Asia-Pacific Power List 2021: Rachel Goh, Telkomsel

Rachel Goh

Chief marketing officer
Telkomsel
Indonesia
Member since 2020

In Southeast Asia’s most populous market, Rachel Goh leads the largest telco player, which has brought in over 170 million customers to date. Goh—who took over the reins from Alistair Johnston in July 2019—is an exceptionally seasoned marketer in the telco sector. Prior to this role, she clocked in time at Singtel, Singapore-based telco M1Limited, and major provider Ooredoo in Myanmar.

While she has been at the forefront of Telkomsel’s push toward personalisation and digital transformation, Goh is now aiming to set the provider apart by way of its 5G services and its foray into esports. Earlier this year, the brand announced a partnership with the national-level Dunia Games League, which routinely attracts millions of Indonesian gamers and streamers. 

And of course, like most brands that managed to stay relevant during the pandemic, Telkomsel amplified its purpose by rallying the country’s spirit of community and resilience. In the #DiRumahTerusMaju Ramadan campaign, Goh and her team used themes of empowerment, entrepreneurship and connection to convey the brand’s role as many Muslims observed the holy month away from their families. The campaign resulted in over 20% more app downloads and a 200% increase in active users. 

The brand is also keen to invest in homegrown startups including Gojek, which recently received a US$300 million bounty from the telco. Telkomsel regularly collaborates with Gojek to provide services such as affordable data packages for drivers, sharing of adtech resources, and the syncing of app processes. While this collaboration may be great for functionality, Goh also understands that a partnership such as this allows Telkomsel to fly the Indonesian flag as an aspirational local player.