Thysa, naturally being very curious, has always been into politics but was not sure how she can be a part of it. She completed her undergraduate education in political and environmental science. Initially, she worked for a small team, for a potential presidential candidate. After deciding she wanted to study again, she did her MBA in Singapore.

 

After graduating she immediately went to work in a coal mining company, and after being there for one year she was not happy with the work so she searched for further opportunities and ended up at MasterCard, Indonesia. She enjoyed their donation platform project while it lasted and soon picked up an opportunity from Gojek, the biggest technology company in Indonesia, where she worked in a government relations role.

 

Recently she joined google as strategic partnership manager civics, where she gets to work with the government, political parties, and politicians - matching her passions. The biggest challenge for her was that as she never stayed in one role or sector, there was the constant learning phase, she loved to learn new things, keeping her challenged and excited.

 

Her family has been her biggest support as they supported her career in every stage, in addition to her friends as well as managers. What keeps thysa at night is the question “What’s Next?” She has been considering if she should start her own business or try working in different sectors. Looking back, she would ask her younger self to spend some time side-hustling on planning what’s next like business ideas.

 

She has not faced any gender discrimination or sexism directly but in a lot of situations, she was the only woman in the room, especially when working with governments. During these times men usually break manly jokes and gender-based jokes that made her uncomfortable. Three pieces of advice that she would give younger women who might in the same situation is: Don’t feel inferior, Know exactly what you are talking about, and think positively.