128 indonesia tatler. july 2019
luidly moving in striking
red, Felicia Kawilarang needs
little direction and even
less make-up in front of the
camera. For once, the 27-year-
old businesswoman is taking
a break from her hectic schedule to make her
debut as part of the Generation T 2019 List
(Gen.T).
As the Vice President of Marketing at
Halodoc, Felicia aids the start-up in building
the brand image and meeting the needs of its
users. In the three years that it has existed,
Halodoc has become the prime app for digital
health consultations and medicine deliveries
in Indonesia, and has even raised US$65
million in funding this year.
Though there’s no shortage of tasks, Felicia
wouldn’t have it any other way: “I love the
rush,” she grins, “I get to be part of a life-
changing movement. I hope we continue to
ease the burdens on the healthcare system and
make it more transparent to the public.”
Admittedly, taking up this role was
daunting at first. With no prior background
in the healthcare industry, the finance major
had to adapt to strict regulations. She recalls:
“I was shocked; I didn’t know what to expect.
From learning how to market medicines to
figuring out what’s legal and not, it’s a very
sensitive field that I knew nothing about.”
Now, she expertly weaves through such
obstacles and confesses that her biggest fear
is becoming comfortable or complacent. For
forces for change such as herself, seeing early
success don’t normally deter their desire to
grow. For her Halodoc team to flourish, Felicia
has even adopted a lucrative managerial
approach: “I don’t berate my team and say, ‘I’m
your boss.’ I would say, ‘Hey, I’m your friend
and I’m here to oversee tasks because I have
a certain skillset.’ When your co-workers are
comfortable enough around you to criticise
you, the company will continue to grow.
Ideas can’t just come from you, it truly takes a
village, and for that to happen everyone needs
to know they have a place in your team.”
With her hair pulled back into a sleek
ponytail, Felicia looks to be the wise woman
she is. But on a daily basis you would often
find her more casually dressed, especially
when the travel enthusiast is embarkingon another adventure with husband Kevin
Aluwi. Last year, the two tied the knot in a
beautiful ceremony in Lake Como in Italy.
Ever since, Felicia and Kevin have been
living their charmed lives as smitten spouses
while balancing their roles as VP Marketing
of Halodoc and Co-founder of GO-JEK,
respectively.
When she’s joined by fellow Gen.T
honourees Andini Effendi, Dayu Dara
Permata, and Santi Alaysius beneath the sun,
the four women stand side by side in front of
the camera, and in a way, in arms. You could
almost hear them patting each other on the
back, proud to represent an identity that was
once overlooked. These are just some of the
inspirational young women looking to change
the world.
“If you ask a 4-year-old girl what she wants
to be when she grows up, she would usually
reply, ‘dancer’, ‘artist’, or anything other than
CEO,” Felicia points out when asked about
female representation in the entrepreneurial
world. She has seen first-hand how these
gender-specific expectations may lead to the
lack of women taking a seat at the table. Since
entering the workforce, the astute leader
hasn’t missed the occasional double-takes,
dismissals, or doubt that others express when
she herself enters a male-dominated work
environment.
Though it might be getting better, there’s
always room for improvement and this young
leader has taken it upon herself to help pave
a better future: “We have the exact same
power as men do, but what’s the use if society
renders us less capable? As women, it’s part of
our responsibility to encourage young girls to
dream beyond what they’re expected”
While her vision for the future couldn’t be
achieved alone, she finds kindred altruistic
spirits in her circle of friends: “Once you get
to a certain level, when you can pay for all
your necessities, you have more responsibility
to think about the big things—to think about
how to change the world. Not a lot of people
have the privilege or time, there are those
whose prime priority is to survive. My friends
and I are blessed enough to be able to think
about how we can help advance society. We’re
committed to do our part, however small that
may be.”FELICIA KAWILARANG