With over 19 years of diverse industry experience, I am a pragmatic executive dedicated to driving business transformation and fostering growth. Having worked across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the UK, my global perspective enables me to adapt and excel in various business environments.

As a seasoned transformation leader, I utilize structured problem-solving, collaboration, and empathetic leadership to tackle complex challenges and unlock new opportunities. My versatile background in PEVC, consulting, tech, and field operations equips me with the ability to develop optimal solutions considering key aspects such as strategy, operations, and investment.

I hold an MBA from the University of Oxford with Distinction and as a Dean's List Prize recipient (top 3%). My lifelong learning and growth mindset is demonstrated by completion of project and product management professional certifications (PMP®, AH-MC, PSM I, PSPO I), Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, CFA Level I, and ongoing pursuit of PhD in Management.

I regularly share my insights, experiences, and strategies to empower others navigating the dynamic world of business and leadership.

My industry exposure includes:
- Digital: e-commerce, ride-hailing, fintech
- Consumer: automotive, healthcare, fresh produce, fashion & apparel retail
- Financial services: insurance, multifinance
- Energy & materials: fossil fuels, renewables, and metals

Feel free to reach out, and let's explore how we can drive positive change in the business landscape.

Norman Yanuar

I support organizations in achieving their strategic goals through digital and people led transformation. 

I partner with leaders and teams to foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

I lead the Service Operations practice for South East Asia, delivering impactful solutions for clients across various sectors and markets.

I also have a passion for sustainability and a vision for creating positive social and environmental impact. 


Surya Sharma

Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company | Top Voice 2024 2025 | Leadership | Sustainability | Transformation

This is Lake Matano, in South Sulawesi.

As per wikipedia, every year, sometime between December and January, there’s a strange phenomenon people talk about, a tornado-like column that appears to hover over the lake, clouds slowly forming, rotating, and then disappearing.

The first time I heard about it, I knew I wanted to see it for myself.

Because sometimes, just knowing that something like this exists changes you. It stretches your sense of what’s possible. And when you finally do get to witness it, you know it won’t just be impressive, it will be quietly transformative.

That thought often comes back to me when I think about leadership.

Most people don’t need to be told what to do. They need to be shown what’s possible. They need a reference point—someone who shows, through actions, what “great” really looks like.

Once you’ve seen it, your standards shift. Your definition of normal changes.

Leadership, in many ways, is about expanding that horizon, long before people experience it themselves.

And one day, I hope to stand by Lake Matano and observe this phenomenon for myself.

#Leadership #Mindset
-------------------
I write regularly on People | Leadership | Transformation | Sustainability. 
Follow Surya Sharma.

This was yesterday, on the way to the airport, 

I was still calm. Confident. Relaxed. I had buffer.
Then Jakarta did what Jakarta does.

Rain. Flooding. Traffic that politely decided not to move.
What usually takes 1x took 3x.

By the time I reached the airport, I had emotionally processed missing the flight.
“If I miss it,” I told myself, “it’s the rain. Act of nature. Case closed.”

And then… sometimes somethings can align perfectly, 

Taxi stopped right in front of Gate 5 (clearly my lucky number now). ✔️
 Travel light ✔️
 Priority lane ✔️
 Security decided to be kind ✔️
 Departure gate right next to the escalator ✔️
 One short, very undignified sprint ✔️

From taxi door → boarding → sitting in my seat: 3 minutes. Exactly.

I was the last person to board.
Moments later, the cabin crew announced:
“Sorry for the inconvenience, the flight is delayed due to the arrival of some passengers…”

I stared at the floor, hoping some passengers wasn’t a subtle reference to me, 

Three minutes is nothing. And yet, a lot had to go right for it to work.

Preparation met luck. Tiny decisions compounded.

And a system that I have built as a consultant, just this once, aligned perfectly.

New personal record: 3 minutes from taxi to plane.

What next?

Probably chasing some random metrics that don’t change anything meaningful, but hey, it’s fun nonetheless.

#Leadership #Rain #Jakarta #ConsultingLife

Respect the trust placed in you.

In consulting, we work in high-stakes environments, tight timelines, big expectations, constant pressure to perform. We’re taught to be composed, confident, and solutions-oriented at all times.

That’s why when someone chooses to share a personal struggle, it matters. A lot. 

It’s not oversharing, it’s courage. It’s someone letting their guard down in a profession that rarely encourages it.
So don’t take it lightly.

Listen without trying to “fix” them.
Respond with empathy, not judgment.
Protect the vulnerability you’ve been entrusted with.

The strongest teams I’ve seen aren’t built on flawless résumés or endless resilience. They’re built on trust, psychological safety, and the ability to be human, even in consulting.

#leadership #mindset

People are funny.

Actually, that’s not true.

Some people have the skill to find humor in almost everything.

I’ve seen meetings spiral into shouting matches.
And I’ve seen the very same kind of meetings dissolve into smiles and laughter riots.

The difference? 

Someone chose to intervene, with humor. Or simply by making the moment a little lighter.

↳ Feedback happens.
↳ Critique happens.
↳ Mistakes happen.
But more often than not, how heavy the moment becomes is a choice. A mindset.

