Daud Dharma Salim  (JP/Jerry Adiguna)

Entrepreneur Daud Dharma Salim applies his teamwork management know-how to grow his business, going from a simple printing company to one of the country'€™s leading event organizers.

For Daud Dharma Salim, life and business is about making the right decisions together with his team. '€œBusiness is about teamwork'€, explained Daud, referring to his philosophy in managing Kristamedia Pratama, a trade show and event organizer.

The philosophy has become a fundamental part of his management know-how since he and his wife started their business in 1994, paving the way for a thriving entity serving both national and international clients.

'€œWithout [good] teamwork, a business will not succeed in the long term. Yet, there should be a team leader as [he or she] will need to organize and manage the entire organization, particularly directing the team,'€ Daud said.

In spite of his business confidence in the power of teamwork, Daud didn'€™t earn success instantly. He started his business from simple beginnings, from a modest printing company that later branched out into other related industries.

'€œWe started our enterprise in 1994, while I was still in university. At that time, our focus was on printing. We made various printing products for different industries. It'€™s still our main strength today,'€ he said.

From that modest start, Daud learned to aim high. His view on management is very much shaped up by his philosophy that as the leader, he needs to continuously develop and expand. Hand-in-hand with business partner Christina Sudjie (later to become his wife), Daud did not want to stop in one particular area. Their access to various businesses opened the new idea to branch out into event organizing.

Pursuing and doing his passion wholeheartedly, he decided that he would focus on one particular type of event '€“ trade shows.

Trade shows are different from any other type of event as they focus on bringing businesses together. Under Daud'€™s helm, Kristamedia brings businesses from around the globe to meet their future partners here.

With good support from his team, Daud took on the challenge and now is one of the leading companies in that particular area. Yet, he never strays from his philosophy that achieving success in business is all about teamwork.

Organizing a trade show is more than just making an event. More important is how to provide opportunities for all parties from around the globe to participate.

'€œOne of our challenges is how to help our clients bring their sample products [including machinery] through the bureaucracy. If our government is really serious about developing our industry, then they should make this process smoother and easier,'€ Daud said.

Being balanced is the key in teamwork, he added. If a member of the team is unable to do their part, it will affect the whole team. Therefore, it is important that a team leader chooses the right people for the right task. And this is one of the main challenges often faced in any organization. For Daud, this also applies in other aspects in life.

'€œPrimary education is the most important level of education. This is where children learn about themselves and what are they good at. Beyond that level, students should be nurtured to bring out the best of their strong points,'€ he stated.

By nurturing their strong points, children will grow in confidence and be sure about what they can do well. This will help them when they are looking for work. This answers the reason why he is sending his daughter to fashion design school, '€œas that it is her main interest'€.

'€œShe loves to design, just like her mother,'€ Daud added.

'€œNot everyone is good at math, they may be good instead at language. On the other hand, someone may be very good at math but not so strong in other areas. Like at work, we need to know people'€™s character and strong points. Otherwise they won'€™t be able to perform well and won'€™t be happy either,'€ he concluded.  (Ari Poespodihardjo)

___________________

Daud Dharma Salim

Place & date of birth :
Pontianak, May 17, 1966

Experience :
President director of PT Kristamedia Pratama since 1994.

At Ease

Balancing life with spiritual music
My wife and I share the same interest in music. We turn that into a shared passion for spiritual songs. In fact, we have recorded them on CD, too. Because spirituality is often associated with sharing with the public, we share some of the work through YouTube, so more people can access and enjoy our work.

Exercising conveniently
I decided to equip my office with a gym. It is very convenient for me, as I always have a busy daily schedule. I exercise aerobically whenever I have the time at the office.

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