Jakarta, June 24, 2025 — PT XLSMART Telecom Sejahtera Tbk (XLSMART) through the Sisternet initiative successfully held the intensive Female Future Leader (FFL) batch 1 program, which was attended by more than 70,000 female students from all over Indonesia. From that number, 100 selected young women were declared graduated and ready to contribute to the development of the future digital ecosystem of the homeland. This program, which lasted for several months, is a tangible manifestation of XLSMART's commitment to shaping future female leaders in the fields of technology and digital leadership. The graduation moment was celebrated through a virtual ceremony on Friday, June 20, 2025, under the theme "Leading the Digital Frontier: Empowering Women to Shape Tomorrow’s Digital Ecosystem." This event also featured national figures and stakeholders from the education, technology, and women's empowerment sectors.
The Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection of the Republic of Indonesia, Arifah Fauzi, in her online speech emphasized the importance of active participation of young women in national development. According to her, initiatives like FFL are concrete steps in supporting the nation's mission to create gender equality, especially in strategic sectors such as promoting women's leadership, technology, and digitalization. He appreciates cross-sector collaboration in encouraging women to be active in education, training, and public decision-making.
The President Director & CEO of XLSMART, Rajeev Sethi, stated that FFL is not just a program, but part of a national movement towards an equitable digital ecosystem, and becoming agents of change among women to be able to become leaders.
"They not only learn, but also create real solutions for society." At this point, the role of XLSMART becomes crucial. FFL batch 1 has become an important milestone in our journey towards a more inclusive digital future. These 100 young women are not just future leaders, they are agents of change today, boldly shaping Indonesia's digital landscape with purpose, innovation, and heartfelt sincerity," Rajeev explained further.
The FFL batch 1 program has been running for five months, holding various outreach sessions such as Sisternet Goes to Campus and Instagram Live, in more than 20 universities and attended by participants totaling over 70,000 female students. Then, 100 beneficiaries from 40 universities across Indonesia were selected to participate in a series of intensive leadership bootcamps. This program not only hones leadership and communication skills but also emphasizes real action through community empowerment projects.
The beneficiaries participated in training through four online workshops, an in-depth leadership curriculum, and the opportunity to design and execute impactful social projects. As a result, more than 1,800 women from various regions have directly benefited from the social projects initiated by the participants. In addition, 100 eligible beneficiaries received e-certificates, varsity jackets, Huawei MatePad 11.5 as technological support, and medals.
At the graduation session, an inspirational session was delivered by the Director of Corporate Communication at Kompas Gramedia, Glory Rosary Oyong, who encouraged the graduates to become collaborative leaders across generations and sectors.
Selection Process to Impactful Projects
Strict selection and mentoring in the FFL program are designed to produce true agents of change, women who can identify social issues and execute innovative solutions. Their projects encompass issues such as the digitalization of MSMEs, technology education in rural areas, and the prevention of gender-based violence. On June 19, 2025, participants attended the final presentation virtually and presented their projects to a panel of judges consisting of the Director & Chief Regulatory Officer of XLSMART, Merza Fachys, the Director of Resources at the Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture, Sri Suning Kusumawardani, the Group Head of Mass Segment at XLSMART, Puput Hidayat, the Human Resource of XLSMART, Tjutju Sulistiawati, and the 2025 Putri Indonesia Riau as well as an alumna of XL Future Leaders 2016, Sarah Aurelia Saragih.
Along with the graduation ceremony, the winner of the Best Empowerment Project was also announced, which is the team that managed to create a significant impact on their community. Chosen as the best group was the SHEelevate Master Class, which promotes open access to digitalization for women through various webinar topics and Instagram social media education, including daily content, reels competitions, and Instagram live sessions.
The group initiated a literacy training program focused on careers, business, and technology. Opening the public's perspective, especially Indonesian women, to pursue their respective passions. "We did not expect that our simple project could have a wide impact. This proves that change can start from small steps," said Faira Nabila, a representative of the winning team. She hopes this program can continue and be replicated in other regions.
To maximize the benefits, this program is also supported by the Ministry of Women's Empowerment of the Republic of Indonesia, the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology, Nokia, ERHA, and GRAB. The success of FFL batch 1 serves as a foundation to expand the scope and impact of the program in the next batch. XLSMART is committed to collaborating with ministries, universities, the private sector, and grassroots communities to reach more young women across Indonesia. At the end of 2025, Sisternet plans to open registration for FFL batch 2 with the theme of AI. The next program will feature a series of more diverse and broader workshops.