CEO Insights Magazine

When tourists talk about Indonesia, they mostly talk about Bali. Hence, when the pandemic took place, it hit Bali harder than other provinces of Indonesia dramatically dropping the lively tourist atmosphere which forms the basis of the Balinese economy. Looking at the crisis of Bali tourism, Andres Soriano (Co-Founder & CEO, DREAMWELL INDONESIA) made it his mission to make a difference in the industry and help it recover from the impact of the pandemic. In 2022, things fell into place when he found supporters and promoters for his vision and co-founded DREAMWELL INDONESIA. Ever since then, Andres has been supporting the tourism ecosystem in Bali and enabling travelers to enjoy a hassle-free travel experience.

Andres is a seasoned professional with years of experience in the Consulting Industry at Big Four Firms. He has a demonstrated history of adeptly spearheading multinational companies, government-owned enterprises (BUMN), and local conglomerate entities. His passion and curiosity for inventions and  innovations combined with his deep understanding of business acumen makes him an exceptional leader. Let’s hear it from Andres as he talks about DREAMWELL INDONESIA and more.

How would you describe your learning experience at the University of Indonesia?

The University of Indonesia offers the best experience for its students. As an alumnus of accounting major, I had the chance to learn how to strive and make my own way to face real-world challenges by giving full commitment and consistency to gain knowledge and strengthen my character. I cherish the opportunity to realize that there are so many different ways to get what we want to achieve. I always believe that without commitment we will never dare to start and without consistency, we will never finish our journey.

Define DREAMWELL INDONESIA as an organization and its position in the market.

DREAMWELL aims to provide ease of travel for travellers to enjoy the beauty of Indonesia. Through our platform, travellers can find the best options for accommodations, transportation, F&B, activities and other travel needs. Our platform uses an e-voucher model to bring comfort to both travellers and DREAMWELL Partners in this digital era. Our goal is to provide a one-stop solution travel app for traveling with a cashless experience which is made possible via e-wallet and QRIS (Quick Response-code Indonesian Standard) Technology – a QR base payment model which is standardized by the Bank of Indonesia. Last year, the adoption of QRIS users in Indonesia reached 28.75 million. We believe this number will continue to rise and we are facilitating the growing movement toward a cashless society.

How do you foster a learning culture in your team? How do you guide them to draw valuable insights from the market to help the company stay informed of the latest trends?

In terms of fostering a learning culture, there are many resources available and accessible to people but building on a culture of curiosity is one of the keys to a successful team. My father has always been a man of action and I grew up that way. This applies to my professional world as well. If I face a problem, I tend to take the lead to create the structure of the problem-solving environment and encourage relevant team members to coach for a solution for every problem. I believe in a bottom-up leadership model combined with adaptive leadership. I believe curiosity motivates more learning and by being open we become more adaptive toward market reactions which helps us to respond to changes more relevantly.

Where do you see yourself headed in the upcoming years? What is your future roadmap?

DREAMWELL and I grow together. In that process, my team and I aim to be at the top of the travel industry by offering a comprehensive solution through a hospitable, customer care, and cashless travel experience. We aspire to continue our journey by expanding our network with various partners in other regions across Indonesia. By digitalizing local businesses, we hope to bring more comfort to travellers, both domestic and international, as well as to bring light into Indonesia's tourism industry once again.

What would be your advice for budding leaders in this industry?

As proven by the research, travel behavior had changed since the pre-pandemic era. Travel planning has become shorter and the travel periods have shifted from long holidays to weekend getaways. The travel industry has to adapt to these changes in order to stay relevant to the shift in travellers’ behavior. A faster response rate, sharper destination recommendations, and a hassle-free experience have become a necessity to this industry.

Andres Soriano, Co-Founder & CEO, Dreamwell Indonesia

An alumnus of the University of Indonesia, Andres is an enthusiastic and extremely skilled business leader with rich expertise in hospitality, property development, agribusiness, manufacturing, automotive, healthcare, utilities, online marketing, trading & distribution, and aviation.

QUICK FACTS:

Hobbies: Golf

Favorite Cuisine: Indonesian

Favorite Book: The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu

Favorite Travel Destination: Bali