Hello Hanny!

Welcome to ‘Alive in Circles’? where we dive into what makes Circles.Lifers feel alive in and out of work at Circles.Life.?

A warm hello to our Head of Strategic Implementation (Product Engineering), Hanny Kusumawardhani who is based in our Singapore office.?

Tell me about your role in Circles.Life

HK: As the Head of Strategic Implementation, my role is to guide the strategic implementation of the Product Engineering department, covering different aspects such as strategic initiatives, governance structure and OKR rollout.

I find my role exciting as more often than not, there is no clearly defined path or right answer. For example, different leaders and stakeholders may have different ways of thinking and preferences. While this may seem challenging, I see this as an opportunity to harmonize everyone’s opinions and ways of working in order to shape initiatives into a more holistic one.

Working in the largest department with many moving pieces, my mission is to help ensure that we meet our goals that are set through working together with all of the engineering leads. It's definitely not something that we get perfect at the first try but we constantly strive to improve.

How’s? your journey with Circles.Life been like so far?

HK:? It’s been less than a year since I joined Circles.Life but despite the seemingly short period of time, it has been a thrilling ride filled with lots of growth opportunities along the way.?

Since I entered, I have dabbled in many areas both in and outside of my job scope, over a wide range of different initiatives. This ranges from organising offsites with the leaders to align on our strategy,? to driving strategic projects. Beyond engineering, I work closely with other departments such as People & Culture team to improve the wellbeing and growth of Engineering members.?

Moving forward, I do see a lot of different ways that I can make an impact in Circles.Life and I’d also like to thank my manager, Hetti, our CTO who carves out inroads for me to be able to grow in my career. For example, when I expressed my interest to dive deeper into the product strategy side, I am given the opportunity to redefine my job scope and work closer with the product team to shape our future product roadmaps and explorations as innovative category creator.?

Excitement comes in not knowing what I’ll be doing tomorrow or the few days to come and I enjoy work that’s ever-changing and dynamic.

Tell us what a typical work day looks like

Milo, meeting, meals and munchies with the team remain constants in Hanny’s day.

HK: No one day is the same in Circles.Life as it really depends on the business needs at that point in time. But the common constants of my day include: a cup of milo, followed by some meetings and stepping out of the office to grab a meal with the team to recalibrate before I reset myself for the rest of the work day.

I also ensure that I take some time to reflect upon the meetings that have just happened and also prepare for upcoming projects in the pipeline.

While there are constants, my day does take a couple of detours, which some can feel disconcerted about but I see it as an advantage because it means I can make a huge impact and define my own path. Sometimes, the path has not been walked on and answers may not be clear-cut but that's where the excitement lies as we can play a role in leaving our mark!

What makes you feel alive in Circles.Life?

HK: I enjoy the growth opportunities that I have. Being in a start-up, there’s a lot of opportunity for me to go beyond my job scope. For example, I’ve been given the chance to conduct design-thinking workshops internally and to our clients. The opportunities beyond my job scope? motivates me because I am able to shape my own journey in Circles.Life.

Moreover, I love my team and colleagues from other teams as they are warm and supportive, always setting up each other for success.? I particularly enjoy the camaraderie we have - being able to go out for meals and even complete step challenges together, which creates a family-like bond beyond what I have at home.?

What makes you feel alive outside work?

HK:? I enjoy exploring the different activities in Singapore - some of these activities include exploring museums, exhibits and sometimes, boat paddling around Marina Bay. The wide variety of activities enriches my life on a personal and professional level, as they open up my eyes to new experiences and perspectives.

It also draws parallels to my career in Circles where these experiences help shape who I am, which also align with the values we uphold in the company - being BOLD to try new things and also being open to LEARN and GROW.

Ready to take a bold step, make an impact and shape your career like Hanny? We’re looking to have you onboard our growing team! Check out our careers page for opportunities to work with us: https://www.circles.life/sg/job-board/