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What began as a teenage interest in psychology has grown into a career devoted to helping people and businesses thrive. The seasoned HR leader opens up about finding her place in HR, leading through uncertainty, and learning to speak up.
For Andyana Tobing (pictured above), HR has always been about people.
Long before she began her career in banking and financial services, she was drawn to psychology and the question of why people behave the way they do. That curiosity has stayed with her throughout her career — from her early days in recruitment, to navigating a major business transformation, to leading HR teams today.
Speaking with Sarah Gideon over video in July, she shares why integrity remains non-negotiable, what transparency looks like when answers are still unfolding, and why HR should never be seen as simply an “order taker”.
“Whatever you do, you are in the people business”
Andyana knew early on that psychology was the path she wanted to take.
“Since high school, I already knew that I wanted to study psychology,” she says. “I was interested in analysing people’s behaviour — what makes people act in a positive way or a negative way at a certain time.”
That interest naturally led to HR. Regardless of the industry or role, she believes work ultimately comes down to people: what motivates them, what concerns them, and how they respond to change.
“Whatever you do, you are always in the people business,” she reflects. “You need to know what makes people act that way.”
Her certainty was tested early in her career. After beginning in recruitment at an HR consulting firm, Andyana decided to try a role outside HR. She moved into public relations for a cosmetics company, where she worked with marketing teams and journalists and supported product launches.
It was a valuable experience — but it also gave her clarity.
“After around one year, I realised that I did not like it,” she says candidly. “I shifted back to HR. That confirmed for me that my blood is in HR.”
Raising her hand
In 2016, Andyana joined a global financial institution as a senior HR Generalist, supporting its wholesale banking business and several support functions, including operations, legal, compliance, and corporate affairs.
Her role as an HR business partner gave her the chance to get close to the business and build relationships with leaders and employees across different teams. Those relationships proved especially valuable several years later, when the organisation began preparing for the divestiture of its consumer banking business.
In 2021, she raised her hand to take on a leading HR role in the Citi Indonesia Consumer Bank project.
“At that time, we already knew there was an announcement to divest the bank’s consumer business but we did not know who the buyer would be,” she recalls. “I decided to step up.”
It was not an easy undertaking. The process came with uncertainty, close regulatory attention, and questions from employees about what the future would hold; all at the same time and she had to ‘hit the ground running’. Yet, Andyana saw it as an opportunity to stretch herself – and it proved to be one of the most rewarding chapters of her career journey.
There is almost no growth in business as usual,” she says. “To continue growing, I have to step up beyond my comfort zone.”
She adds: “I always believe there is an opportunity in a crisis.”
The project also reinforced what can happen when people work together. “The support I got from everyone was amazing. We created great teamwork.” Having already built rapport with many stakeholders earlier in her career, she believes, made a real difference.
Why this leader believes HR business partners matter
While Andyana now oversees the full HR agenda, HR business partnering remains particularly close to her heart.
“I came from [an] HR business partnering [background], where the role is basically the frontline of HR,” she says. “It is very important and very strategic.”
An effective HR business partner, in her view, must understand much more than HR processes. They need a practical grasp of the organisation’s priorities, the realities facing the business, and where leaders need support.
“They need to know the business goals and align them with people priorities, the current business challenges, and what support the business needs from HR,” she explains.
From there, the HR business partner can bring in specialist expertise — whether from compensation& benefits, people advisory, or other areas — when required. This creates a more joined-up approach, rather than leaving individual business leaders to navigate separate HR functions on their own.
Leading with integrity
When asked which HR principle has stayed with her throughout her career, Andyana answers without hesitation: integrity.
“HR professionals deal with a lot of confidential data, and we have to make difficult decisions.”
“We have to ensure fair treatment for people, while also providing data-driven insights to the business.”
For her, integrity is not something that can simply be stated in a team value statement. Instead, it must be visible in a leader’s actions.
“It has to start from me. I have to lead by example. Otherwise, I cannot demand the same from my team. I encourage my team to do what’s right, not what is easy, and make decisions that align with our organisation’s values.”
This belief also shapes how she thinks about transparency, particularly during periods of change. During the consumer banking divestiture, employees naturally wanted certainty and clear answers. But, at times, not every detail was available.
Instead of offering reassurance that could not be backed up, the team focused on regular communication and on active listening.
“We could be honest and say, ‘We do not have the answer at this point, because we are at this stage,’” Andyana recalls. “We shared what we knew and what we could share.”
Just as importantly, employees were given opportunities to raise their concerns. “Even if we could not make a promise, at least we knew what their concerns were. We were there for them and leading them with empathy, in the hope that in the next phase of communication, we could address some of them,” she says.
That, she affirms, is the heart of transparency: not having every answer immediately, but being open, clear, and willing to listen.
Creating “HR as One”
Within the teams she leads, Andyana is working towards a culture she calls “HR as One.”
“To deliver the organisation’s goals, HR needs to become one team, rather than functioning as separate HR functions or specialists."
The phrase reflects her belief that collaboration is not optional. HR teams may have different areas of expertise, but they need to be connected by a shared understanding of the business and its people priorities.
HR is not just there to deliver messages
One myth Andyana would like to challenge is the perception that HR professionals are simply messengers — or, as she puts it, “order takers”.
“An effective HR professional is a strategic partner to the business. We help to set up business strategy through people and making organisational decisions. We are the business thinker.”
That means helping leaders meet business priorities through the right people strategy, while also making fair decisions and understanding the commercial context behind them.
“HR needs to understand business goals, business priorities and the challenges the business is facing,” she says. “HR is not separate from the business.”
The advice she would give her younger self
As the conversation draws to a close, Andyana shares a piece of advice for women— and for anyone aspiring to take on a broader leadership role: step up, even when it feels uncomfortable.
“We never know our strengths until we go beyond our comfort zone,” she highlights.
Looking back at the beginning of her own career, there is one thing she would do differently: speak up more.
“I remember that, during my early career, I felt hesitant to share my ideas in front of senior leaders,” she reflects. “I was probably the youngest person in the room, so I felt inferior.”
Today, she sees that hesitation differently. Being early in one’s career does not mean having less to contribute.
“Young people can have great and creative ideas,” she affirms. “Thinking that we are inferior and hesitating to share them is not a good mindset.”
Her message is a fitting reflection of the approach that has guided her own journey: growth rarely happens by staying quiet — or by staying comfortable.
Photo / Provided
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