Meet the Sheroes!

One of the most inspiring ways that our JIS Alumni can create an impact and help our young Dragons to be Best for the World is by sharing their wisdom, experience, and advice.

We were thrilled when Meilyn Tan, Class of 1995, agreed to step into the spotlight and join some of our High Schoolers as they start to consider possible career paths. Last week, the Cilandak campus Forum was bursting at the seams with curious young Dragons keen to hear more from Meilyn at a mentoring workshop that focused on empowering women and their ambitions.

Meilyn is the Lead for Diversity and Inclusion at Thiess in Asia, a global mining services company based out of Australia, with more than 7,500 people employed across its 11 sites in Indonesia. Meilyn has worked with Thiess since 2010, leading its communications teams, and last year, she took on the role to spearhead the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work by extending her previously part-time role to become the first full-time DEI Officer in Asia. She is responsible not only for Indonesia but for Mongolia and Cambodia as well. And since she started her DEI work, the number of women at Thiess Asia has increased from 2% to 10%, an outstanding achievement in this traditionally male-dominated domain.

“Retention of women in the industry is challenging due to the remote geographical locations of our sites, time away from family, and the perceived glass ceiling in our leadership teams. But we are working creatively to develop a more attractive work environment for our women, including offering shorter site rosters, flexible or hybrid work arrangements, clear development pathways, as well as nurturing and prioritizing a respectful workplace for everyone,” Meilyn said.

Meilyn joined Arianne Santoso, a Senior Policy Analyst at Google, and Henny Purnawati, a headhunter for consulting firms, to make up the all-women panel organized by Grade 10 student Aarushi Chandwani, the founder and president of Meet the Professionals.

Aarushi explained the origins and purpose of the student-led club and the Sheroes event: “Meet the Professionals is an initiative dedicated to helping our students make well-informed decisions about their future careers, and for this event, we collaborated with the Indonesian Women's History Committee.

“The inspiration behind Meet the Professionals came from a critical realization: Many of our students are at a crossroads, uncertain about their future career paths, and often unaware of the vast array of possibilities available to them. Our events seek to bridge this knowledge gap by bringing together professionals from various fields to share their personal stories, career journeys, and the intricacies of their professions. This platform will empower students, parents, and teachers from our school community to make well-informed choices about their future careers.

“The theme of our November event was Powerful Women. In today's world, strong and influential women are breaking barriers and making significant contributions across a variety of industries. We want our students to realize that there are no limits to what they can achieve and to be inspired by these remarkable women.”