You can.....
→ point out an error and still smile.
→ disagree without making it personal.
→ acknowledge seriousness without adding drama.

Life already has enough ways of turning itself upside down, unexpectedly, unfairly, and without warning.
We don’t need to contribute to it.

Sometimes, the most underrated leadership move is this:
↳ resist the heaviness.
↳ change the tone.
↳ make it lighter.

Don’t make life too serious. It’s hard enough as it is.

#Leadership #Mindset #Humor

One of the best investments I’ve made in my career didn’t cost a single dollar. 

It is giving someone the benefit of doubt. 

Early in a consulting engagement, a client missed a deadline. Then another. The easy conclusion was obvious, they’re not serious, they don’t get it, they’re slowing us down. 

I almost went there. 

Over time I have realized that negative assumptions are easy and maybe there’s more going on than I can see. 

So now instead of pushing. I am listening. 

What came out often surprised me, internal pressure, unclear ownership, and a lot of quiet anxiety about getting it wrong. Once that surfaced, things moved. Faster than before. 

It's simple and powerful. Giving the benefit of doubt creates space. And in that space, trust grows. 

Like any good investment, the returns compound: 
↳ People open up instead of shutting down 
↳ Conversations become honest, not defensive 
↳ Problems surface earlier 
↳ Decisions get better In consulting and leadership, 

Recently, while flying, I looked down and saw this. A tiny island, surrounded by a sandbank that almost looks like a heart. Or maybe it really is one, and I’m choosing to see it that way. Isn’t that amazing? 

From up there, you don’t see the rough edges. You see patterns. Meaning. Possibility. 

What we see often depends on the trust we bring to it. Sometimes, the highest-return investment isn’t capital, tools, or frameworks. 

It’s choosing to give someone the benefit of doubt, before they’ve earned it on paper.

#Leadership #Mindset
-------------------
I write regularly on People | Leadership | Transformation | Sustainability. 
Follow Surya Sharma.

I’m often told I’m overly positive. Sometimes even naïve.

Too optimistic. About everything.

And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As Maya Angelou said, “Hope and fear cannot occupy the same space at the same time.”

Research shows that across countries and cultures, people look to leaders for hope, trust, compassion, and stability. When those needs are met, wellbeing improves and stress goes down.

Of course, optimism needs guardrails:
↳ Optimistic about intent, not blind to facts
↳ Hopeful about outcomes, rigorous on execution
↳ Positive enough to open conversations, honest enough to face hard truths

Optimism isn’t pretending things are easy. It’s believing they’re worth working through.

In leadership and consulting, teams don’t need constant certainty. They need someone who believes progress is possible.

I’ll take optimism with discipline over cynicism with experience, any day.

#Leadership #Mindset
-------------------
I write regularly on People | Leadership | Transformation | Sustainability. 
Follow Surya Sharma.

I was on a mining site walkthrough, we came to a turn and one of the persons accompanying us paused and said,

“Wait, that’s a blind spot. Walk through here.”
A small moment, but a powerful one.

It’s always great to see strong safety culture in action, where safety isn’t just a procedure or a poster on the wall, but something everyone actively owns, speaks up about, and looks out for each other on.

That’s how real safety culture shows up: in everyday decisions, made without hesitation.


#SafetyCulture #LeadershipIn #Mining #mindset

Everyone talks about what makes transformations successful.

But what about the blind spots?

A recent McKinsey & Company article talks about “true transformations”. The authors looked at nearly 100 large transformations and found a familiar pattern: leaders spend a lot of time on the visible parts of change, and quietly avoid the harder ones.

Most transformations lean heavily into:
→ Collaboration
→ Engagement and commitment
→ Continuous improvement
→ Clear goals
→ Customer focus

All good things. All necessary. And also… fairly safe.

Where things often fall apart are the blind spots, the behaviors that actually drive performance, but create discomfort.

A few appear repeatedly during large transformations:

↳ Accountability
Still one of the most avoided topics. Without clear consequences (not just encouragement), change becomes optional. Energy stays high, results don’t.

↳ Performance edge
Continuous improvement without sharp targets and transparency turns into activity without impact. Ideas flow, execution doesn’t.

↳ Decision-making
Lots of collaboration, very little clarity on who decides. Slow, reversible decisions get debated endlessly, and momentum quietly dies.

↳ Capabilities (not just training)
Training programs roll out, decks look great, but day-to-day capability doesn’t change. Real enablement happens on the job, not in classrooms.

↳ Competitiveness
Many transformations become inward-looking. Culture, org design, ways of working. Fewer leaders force the uncomfortable question: are we actually winning in the market?

The transformations that truly stick balance engagement and performance discipline.

From experience, it’s usually the conversations we avoid that matter most:
→ Who owns this outcome?
→ What happens if we miss it?
→ Which decisions are we postponing?
→ Are we building capability or just activity?

Transformation isn’t about doing more. It’s about changing what people are accountable for, every single day.

Read this insightful article.

#Leadership #Mindset #transformation
-------------------
I write regularly on People | Leadership | Transformation | Sustainability. 
Follow Surya Sharma.

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