MUMBAI: upGrad has brought on Sendy Filemon as its country head for Indonesia. The development comes close on the heels of Zubin Gandevia’s hiring as CEO for Asia Pacific in January 2021. Filemon’s appointment to specifically look after the Indonesian market is a follow through of the company’s commitment to the country’s edtech sector and puts into motion to grow in the Asia Pacific region. He will be based in Bali.
Filemon is a digital entrepreneur who has founded two fintech start-ups and is a lifelong learner. He is currently taking a law degree from a top Indonesian university, which due to current pandemic conditions, is forced to accelerate its online learning model. This personal experience has motivated him to join upGrad and help fellow Indonesians to upskill and stay competitive as they face a new digital world.
“The combination of economic growth, changes in the workforce requirements, and increasing priority towards education have brought different challenges for both job seekers and employers, including here in Indonesia,” remarked Sendy. “upGrad is committed to address those challenges through locally relevant courses and become the bridge between job seekers and employers. I am very thrilled to join upGrad and am excited to bring real impacts for Indonesians through accessible higher education, regardless of time and distance.”
upGrad co-founder & chairman Ronnie Screwvala added, “Thrilled to welcome Sendy Filemon, whose strong cultural intellect coupled with sharp entrepreneurial skills will help us strengthen our presence in the APAC. At upGrad, we highly value local talents around the globe. Therefore, we will co-create Indonesia’s customised programs by synergising with local industry experts, university partners, corporates, and course mentors from Indonesia.”
The company continues to foster partnerships with higher education institutions and experts around the globe. In Indonesia, upGrad is partnering with both public and private universities to hand in hand accelerating the growth of Indonesian talents.
upGrad CEO - Asia Pacific Zubin Gandevia stated, “The appointment of Sendy Filemon as Indonesia Country Head emphasises our commitment to support the Indonesian government's continued efforts in enhancing the quality of higher education. Sendy will lead our mission to leverage upGrad’s proven online model and world class technology and bring it to life with 100 per cent Indonesian flavour to equip learners for the jobs of today, accelerating the careers of tomorrow.”
