Recently, one of our GIS Alumni was featured in one of the most highly recognised magazines in Asia: Prestige Indonesia. The alumni was none other than Claudia Alana Ong, from the GIS Class of 2009. After GIS, Claudia went to Hawaii to complete her BBA in Marketing at University of Hawaii at Manoa; she is currently the Export Manager for PT Njonja Meneer in Indonesia.
Claudia, can you tell us a bit more about your feature in ‘Prestige Indonesia’?
Sure! The Vanguards ‘40 under 40’ features 40 inspiring young men and women who have attained great success under the age of 40. I am delighted that I was chosen to be one of the ‘40 under 40’ entries for 2018!
Can you tell us a bit more about your career to date?
I’ve been working as an Export Manager for my family business in the Indonesian Traditional Herbal Industry (Jamu) for about 6 years. In 2014, My sister Vanessa and I started our Djamoe workshop programme, which aims to educate younger generations about the importance and health benefits of our traditional herbal industry. During our Djamoe workshops, we teach our students how to make their own Jamu beverages at home and also provide a booklet of recipes for them to keep.
Most people in Indonesia, especially the younger generations, perceive Jamu as a ‘traditional’, ‘old’, ‘bitter’ and even ‘unhygienic’ beverage! My passion is to change the negative mindset about the drink, through my Djamoe workshop programs as well as the products that we serve in Jamu Jamu co.
I co-founded Jamu Jamu co in 2016 with my partner and close friend, Denise Chen. Jamu Jamu co sells fresh, delicious Jamu tonics that are freshly brewed and handcrafted. We only use the highest quality ingredients and either honey or palm sugar to naturally sweeten our beverages. Besides having our own pop-up booth in Plaza Indonesia, we also operate a delivery service.
So, this passion of mine, coupled with a lot of hard work, meant that I was honoured to be named as one of the ‘40 under 40’ for Prestige Indonesia 2018.
Can you share some of your fond memories of GIS?
I have many fond memories at GIS! Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to replay the best of them. Definitely the most special memories involve the lifelong friends that I made during my years there. There’s a saying that once you’ve known someone for more than 7 years, that friendship will last a lifetime; luckily enough, I made so many of those kinds of friendship throughout my years in GIS.