HR leader emphasizes integrity and courage

A young woman in colorful cosplay attire poses confidently on a bustling street, surrounded by people. Photo: Steven Susilo/Pexels

Andyana Tobing, a seasoned HR leader, has built a career helping people and businesses thrive, driven by her teenage interest in psychology. Her curiosity about human behavior has stayed with her throughout her career, from recruitment to leading HR teams.

Andyana’s journey in HR began with a role in recruitment at an HR consulting firm. She then tried a role outside HR in public relations for a cosmetics company, but realized her true passion lay in HR. “After around one year, I realised that I did not like it,” she says. “I shifted back to HR. That confirmed for me that my blood is in HR.”

Leading with Integrity and Courage

In 2016, Andyana joined a global financial institution as a senior HR Generalist, supporting its wholesale banking business. Her role as an HR business partner gave her the chance to build relationships with leaders and employees across different teams. This experience proved valuable when the organization began preparing for the divestiture of its consumer banking business in 2021.

Andyana took on a leading HR role in the Citi Indonesia Consumer Bank project, despite the uncertainty and regulatory attention that came with it. She believes that to continue growing, one must step up beyond their comfort zone. Andyana thinks that effective HR business partners must understand the organization’s priorities and realities, and align them with people priorities.

For Andyana, integrity is a non-negotiable principle in HR. “HR professionals deal with a lot of confidential data, and we have to make difficult decisions,” she explains. “We have to ensure fair treatment for people, while also providing data-driven insights to the business.” She encourages her team to do what’s right, not what’s easy, and make decisions that align with the organization’s values.

Andyana also emphasizes the importance of transparency, particularly during periods of change. Instead of offering reassurance that could not be backed up, her team focused on regular communication and active listening. “We could be honest and say, ‘We do not have the answer at this point, because we are at this stage,'” she recalls. “We shared what we knew and what we could share.”

As she looks back on her career, Andyana believes that growth rarely happens by staying quiet or comfortable. She advises her younger self to speak up more and step up, even when it feels uncomfortable. Andyana notes that people never know their strengths until they go beyond their comfort zone.

Andyana’s experience has taught her that HR is not just about delivering messages, but about being a strategic partner to the business. “An effective HR professional is a strategic partner to the business,” she says. “We help to set up business strategy through people and making organisational decisions.” She is working towards a culture where HR teams collaborate and function as one team, rather than separate HR functions or specialists.

With her strong background in HR business partnering, Andyana is well-equipped to lead HR teams and drive business growth. Her commitment to integrity, transparency, and courage has guided her journey and will continue to shape her approach to HR leadership.

“To deliver the organisation’s goals, HR needs to become one team, rather than functioning as separate HR functions or specialists,” she says.