Danone Indonesia's marketing chief Sri Widowati exits

Marketing veteran Sri Widowati, recognised as one of Asia Pacific's most influential marketers in Campaign Asia's CMO Powerlist, is stepping down from her role as vice president of marketing for Danone Indonesia. Widowati's departure follows a four-year tenure overseeing both the Infant Nutrition and Water divisions at Danone Indonesia. She announced the exit via a LinkedIn post. 

"This journey has been nothing short of incredible," Widowati writes talking about the importance of courage in steering growth, a philosophy she hopes to have instilled in her team.

Her success at Danone was particularly notable given the challenging economic climate in Indonesia. Widowati led a marketing team that focused on consumer education and local-market customisation, which proved instrumental to the success of Danone brands amid rising inflation in the market.

Key campaigns under her leadership included the 'Not All Water is Aqua' campaign for Aqua bottled water, designed to differentiate the brand and reinforce its natural origins. The integrated campaign, developed in collaboration with Brewer in Singapore and FleishmanHillard in Indonesia, won the PRCA APAC consumer award and helped Aqua recover market share. .

For the infant nutrition category, Widowati spearheaded a campaign about the importance of drinking the right milk, leveraging the voices of mothers who trusted SGM to convince others to incorporate the brand’s infant milk formula in their children’s diet. Her team used data to link consumer information across various touchpoints, providing mothers with personalized advice. 

Prior to Danone, Widowati held the position of chief growth and digital transformation at Unilever Indonesia, following a three-year stint as country director for Facebook Indonesia (2016-2019). Before Facebook, she held key leadership roles at L'Oréal and Unilever.

Widowati also serves as an Independent Board of Commissioner at CIMB Niaga, a position she has held since November 2019.

While her next professional move remains under wraps, Widowati hinted at a reinvention, stating she is "exploring movement and its transformative power" and training to become a Stott Pilates instructor. She is currently on garden leave, spending time in New Zealand and Australia.

Campaign understands that Widowati's departure from Danone is effective immediately. The company has yet to announce a replacement.