i3L University Library Receives Book Donation from Kalbe Nutritionals Director, Sparking Student Book Review Project
Jakarta, 10 August 2026 — The i3L University Library has received a book donation from Dr. Rudolf Tjandra, Director of Kalbe Nutritionals and Consumer Health, marking a new bridge between academic learning and industry practice at i3L University.
The donated title, Navigating ASEAN: Proven Strategies for Consumer Goods from Scholar-Practitioners, is published by Palgrave Macmillan, the international academic imprint also known for its ties to Springer, and written by Dr. Tjandra himself, drawing on his own experience leading consumer goods strategy across the region.
Though compact, the book is dense with insight. It blends academic theory with strategies Dr. Tjandra developed over his career in the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry, offering students a practical guide to launching products that succeed across Southeast Asia’s diverse markets.
The book argues that classic frameworks like Jobs-To-Be-Done, USP, and UVP aren’t enough on their own. Winning in ASEAN also takes agility, balancing hyper-local cultural nuance with universal strategic models, and treating strategy as an ongoing learning process rather than a fixed plan, as Dr. Tjandra has described in his own writing on the topic.
For i3L’s life science and business students, this perspective is especially relevant: understanding the market and cultural context behind a product is just as critical as the science behind it if that product is going to succeed commercially.
To make the most of this new resource, the i3L Library launched a book review project inviting a select group of students to critically engage with the book and connect its ideas to real-world industry practice. Submissions are due August 20.
One participating student, Jolanda Grace Kurniawan, who has a strong interest in the FMCG industry, shared her review on LinkedIn, where it drew a comment directly from Dr. Tjandra himself, underscoring the kind of direct industry engagement the project is designed to encourage.
Through initiatives like this, the i3L University Library continues its commitment to fostering a strong reading culture and giving students direct access to high-caliber, internationally published academic material, written not just about the industry, but by the people leading it.
Navigating ASEAN is now available for loan at the i3L Library. Students interested in borrowing the book can reach out to the library team to get started.
i3L University’s International Business Management study program gives you the essential skills for global, multicultural leadership, balanced with a human-centric social science focus. Our program is structured for experience: you do an internship 8 times in 8 semesters! All coursework is condensed into the first half of Semesters 1-5. The rest is dedicated to your mini-internships. Graduate with eight professional experiences ready for your career.