CEO Insights Magazine

Owing to the rapid industrialization at a global level, Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) play a key role in the organization's path to growth acceleration. Evolving beyond marketing communications to become customer champions, capability builders, and innovation catalysts, CMOs are often regarded as growth enablers for their companies. Embracing digital advancements to navigate his organization to greater summits of success, Derrick Heng has not only emerged as a phenomenal CMO across Indonesia but all over Asia. Derrick is a results-oriented leader with a strong record of performance turnaround and follows a leadership style of empowering with accountability and focussingon getting things done and making a difference.

Derrick has served as Marketing Director of Telkomsel since November 2021. He is a professional with more than 25 years of extensive experience in advertising, marketing, and sales, especially in the telecommunications and technology sectors. He has earned a Master of Management degree fromMacquarie Graduate School of Management after completing his Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences degree from the National University of Singapore. In addition, Derrick has also completed the Executive Development Program from INSEAD- Globe Executive Course and the Game for Global Growth Program from the Singtel Executive Course.

Tell us about your professional background and experiences. What inspired you to be Chief Marketing Officer at Telkomsel?

I was appointed Director of Marketing/Chief Marketing Officer at Telkomsel in November 2021. Before this post, I held various strategic positions with the Singtel group. During the first fifteen years with Consumer Singapore in the Marketing segment, I delivered key milestones, such as accelerating market share for the youth segment, drive brand leadership, and handling Singtel sponsorship for the Singapore F1 event. Subsequently, I took on regional assignments in Telkomsel and Globe Telecom Philippines in the latter eight years. In my last role, I was in Globe Telecom as Senior Advisor in the Small and Medium Business Group. I led the pivot to digital solutions beyond connectivity, spearheaded education, and tourism sector ecosystem initiatives, and garnered multiple awards for several flagship programs. Looking back at my experience, though I had a long tenure in Singtel, I was given the opportunity to step up in new roles every few years and embrace different challenges.

Telkomsel today resonates with positive energy and optimism to drive digital transformation. The aim is to open up the world to Indonesians by developing comprehensive and innovative digital products and services to provide impactful solutions for the growing needs of society's digital lifestyle. This sense of purpose at telkomsel motivates me to be and do better.

Define Telkomsel as an organization and its product portfolio that keep it afloat in the industry.

Telkomsel is an organization that strives to empower Indonesians and improve the Indonesian digital economy through our innovations in providing the best mobile telecommunication services and digital lifestyle solutions, both for consumer and corporate customers. We are continuously improving the quality of our network infrastructure to provide the leading and broadest digital connectivity for every level of society. Telkomsel is enabling the application of the latest technology and solutions that inspire people to maximize technology usage. For example, we have built many businesses and platforms for many different digital verticals such as 'MaxStream' for video streaming, 'Dunia Games' and 'Majamojo' for gaming, 'Langit Musik' for music streaming, 'Fita' for health-tech, 'Kuncie' for edutech.

We aim to be a part of our consumers' daily lives, always be there for them and be relevant to their needs, i.e., telco services to digital lifestyle services, productivity services to entertainment services.

What is the success mantra that has constantly helped you arrive at positive outcomes? What do you aim for in the future?

I constantly refer to the mantra 'If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough' and I keep challenging myself to grow out of my comfort zone. I never let success get to my head, and setbacks get to my heart and ensure that I continue to be guided by my true compass. The support of my family and a reminder to myself to work hard consistently has been my driving force to achieve my goals. Being relevant and treating people right are the fundamentals that I have always embraced.

Through my current role, I am on a mission to create an environment where Indonesians are enabled and thrive by leveraging digitalization & technology.

Based on your solid professional experience, what advice would you give to the upcoming professional in the same industry? 

My suggestion to them would be to always keep a close tab on the market and customers in this industry. Successful people are those who understand and able to forecast the demands of the market. The digital industry is dynamic and ever-evolving, so stay curious and be open to the growth of technological advancements.

Derrick Heng, Chief Marketing Officer, Telkomsel

A commercially savvy and results-driven professional with a proven track record in driving brand preference, increasing sales, and expanding market share.

Hobbies: Long walks/Trekking, Travel holidays with my family

Favorite Cuisine:Singapore Hawker Street Foods

Favorite Book: From Third World to First: The Singapore Story by Lee Kwan Yew/Any good reads on innovation

Favorite travel destination: Home