Indonesia, now a major producer of coffee beans, is itself taking to coffee—both locally produced and imported. Given the size of its population, room for economic growth, and a CAGR of nearly 11 percent in coffee sales, it will soon overtake South Korea as well and go head-to-head with China as the biggest coffee drinkers.

The future for coffee in Asia is bright. Growing opportunities in this industry empowered by Kopi Kenangan. Kopi Kenangan is a non-franchise tech-enabled grab-and-go coffee chain with more than 850 stores across 60cities in Indonesia. They became the 1st F&B Unicorn in SE Asia in December 2021. Halal certified and named Brand of The Year winner in the Café Chain category from Indonesia by The World Branding Awards 2020 – 2021. It says that great employees lead a way for the company to be great and we believe that is true when we spoke to Inneke Lestari, VP, Head of Legal & Corporate Affairs at Kopi Kenangan about her role in making the Kopi Kenangan fastest growing company in Indonesia. Do check out short snippets from the interview below to know more.

Take us through your early educational journey and the prior industry experience that you bring to the table.

I received my degree from one of the top private universities in Jakarta, Indonesia with the Cum Laude predicate. I began working as an intern at international law firm in Jakarta as soon as I graduated, and after that, I also spent a few months as a legal assistant at a reputable law firm. My perspective on being a lawyer in private practice has changed because of my working experiences in these law firms. Then, I started working in one of the leading commercial and corporate law firms in Indonesia for almost nine years and this is where I really experienced the life of being a private practice lawyer, before finally deciding to transition becoming an in-house lawyer.

Since high school, my only dream was to become a lawyer. After receiving my degree, I made the decision to work in private practice at a prestigious international law firm, where I quickly developed a passion for it. The most important thing is to love what you do. In my opinion, a lawyer must not only be rational and analytical, but also need to be creative in solving problems. I am expected to be able to think critically and creatively in my role as in-house counsel so that the company may operate without breaking any laws, but the business can also run well at the same time.

Introduce us to Kopi Kenangan. What are the various responsibilities you shoulder as the Head of Legal for the organization?

I am the department head for legal and corporate affairs. My primary duties in the legal department include managing all legal risks by ensuring that all businesses run by the company have a proper and valid business license and comply with the relevant laws and regulations and overseeing all legal matters of the company.

Throw some light on the most critical challenges you face in your current role. What steps do you take to overcome the roadblocks that you face?

The most difficult challenge is when the government issues a new regulation that interferes with the company's business plan. In this case, I must meet with the executives to inform them of the newly issued regulation and its implications for the company and to offer them workable legal solutions so that the company can continue to operate in compliance with the new regulations.

In your opinion what are some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? What has been the driving force behind your success as a professional?

I can earn my bachelor's degree from a reputable university majoring law school in three and a half years, and immediately after graduation, I was able to work for a prestigious international law firm as a private practice lawyer. Further, when I worked in law firms, as a corporate lawyer, I was involved in some significant M&A projects or valuable corporate transactions which gave me a lot of knowledge and experiences so that nowadays I can be head of legal or in-house lawyer. These are some of my accomplishments.

"To locate your passion, you must first identify what you want, then you must be determined to develop it, and last you must deepen it so that it becomes your area of competence"

How do you foresee the Asian corporate law landscape evolving in the near future? In your opinion which industry trends will be the most impactful going forward?

In my opinion, future industries with the greatest influence will be in retail and F&B business. These two fields are extremely intertwined with peoples' daily lives. Similar to almost every industry, the retail and F&B has embraced technology. Having a mobile application is no longer just seen as an extra feature; it is now required for business continuity. However, F&B and retail businesses are also anticipated to increase their protection against customer personal data given the development of technology that needs users to supply their data.

What would your advice be to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

Finding love in your current work may sound cliche, but it will keep you motivated to stick with it. To locate your passion, you must first identify what you want (it must be something you enjoy or that is a strength), then you must be determined to develop it, and last you must deepen it so that it becomes your area of competence.

Inneke Lestari, Vp-Head Of Legal & Corporate Affairs, Kopi Kenangan

Inneke lestari, vp, head of legal & corporate affairs at kopi kenangan, graduated in the law faculty at atma jaya university, indonesia. She has years of experience in tahis field. She was athe country and not managing the legal department at kopi kenangan.