Recognizing entrepreneurial endeavors and achievements of global next generation

An offshoot of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year — the world’s most prestigious business awards program — the EY NextGen Award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among the next generation members and recognizes the contribution of those who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement.

After an application period, candidates for the award are assessed by an international panel of judges and the chosen winner gets the invaluable opportunity to participate in the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year Forum in Monaco. The EY NextGen Award is presented during a gala dinner at Monaco Yacht Club.

EY NextGen Award Winner 2017: Christina Suriadjaja, Travelio.com

Christina Suriadjaja founded Travelio.com, a home rental provider that manages individual owners’ and property developers’ units for short-term rentals, and has grown it successfully into a fast-growing travel group in Indonesia. It is in one of the most rapidly expanding sectors in the country, and Indonesia is expected to have the fastest-growing online tourism market in the Asia-Pacific region over the next five years. It has some big-name partners, such as TripAdvisor and Tuniu, and it has also been promoted by Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism.

Christina is a third-generation member in an Indonesian family business, and building up her own entrepreneurial career wasn’t always easy. “Growing up with unquestionable respect and obedience toward our first-generation patriarch leaders doesn’t set an easy stage for the third generation,” says Christina. “It’s even more of a problem for women entrepreneurs such as me.” Christina says that, in the eyes of most of her relatives, her decision to pursue her entrepreneurial spirit with Travelio.com was just another “deviation phase.” Some even labeled her company a “small project” that was unlikely to amount to much. But, as Travelio.com has succeeded, their doubts have been assuaged, especially those of Christina’s father.

“My relationship with my daughter has always been very good and that’s never changed,” says Johannes Suriadjaja, the current leader of their family business PT Surya Semesta Internusa. “But I have now become more of a mentor to her on business skills and less like a parent.” Christina says the relationship is very much one of mutual respect. “We have become closer since working together. He gives me a lot of independence and doesn’t actually tell me what to do,” she says. “He’s more of a mentor these days and is very philosophical, asking. ‘What’s your purpose in life?’ and ‘How do you want to treat people?’ He doesn’t tell me what I have to do this year but reminds me of the long term.”