Co-founded by Rimi Masputeria Mohari and a partner in 2021, Nexgen Solutions Sdn Bhd (Nextgen Solutions) has experienced remarkable growth and notable success stories. With a blend of strategic business insight and technical expertise, Rimi has expertly navigated the company toward achieving ambitious goals. In this interview with Top 10 of Asia, she shares her personal aspirations, career journey, and vision for leaving a lasting legacy through Nexgen Solutions.
An electrical engineer by profession, Rimi Masputeria Mohari has taken a different route towards the achievement of her goals as compared to her peers in the industry. “I have been hugely inspired by my parents who were senior civil servants and they were adamant on the principles of self-independence and the need to build assets. In other words, you are solely responsible for your actions,” says Rimi.
“My career strategy has been to gain exposure within the technical and business side as both go hand-in-hand. I initially started on the technical side before moving into the business side, which is handling business development and working on contracts,” says Rimi.
“My first career role was as a sales engineer after graduation from Universiti Tenaga Nasional Malaysia (UNITEN) in 2002,” recollects Rimi. “I started at the bottom rung as I planned to climb the ladder by gaining knowledge, exposure and building collaborative networks,” explains Rimi.
“I started Nexgen Solutions in 2021 as I had learnt all I could from my exposure in the industry and knew the networks besides having gained sufficient hands-on experience,” says Rimi succinctly. “I was ready to start my own electrical engineering company to further develop myself and to leave a legacy after having been on my 20-year career path.”
The main motivation for co-founding Nexgen Solutions is to build a notable brand and to leave a legacy. “I have a passion for undertaking challenging ventures and I dream big. That is the reason I am in the engineering field as it challenges me,” says Rimi. “The keynote is to strike a balance between success and failure.”
The leadership style at Nexgen Solutions focuses on coaching and empowerment. “I encourage and coach my staff to learn and to build perseverance. There are no shortcuts to success in life and one will certainly need to have diligence and perseverance,” explains Rimi. “The opportunity to learn and possess in-depth knowledge of a particular issue will be lost through the taking of shortcuts which will lead to great setbacks.”
“The industry is competitive with so many established competitors to begin with. As such, in order to enter the market and build our track records, one of the hardest decisions that we took was to enter the market with lower margin without jeopardising our services,” explains Rimi.
“The hiring of suitable employees is another big challenge faced by us. Most of them are not keen to start from the ground and work their way up. Work attitude is another problem,” says Rimi.
“I envision Nexgen Solutions as a preferred service provider of the total engineering solutions specialising in electrical packages that emphasise on safety and reducing power consumption through effective engineering solutions. Although we are a relatively new player, our direction is towards innovation and sustainability practices.”
As for young people just starting in business, Rimi has this to say, “It is not an easy journey to enter into entrepreneurship. The correct mindset including determination and dedication are crucial factors but nonetheless, always dream big and make it happen.”