Alexandra is an investor, networker and capacity builder through the up and coming co-working space and community for working mothers and entrepreneurs. She also influences the GLI space by building awareness about financial literacy for youth.
Women can have it all, according to Alexandra. If a woman wants to be both a successful professional or serial entrepreneur, and at the same time a devoted mother, she should be able to do so. That belief is what drives Alexandra’s women empowerment mission.
Alexandra’s mother, who had to leave work to take care of her children and also ran her own business as a party planner, inspired Alexandra’s own vision for women.
Alexandra studied information technology at Monash University before joining a prominent bank as a management trainee. Like others, Alexandra was placed through different departments until she finally settled on her current role in marketing for wealth management. In this role, Alexandra has the opportunity to educate the wider public about the importance of early wealth planning.
“My mother always stressed that it’s very important for women to be independent in all aspects, never stop to educate yourself including on financial literacy and multitask whenever possible”, Alexandra says.
“First, you never know what will happen. And second, if you were financially literate, you could do more things and open more opportunities for society,” she adds.
Alexandra walks the talk. Thanks to her job at the bank, Alexandra has learnt how to manage her finances since the early stage. Now, she is using her savings to invest in ventures.
Worknest is Alexandra’s newest initiative. It is a space and community for working and stay-at-home mothers who wish to work productively while taking care of their children.
“It’s more than a coworking space with kids facilities. It is a space and community design to support productive moms and creative kids all in one,” Alexandra says.
Alexandra noticed some of her friends quitting their full-time employment or significantly reducing their working hours once they start a family and have children, often due to minimum support or infrastructure.
At the same time, she saw a cultural shift in working style where it’s possible for people to work remotely. This culture was being amplified by the rise of new jobs, and COVID-19, that push people to be productive outside the traditional office space. Lastly, Alexandra realized that becoming a mother does not dissolve somebody’s individual potential and passion: a woman’s self-actualization and work contribution does not end when starting your family and having children.
Worknest will also be launching an online community version with online classes and activities for moms and kids to do at home.
“From Worknest we will be able to support the working moms, women and the industry where they work, and last but not least children’s creative development. Worknest builds infrastructure and communities that empower women, their families and the industry where they work” Alexandra says.
“It’s challenging. There are times they look down on us. As if there’s a norm that women have to prove that we can do it as well, that we can be in the same space,” she says.
Alexandra hopes the space could help dispel the notion that once women become mothers, they are less productive than their peers without children. We want to empower and encourage more women to pursue their passion, realize their potential, collaborate with others to achieve their big dreams and never shy away from challenges.
Alexandra believes GLI can generate the most meaningful impact in the education sector: “GLI needs to start with educating women in Indonesia, it could start by teaching them how to be independent in all aspects, because from that everything will show.”
