Asia-Pacific Power List 2021: Kevin Mintaraga, Tokopedia

Kevin Mintaraga

SVP, ads solution and marketing
Tokopedia
Indonesia
Member since 2020

It’s quite something when a single company manages to book both BTS and Blackpink as brand ambassadors. Yet, that’s exactly what Kevin Mintaraga achieved in 2020 as part of his mission to channel global attention to Indonesia and champion Tokopedia as a local success story.

Of course, being an online retail brand, Tokopedia was also in that rare category of brands that thrived during the pandemic, as it now houses some 11 million merchants, a massive 42% increase since January 2020. It also topped the app download ranking leaderboard on both the App Store and the Google Play Store, while driving a spike in sessions, orders, new buyers and total payment volume. 

Despite Indonesia’s natural inclination towards ecommerce, Mintaraga’s efforts to nudge the brand in the right direction were still vital in Tokopedia’s 2020 success. He introduced new formats through omnichannel strategies such as fusing entertainment with shopping experiences, or integrating live TV shows with in-app promotions. The pandemic, if anything, accelerated innovation within his team.

Mintaraga also has a clear idea of how to tap the Gen Z attention span. Aside from the BTS and Blackpink deals, of course, he consistently engaged with rising stars on TikTok, creating Haul programmes as well as partnerships with prominent events that featured influencers. One example of this was a double chess match between Irene Sukandar and Dadang Subur, which reaped over 13 million viewers and became the most-watched chess stream in history while also tapping into other TikTok trends. 

All of his paid off handsomely as Tokopedia maintained its spot as the top marketplace in Indonesia, right through to the first quarter of 2021 and was the only Indonesian tech company that was listed among the eight fastest-growing firms (by revenue) in the 2020 APAC Technology Fast 500 index by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. No surprises considering its astronomical 608% growth over the last three years.