Jakarta, April 26, 2024 - Ninis Kesuma Adriani is one of the inspirational figures among state-owned enterprise (BUMN) Srikandi with an extraordinary career journey. Working at PT Pupuk Indonesia (Persero), a company entrusted with the mandate to support national food security, Ninis not only has a successful career but also plays a significant role in upholding that mandate.

As the Director of Risk Management, she holds a major responsibility in ensuring the smoothness and sustainability of fertilizer production, which is one of the crucial pillars in achieving national food security.

Since the beginning of her career, Ninis has shown her dedication to success. Graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Agriculture from Bogor Agricultural Institute in 1989, Ninis then continued her education at The State University of New York with a postgraduate scholarship from BRI in Finance and Marketing.

However, Ninis' journey towards success was not easy. Before joining Pupuk Indonesia, she was previously active in the financial industry, with a track record in three prominent state-owned enterprises, namely Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Pegadaian, and Permodalan Nasional Madani.

When she joined Pupuk Indonesia, Ninis felt like rediscovering the interests she had pursued in college. Appointed as the Director of Risk Management at Pupuk Indonesia in 2023, she found new challenges that she wanted to conquer.

"When I was still in the financial industry, even though in different companies, adaptation was not difficult because the environment was relatively similar. Joining the manufacturing industry, which is inherently more masculine, posed its own challenge," said Ninis.

The drastic difference in frameworks within the agricultural industry was the most memorable thing for Ninis during her time at Pupuk Indonesia. The difference in risk management scope requiring different standards from the financial industry was an interesting aspect that she needed to learn to find the most suitable benchmark. This became a very interesting challenge for Ninis when she began entering the agricultural industry.

Ninis' joining Pupuk Indonesia became a door that exposed many new things to her. "The environment is completely different because risk management in the financial industry has long been established and more mature. Meanwhile, in the fertilizer industry, benchmarking is not easy. This becomes a huge challenge because we have to try to find the most suitable benchmark," explained Ninis.

However, she saw these challenges as opportunities to learn new things. The most interesting thing was how she could create and organize risk management in an industry with different characteristics from the financial industry. According to Ninis, the key to implementing risk management strategies is the willingness to keep learning, innovating, and always thinking critically.

Currently, Ninis is promoting the role and involvement of women through the Kartini Tani program initiated by the Association of Wives of Pupuk Indonesia Employees (PIKA-PI). This program has various activities that support the empowerment of women, with the aim of increasing competence in agriculture for women, improving family and community welfare, strengthening food security, and encouraging the formation of a sustainable agriculture system based on community empowerment. Through this program, Ninis and other Kartini Tani share knowledge and experience in increasing agricultural production.

To further strengthen the role of women as drivers of community welfare and food security, Pupuk Indonesia through Kartini Tani expands opportunities for women to participate more actively in the agricultural industry to increase diversity of perspectives and ideas in managing sustainable agriculture. Based on data from the BPS in 2023, the number of female farmers in Indonesia is recorded at 4.2 million people or 14.4 percent of the total number of farmers in Indonesia, which amounts to 29.3 million people. If maximally empowered, this number can have a significant positive impact on the agricultural and national food industries.

As a mother, wife, and professional in risk management, Ninis has proven that women's participation in the professional world is increasing, with more opportunities opening up in various industries, especially agriculture. She emphasizes the importance of seizing existing opportunities, working with professionalism, and supporting each other to increase women's representation in the workforce.

"We are fortunate that there are now many opportunities for women. To make the most of career opportunities, we need to build the right personal brand, which can further support our career journey in the future. My hope for the future is that women can make even greater contributions, especially in the agricultural industry. Not only to increase the number of women's representation but because their competence and work are recognized by the industry," concluded Ninis.