Lighting Up Every Corner of Indonesia

At 43 years old, Arsyadany Ghana Akmalaputri never imagined that her decision to study electrical engineering would open the door to such a remarkable career. Unlike her older siblings who pursued their studies at universities in Semarang, she chose a university in the City of Bengawan.

“My siblings all studied at public universities in Semarang, while I went to Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS),” said the woman, fondly known as Arsya, when met in late October.

The youngest of three siblings, Arsya, once received a suggestion from her father to pursue a degree in medicine. She realized that, in her father’s view, an ideal woman is someone who can manage a household, educate her children, and maintain a career at the same time. “Medicine just isn’t my passion,” she admitted.

Seeing her reluctance, her parents eventually recommended that she enrolled in the Electrical Engineering program at UMS instead. “If you want to study engineering, then go for electrical engineering,” her father had said, a sentence that, unbeknownst to her, would become a magical turning point in her career path.

In the early 2000, Arsya started her studies at UMS. She developed a deep interest in the power systems branch of electrical engineering, a field focused on high-voltage systems and installations used in large-scale applications such as power generation, transmission, distribution, and energy management systems.

Arsyadany Ghana Akmalaputri during her visit to the KH Ahmad Dahlan Edutorium UMS as part of the 67th UMS Anniversary, 24 Oktober 2025. Humas UMS/Imam Safii

After graduating in 2004, Arsya decided to apply for a position at State Electricity Company (PLN). The selection process was far from easy, it involved eight stages of tests and required her to travel repeatedly between Solo and Surabaya.

“I took the test along with my friends back then. At first, there were a lot of us. With every stage, the number kept shrinking. By the final interview, only two of us remained, me and my friend, Nur Seto,” she recalled. Fortunately, Arsya passed the final stage and was officially appointed as a PLN staff member in 2005.

For 20 years, Arsya has built an extensive career at PLN. She has held various positions, ranging from Information technology supervisor, assistant manager of SCADA, assistant manager of planning, manager of distribution control area (APD) for central and east Java, to senior manager of planning.

Her career soared in 2020 when she was appointed Vice President of Communications at PLN “the company’s spokesperson,” she said. In this role, Arsya was responsible for maintaining the company’s public image and serving as a bridge between PLN and the public.

A year later, she was promoted to Executive Vice President (EVP) of General Affairs and Property Assets, while also holding concurrent positions as EVP of Stakeholder Management and Board of Director Support one level below the Director rank at PLN. This appointment made her the first and youngest female EVP in the company’s history.

During her tenure, Arsya introduced New E-Arsip, an innovative document management system powered by artificial intelligence and optical character recognition (OCR). The system revolutionized PLN’s document management process, making it faster, more accurate, and fully digital.

Outside of the office, the painting enthusiast is actively involved in various organizations and holds several strategic positions, including Executive Secretary of Prakarsa Jaringan Cerdas Indonesia, Head of Public relations at the Indonesian Renewable Energy Society, and Secretary General of the Indonesian Electricity Society.

The woman responsible for Indonesia’s electricity distribution is also active in several community groups. She currently serves as Chairperson of the PLN Jakarta Electric volleyball team and Head of Strategic Partnership & Community Development at Srikandi BUMN.

Her extensive experience across communication, technology, and community engagement has made Arsya a strong contender for a top leadership position at PLN. Indeed, during PLN’s extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held in June, she was appointed as Director of Distribution, making her the youngest female director in the company’s 78-year history.

With an impressive career portfolio, the Master of Management graduate from Universitas Diponegoro never forgets her essence as a social being. The hope to become someone who brings value to others is a prayer she repeats often. “I always pray to be someone who is beneficial to others,” she affirmed with conviction.

As a director of distribution, Arsya’s duties now go far beyond managing documents or crafting corporate communication strategies. She bears a great responsibility, contributing to the mission of lighting up Indonesia. Her current role leads the Directorate of Distribution, the very heart of service for more than 90 million PLN customers.

With an enduring spirit of learning and dedication, the Doctoral candidate in Law at Universitas Sebelas Maret oversees the distribution of electricity across the archipelago. Illuminating millions of lives and nurturing hope throughout Indonesia.

The magnitude of her task is immense. Arsya admits that as of today, 10,068 regions in Indonesia still have no access to electricity. Most of which are located outside Java Island.

Indonesia’s vast and fragmented geography poses its own set of challenges in ensuring equitable electricity distribution. “Between islands, we sometimes have to cross rivers, forests, and even great distances separating the islands. Especially in the Papuan Highlands the effort there is truly extraordinary,” she explained.

Although Java Island has an energy surplus, Arsya notes that several areas within the island still remain without access to electricity. She affirmed that PLN is fully committed to achieving nationwide electrification within the next 4 years.

“Insya Allah, within the next four years, in accordance with President Prabowo’s mandate, Indonesia will achieve 100 percent electrification,” she said, her optimism sparked.

Arsyadany Ghana Akmalaputri handed over a public electric vehicle charging station (SPKLU) at the KH Ahmad Dahlan Edutorium to the Rector of UMS, Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum., 24 Oktober 2025. Humas UMS/Imam Safii

Alumni of UMS have spread across various sectors, climbing their respective career ladders while making meaningful contributions to both society and the nation. For 67 years, UMS has nurtured hundreds of thousands of graduates who continue to shape Indonesia’s progress, including those from the UMS Electrical Engineering Program.

Arsya shared that many alumni currently work at PT PLN Persero. In fact, there’s even a special community called UMS PLN, which brings together these graduates under one professional network. “UMS alumni are typically the quiet achievers. They may not be great speakers, but when it comes to the job, they’re the happiest people in the room,” she joked.

Holding a seat in PLN’s board of directors hasn’t distanced Arsya from her roots as a UMS alumna and a Muhammadiyah woman. She maintains active communication with Prof. Dr. Haedar Nashir, M.Si., Chairman of Muhammadiyah Central Board. She also continues to advocate for enhancing laboratory and educational facilities across Muhammadiyah universities.

Arsya emphasized that laboratories are vital for the empowerment of capacity and quality of research among Muhammadiyah students. Through well-equipped facilities, she believes that Muhammadiyah universities can actively contribute to supporting Indonesia’s national energy transformation. “We’re living in a digital era now. Innovation moves incredibly fast,” she remarked.

This commitment was demonstrated on October 24, 2025, coinciding with the 67th anniversary of UMS. In front of the university’s academic community, Arsyadany Ghana Akmalaputri officially handed over a public electric vehicle charging station and a mini remote terminal unit (RTU) of the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.

The RTU-SCADA equipment is expected to enhance practical learning for students of Electrical Engineering UMS, particularly in mastering industrial control systems used to monitor, manage, and collect real-time data from machinery and processes spread across vast areas.

“Universities must serve as the laboratories of national energy innovation, places where students can directly engage with cutting-edge industry technologies like smart grids, advanced metering infrastructure, and virtual power plants,” Arsya asserted.

Writer: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva

Designer: Salsabila Kamila Wardah