Life at RGE: Building Leadership for the Long Term

When Sufryiadi joined Asian Agri in 2006, he wasn’t just looking for a job, he was looking for growth. “I was drawn to the oil palm plantation sector for its technical challenges and national importance. Asian Agri felt like the right place to build a meaningful, long-term career,” he recalls.

At just 25, soon after completing his training at the Asian Agri Learning Institute (AALI), Sufriyadi stepped into the role of Estate Assistant, a frontline position in Asian Agri’s plantation operations. He was tasked with managing daily estate activities: overseeing harvesting, planting, fertilising, and pest control; ensuring targets are met; managing dozens (sometimes hundreds) of workers; and maintaining reporting and compliance with standard operating procedure.

“It wasn’t easy,” he admits. “I was young, inexperienced, and honestly, a bit intimidated; I had to lead field workers who had been doing the job longer than I’d been out of school. But the company trusted me, and that trust pushed me to grow faster.”

That early opportunity was the first step in a journey that would take him across estates, training rooms, and eventually led him to become one of the youngest Estate Managers in 2013.

Young Sufriyadi stepping into the role of Estate Assistant, performing daily operations at Asian Agri’s plantations.

That same year, he was entrusted with a new challenge, Manager of AALI, the very training institute where his journey began. “That was a turning point,” he says. “I shifted from learning how to lead, to helping others do the same.”

At AALI, Sufriyadi was responsible for designing and implementing structured training programmes tailored for staff across estates, mills and administrative units. He helped strengthen the company’s leadership development engine from within.

“I wasn’t just teaching how to manage a hectare of plantation or read a harvest report,” he explains. “We were shaping characters, developing people to think strategically, lead with empathy and grow with the company.”

AALI has long been the starting point for many at Asian Agri, where future leaders first hear the training centre’s unofficial motto, “you’re capable of more”. That was true for Sufriyadi, and it’s something he passed on during his years managing the institute.

He himself benefitted from Asian Agri’s structured leadership path, taking part in programmes like the Future Leaders Programme, Management Development Programme, and Problem Solving & Decision Making. “Those trainings taught me how to step back and see the bigger picture, not just managing people or output but leading systems and shaping culture,” he shares.

But nothing quite compared to the leap he made in 2022, when he was appointed Group Manager, overseeing multiple estates and more than 1,000 people.

“It was the biggest responsibility I’ve ever carried,” he says. “Suddenly, I wasn’t just managing one estate, I was overseeing the performance of several, and the livelihoods of thousands. Every decision I made had a ripple effect. All those years, my years in the field and my time in AALI, have prepared me for this moment. I was learning not just how to lead, but how to lead leaders.”

As Manager of Asian Agri Learning Institute, Sufriyadi helps to strengthen the company’s human resource development from within.

He brought with him a leadership style rooted in coaching, values, and results. And the impact showed: his estates recorded a 20 per cent increase in productivity, staff turnover dropped, and many of the people he once mentored now hold leadership positions, ranging from estate managers to regional trainers.

“When they reach out just to say thank you, I feel proud,” he reflects. “Because when you build people, you build the future.”

Looking ahead, Sufryiadi hopes to continue contributing to Asian Agri by nurturing the next generation of leaders. “I want to build a leadership legacy. Not just through words, but through action. If those I’ve mentored go even further than I have, then I’ve succeeded.”

Discover more opportunities for career growth at RGE here.