that it has opened up many possibilities for me. I have been in Shell Retail business throughout my career stint. Although I spend most of my experience in Operations, I was also exposed to various divisions such as Network and Marketing.
I had the opportunity to experience the Territory Manager (TM) exchange programme for 2 years in Malaysia early in my career, where I learned about the dynamics of a mature market. In Malaysia, I managed the size of the full Retail network in Indonesia at that time (30 sites), and was entrusted to co-lead a nationwide project. Another stretch assignment was becoming an Engineering Manager and overseeing construction of 15 petrol stations per year, and successfully improving the performance of contractors (with no Engineering background, whatsoever!).
Now being the Retail District Manager means I’m responsible for all Shell petrol stations in Indonesia. My excitement at work comes from interacting with so many different people – not just the petrol station retailers and their teams, but also our end customers.
Celebrating audit success with passionate Retailers and Territory Managers! We were recognized for strong HSSE culture in an environment where the general public were less aware on safety. This was truly a team effort and the point where we, as a team, realised that we could achieve anything if we focused to deliver it.
This photo was taken during the ‘Shell Goes Blusukan’ event where Shell staff became Service Champions for a day. I get to appreciate how hectic it can be during peak hours. We need to do things differently to be able to provide better service to customers and help ease our on-site staff work. It was definitely not an easy task, yet a great learning experience for me!
I found my real purpose at work soon as I had my own team. I realised everyone has a dream they want to achieve and I could help facilitate that. I have regular coaching sessions with the team to understand what they have achieved, what they want to improve and any challenges they are facing. We also have sessions where I work with the team to identify their strengths and development areas. I get that ‘proud mama’ feeling whenever my team are recognised or get promoted. I feel our efforts have paid off every time.
I have found that a pleasant work environment makes people more committed to go the extra mile. We usually have regular team outings to have fun and get to know each other outside of work.
Here I was at one of Shell’s internal events. The theme was ‘Your Favorite Hollywood Movies’ and my team came dressed up as characters from Inside Out. We’ve committed ourselves to the costumes and went everywhere together throughout the event so people can recognise us as one ensemble. Our teamwork paid off when we won the category of ‘Best Group Costume’! It was a great bonding experience for the team and me.
Outside work, I love to travel and enjoy new experiences. My family and friends are great travel companions!
Travelling allows me to refresh myself from the hectic work life and is also a good way to learn about other cultures.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are of the individuals featured and are not representative of the views of the Shell group of companies and their affiliates.
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