Rinna Sijabat

Rinna graduated with a MSc Global Management of Natural Resources in 2017 and now works in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Indonesia. We hear about her time at UCL and her new role.

What programme did you study at UCL Engineering and when did you graduate?

MSc Global Management of Natural Resources, 2016-2017

Which country are you from?

Indonesia.

Where are you living now?

Jakarta, Indonesia

Where do you work now - and what is your role? 

I work in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Indonesia, and my current role is Senior inspector of Oil and Gas Safety.

Why did you choose to study at UCL?

As an academic institution, UCL credibility is obviously great. Among other top schools in UK, at that time I saw UCL’s programs, had unique characteristic of comprehensive learning that is very much needed in professional career. Specifically for the programme that I studied, MSc Global Management of Natural Resources, it equipped us with fundamental science and engineering skills needed for managing natural resources, but also exposed us to the business, social, and sustainability aspect of the natural resources business.

How did you get from graduating at UCL to where you are now - tell us about your journey!

Prior studying in UCL, I had been working in my current office as junior safety inspector. Hence my study was counted as ‘study-assignment’ from the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Indonesia. After studying at UCL, I got back to work and continue my role as senior inspector in the Directorate of Engineering and Environment of Oil and Gas. Considering my learning experience in UCL, I was trusted to handle various policymaking projects, such as nation-wide biofuel implementation policies and the establishment of Indonesian policy roadmap for cleaner fossil fuel. Starting from term 3 , 2022, still in the same department, I am assigned to a new role as senior safety inspector focusing on downstream oil and gas business. In this role, my work specialises in doing safety audit, maintaining the compliance of safety regulation, and campaigning safety culture to refineries, fuel terminals, and other kind of downstream oil and gas businesses in Indonesia.

What kind of things are you currently working on - and how has your UCL Engineering degree helped you?

Apart from my professional work as civil servant in the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, I initiated and now am running a community platform: Women in Energy Indonesia (womeninenergy.id). Its objective is to inspire Indonesian women to be impactful leaders in the energy and STEM sector and to empower them to break the invisible glass ceiling of leadership roles for women in the energy sector.I must say that my UCL engineering degree has contributed significantly. One of the inspirations behind the creation of this platform is a session in The UCL Women Engineers (UCLWE) Society. One evening in 2016, due to my UCL engineering program I was taking, I was eligible to join the society and its meetings. I was mesmerized that a simple concept of women engineers gathering can be energizing and motivating at the same time. I keep that inspiration in the back of my mind, back to Indonesia and live my life. And when the COVID pandemic hit, right in the time where people’s motivation to self-develop is at the lowest, I decided to start the spark I got from UCLWE by creating womeninenergy.id, while secretly hoping it would ignite something positive for the community.I believe that comprehensive understanding and collaboration cross-area make the best outcome of someone’s energy career. So, I direct womeninenergy.id to focus its programs to six energy-related career areas: Research and Development, Engineering, Corporation, Consultancy, Start-up, and Policymaking. Starting from just 3 people in 2021, womeninenergy.id now has 900+ members. It regularly conducts informal classes and workshops featuring various influential people in the Indonesian energy sector.

Do you stay in touch with UCL (via events, volunteering) or with your classmates? If so, tell us a bit about this experience of being in the UCL alumni community.

Yes, I do. I did communicate couple of times with my former lecturers / professors, both because of my personal matters or because they requested an alumni volunteer to help them sharing to current UCL students on how my professional life after graduating from the program. There is also a UCL Indonesian Alumni group that I join. This group is quite productive, and I am already benefited by joining it because it helps me expanding my network that significantly catalyses my professional and personal’s productivity.

What is a favourite memory of your time with us, or something you particularly liked about UCL Engineering / your department? 

My program, MSc of Global Management of Natural Resources, is a new program at that time in UCL engineering. My batch is the first batch with only 12 pupils. Also, my program enabled us to live in 2 different countries in a year, the United Kingdom and Australia. That small group of people and the experience of moving together across the world created a tight bond among us. The program not only made us exposed to the different management of natural resources in different parts of the globe, it also made more than just colleagues but also friends who come for each other’s wedding (yes, even though we live so far away from each other’s).

If you could choose just one thing - what was the best thing about your UCL experience?

The best thing about my UCL experience is the comprehensive learning opportunities. Even the master’s program’s duration is only 1 year, the curriculum is designed very compact yet not discounting the quality and consider various perspective[s] of [the] discipline,and it is very helpful to support my professional work. I was registered under UCL engineering department, but my program required me to also learn about business sustainability, geology, and risk analysis. I was clueless at that time on why the program is designed like that, but I benefit [from] it now. I have well-rounded knowledge which make me stand out from my other colleagues in my office with similar academic background but from different universities.

Do you have any advice for prospective students considering UCL Engineering for their degree? 

If you choose UCL to pursue your passion in engineering, you will get engineering skill and beyond, that will help you to not only strive but also thrive in your future career.

Do you have any advice for fellow alumni who are just starting out on their career path?

It is natural to be nervous, especially when you are exposed with limitless options on what you can choose as your specialization. If I may suggest, choose from the thing that you find easiest or happiest to do. Career world does not only require your brain but also your mental [strength]. It is a long game. Make sure you don’t overwork one over the other. Also, even though you will never know when you need them, maintain your friendship and network well, because I can guarantee you that you will certainly need them one day.

To follow Rinna and Womeninenergy.id follow the links below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rinnasantisijabat/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rinna_sant/
womeninenergy.id LinkedIn: https://id.linkedin.com/company/womeninenergy-id womeninenergy.id instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womeninenergy.id