On 25th November 2017, Sarinah sponsored the Santripreneur Awards 2017 at an event held at the JX International Convention Exhibition in Surabaya. Organised by Santripreneur Indonesia — an NGO focused on encouraging entrepreneurism amongst graduates of Islamic schools in the country — the event was themed ‘Dedication to Building the Country’s Economy’ and aimed to showcase the achievements and contributions of Muslim business leaders in Indonesia. Present at the event was Mr KH Ahmad Sugeng Utomo as the pioneer of the Santripreneur Awards and President Director of Sarinah Mr G.N.P Sugiarta Yasa in addition to other state-owned enterprises including Bank BNI, BNI Syariah, BPJS Kesahatan, BRI, and Telkom.
Now into its third year, the awards assist budding entrepreneurs in networking with prominent businesses from across the country and thus hopefully lead to potential partnerships and joint ventures. With Indonesian SMEs playing a crucial role in the economy in terms of sustainable growth and employment, events such as the Santripreneur awards serve to facilitate access to areas such as training programmes, workshops, and low-interest loans among many others. Such aspects will help Indonesian SMEs successfully compete with their regional counterparts.
As a company founded to act as a vehicle to stimulate the Indonesian economy, Sarinah’s support for the Santripreneur Awards 2017 is in line with its mission to bridge relationships with SMEs and promote their products through the company’s retail services. Through these events, the company can further foster the country’s creative industries to better contribute to Indonesia’s transition into a knowledge-based economy.