Employee Spotlight: Anggia Metha Iasha, Finance Shared Service Lead

“I was given the chance to manage the shared service team. I took this learning curve in stride and now I feel more confident in what I can achieve. If I hadn’t taken this opportunity, I would have never learned that I have the capacity to lead a team.”

– Anggia Metha Iasha

 

Anggia works as a finance shared service lead in Jakarta, Indonesia, and has been with Janio for three years now. She works alongside the HQ team and is also responsible for preparing the standard operating procedure (SOP) for finance operations.

Anggia highlighted that the most challenging part of working with a global team is resolving communication issues. To manage this, she makes it a point to regularly align with the rest of her teams during their team calls. As a team leader, Anggia gives importance to being a bridge between the Singapore HQ team and the shared service team in Indonesia.

Anggia shared with us about uncertainties she feels about being chosen to lead the shared service team, and how it’s been a huge learning curve for her. She believes that it’s extremely important to keep an open mind and look at every situation as an opportunity because we never know the outcome without trying.

Getting to know Anggia:

Q: How long have you been with Janio and what do you do here?
A: I have been working at Janio for almost three years. Currently, my position is finance shared service lead. Finance shared services handles finance operations for all entities of Janio including billing, AP (account payable), and COD (cash on delivery).

As finance shared service lead, I need to be a bridge between the Singapore HQ team and the shared service team. I need to have clear information about finance operations, so I can pass all the things to the shared service team. I have to work alongside the HQ team to prepare the SOP for finance operations, and as the guidebook for the shared service team and cross function who work with the finance team.

Q: What has been the most challenging part of being a finance shared service lead?
A: Communications can be an issue due to the remote nature of working with international teams and that we don’t know each other as well. My solutions to have clear communications during work calls is to list down the issues that need to be discussed before the call and share the meeting minutes. The benefit of working with a global team is that you learn about their culture and respect it.

I met the rest of my colleagues in Singapore at an event called “UpScale 1.0: People Managers Conference” at the end of June 2022. I’m so happy I got to meet them personally, it brought us closer. To build a strong team, the finance team did a mini town hall with all the team members across the countries. During my stay in Singapore, I made an effort to interact and get to know my colleagues, especially those I work closely with on a daily basis.

Q: How do you keep yourself productive while being stuck in a traffic jam?
A: I usually start making my way to work by 7 or 7:30 am, and it takes about an hour to commute. Sometimes bad traffic would cause me to be on the road for up to 2.5 hours. I use this time to write down a to-do list of the tasks I need to complete for that day. This helps me prioritize what needs to be done when I arrive at the office.

I would check my email and spend time aligning with the cross-function, HQ team, and the shared service team. This way, the team would be on the same page and would be more efficient in their work.

Q: What are your hobbies, and how did you get into them?
A: I do yoga during the weekend or public holidays, and I will join an online class for it. As a beginner, I’m still learning, so I always enroll in a beginner’s yoga class. Essentially, my hobbies are to help me relax and unwind and to help me focus on both my physical and mental well-being so I can be best leader I can be for my team at work.

I love art – I have tried dancing, vocal group, and theater at school. I would like to try painting because they say that painting can help to relieve stress. I also enjoy watching movies. My favorite is Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Pt 1. The most memorable scene for me is when Harry and Hermione danced together in the tent. It’s the small things that make me happy because I saw the chemistry of their friendship.

Q: How would your family or friends describe you in three words?
A: Calm, caring, and diplomatic.

Q: What career advice would you give to your younger self?
A: I would tell myself to keep an open mind and give every situation an opportunity because we never know the outcome without trying.

For example, I wasn’t confident in myself when I got an opportunity to lead the shared service team. I took this learning curve in stride and now I feel more confident in what I can achieve.  If I hadn’t taken this opportunity, I would have never learned that I have the capacity to lead a team.

Interested in joining us? Check out our open positions here  or share your CV at HR@janio.asia