How She Made It: A young tech professional navigating the corporate world

This podcast is part of “Women in Focus,” Tech in Asia’s campaign for International Women’s Day 2021. Through this initiative, we’re shining the spotlight on women making waves in Asia’s tech and startup ecosystem.

When Karinna Lai was studying at University of Indonesia, she had no idea what career path to take. But after undergoing internships at a couple of consulting companies, a venture capital firm, and Southeast Asian tech unicorn Grab, she eventually found her calling in the tech and startup industry.

Karinna Lai, senior product manager at Grab / Photo credit: Grab

Lai later got a full-time job as a product manager at Grab, developing features for the company’s GrabMerchant app. In that role, she found herself working with teams whose members were often more experienced than her.

On this episode of How She Made It, Lai talks about finding her way into her chosen field, the highs and lows of being a product manager, and how she navigated the corporate world as a young tech professional.

Timecodes:

00:00 – Remember being in your mid-20s?
00:18 – Meet Karinna Lai, senior product manager at Grab
01:17 – How she made it as a young professional navigating the corporate world
02:27 – Undertaking several internships
03:59 – Finding her calling in the tech and startup world
04:45 – Joining Grab as a product manager intern
08:11 – Going full time with Grab
10:26 – Learning from her more experienced colleagues
11:14 – Launching her first product
12:55 – Overcoming disappointment
16:56 – Becoming a senior product manager
18:44 – Advice for young people still figuring out what they want to do

Download the full transcript here.

Featured interviewee:

• Karinna Lai, an Indonesia-based product manager at Grab

More episodes:

• How She Made It: A non-techie entering the tech scene, featuring Minci Loh, the Singapore-based product lead for consumer experience at Grab
• How She Made It: A working mom in a high-growth startup, featuring Adelene Foo, the Malaysia-based regional head of merchant and GrabExpress at Grab

How She Made It is a podcast by Tech in Asia, produced in partnership with Grab. Visit Grab’s career page to learn how you can be a part of its mission to drive Southeast Asia forward together.