Esai Waktu Apply Chevening

This is my statement to apply the Chevening Scholarship Program. I want to take a master's degree from this program. The degree that I want to get is Master in Science. Currently I am working in the Bank Mandiri (banking industry). I am already working here for about 3 years. In almost 3 years I am working in Bank Mandiri I already moved 3 times. At the beginning I am working as a Forex trader whose the job desk is to make money as much as possible to the bank by taking personal position. The challenge is we can lose the company money. So I should manage my position not only to maximizing the profit but also to minimize the losses.

After that, I moved to the Banknotes management desk. My job description is to give pricing real time for every banknotes transaction in Bank Mandiri. Our team should stand by every time because we got asked by every dealer throughout Indonesia about the price. In treasury division, there is a principle that has always emphasized even since we first entered that “my word is my bond”. Because if we already making a deal, we cannot cancel it. This is something that is common in treasury.

Nowadays, I am working in Regional Treasury Marketing Sumatra as a junior dealer. My job is to make foreign exchange transactions for Bank Mandiri customer in the Aceh, Nort Sumatra, and Riau province. Out team should ensure that the customer makes the deal with us by giving them the best price. Every day we make a lot of deals with the customer with the volume is equivalent USD 20-40 million. Although I already moved to different position 3 times, but I think there are still so many thing that I can be explored. 

In treasury we meet so many people in many positions. Start with people in the branch, in the business unit (credit division), and also the treasury from another bank. Because besides we do deal with customers we also conduct transactions with other banks or usually we usually call it interbank counterparty. In Treasury we also make a transaction with the foreign bank. We make a deal not only for the foreign exchange but also in money market and capital market. Every 2 or 3 years, every employee gets a chance to go abroad to make a business duty to the foreign bank. The program is like an attachment and benchmarking to the foreign bank and after that we presented what we got to our management.

The purpose I take this program is to increase my skill and capability as a treasury dealer in my company. I hope I can get more exposure for my company so my skill also increases. I also can get new things that I never know before so I can share my idea to the management in the office.

I want to be an expert person in the treasury division in my company. The treasury division consists of so many divisions that I want to mastered. The division like liquidity, capital market, money market, foreign exchange, and marketing have different specialities. Treasury has closely related to global market, so the knowledge I had by applying Chevening Scholars can improve my skill and knowledge about the macro economic condition and my personal experience.  

I have a contract from my company for 5 years. I already fulfill my duties for 2 years. For me, I should finish my contract in my company first before looking for another challenge.  For me, I don't really care about how much money I will got but if the job make me happy I will not complain or finding a new job. Now, I have competency certificate as a treasury dealer for basic level from Indonesian Professional Certification Authority.

My target in the next 5 years is I want to be a team leader/chief dealer in one of the treasury unit. And I also want to work in the Bank Mandiri overseas office such as Bank Mandiri Singapore, Hongkong, Timor Leste, Shanghai, or Timor Leste. If I get the master from Chevening scholars the chance I got that position faster is becoming bigger. I want to be a good example for my team and share my experience with them. I want to make our team be proud about what they already did. We should not have low self estimated because they are the money maker for the company. 

In the middle of intense competition among banks not only the government bank but also the private and the foreign bank. I want to contribute as well as my company's vision to be the best treasury house in the region. I want to give all of my thought and ideas so my company can be the market leader for all of the treasury product not only in Indonesia but also in the Asean region. Beside that, as a government bank, My company needs to help Bank of Indonesia to stabilize the currency market and the bond market if needed. I also want to give my contribution about that.

My hobby is travelling and writing my experience in my blog. My favourite travelling is when I am hiking to the mountain and climbing the cliff. I have traveled to almost all areas of Java and Sumatra to do my hobby. I am also playing golf with my teammate and also my customer to make a good relationship with them and also for sport.

In my undergraduate level, I got some award from my written. I got the 2nd winner from my article “Biodiesel from Algae” in University of Indonesia. I also became the big 5 in business plan competition held by Sampoerna foundation. The topic was about the shrimp shell waste treatment. That’s all of my personal statement. I hope my written can be considered by all of you to choose me as the chevening candidates. I think I have the capability to fullfill the requirement. Thank you.