Schneider Electric Malaysia appoints new country president

• Strengthen the company’s footprint as a specialist in energy management and automation
• Company embraces diversity and inclusivity by encouraging leadership by women

SCHNEIDER Electric, a leader in digital transformation of energy management and automation, has appointed Astri Ramayanti Dharmawan (pic) as its new country president for Schneider Electric Malaysia to support the company’s growth in Malaysia and Brunei.

The previous country president Soo Pow Leong, who led Schneider Electric Malaysia operations over the past five years, has now been promoted to vice president Digital Energy for East Asia Zone.

Astri brings over 20 years of experience in sales and marketing, having worked with multinational companies in the technology and electrical distribution industries.

In the past three years, she held the post of vice president for the IT division in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, for Schneider Electric IT, where she managed the entire IT business that Schneider Electric is involved in, including solutions and products for data centre physical infrastructure such as power & cooling, software, and services.

“I’m thrilled to lead the Schneider Electric team and work alongside the teams from Malaysia and Brunei. As a leader of digital transformation of energy management & automation, the company continues to support and grow with its customers and partners by enhancing the values around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability and connectivity. We are not only driving innovation for our customers and partners, but also fostering our company’s culture and employees to continue being leader in New Digital Economy” she said.

In her new role, Astri will oversee all strategic initiatives and operational efficiency processes while leading the company towards successful revenue and organic growth.

She aspires to drive the Malaysian team to improve the lives of people in the world by developing sustainable energy solutions for customers, in home, building, datacentre and infrastructure.

Malaysia is a country rich with diverse cultures and this has become the significant part of its unique identity and market differentiation. With women making up almost half of the Malaysian workforce, research confirms that they contribute significantly to the Malaysian economy.         

Astri’s appointment celebrates leadership by women and demonstrates the Schneider Electric’s strength in promoting diversity and inclusion. The company believes in providing equal opportunities to its employees and staff, which are important attributes in driving innovation and high performance.

In 2015, Schneider Electric was selected as one of 10 Corporate IMPACT champions by the UN Women HeForShe, as a result of increase in women representation in the company by 40% at entry-level and 30% in the top positions.

In 2018, 39% of the recruitment were females with 21.6% women in leadership. HeForShe is an accelerator programme by UN Women in achieving ‘Planet 50-50 by 2030’ and the United Nations’ commitment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.