Growing with Grab: From Business Operations to Strategy and Planning

After working as a Business Operations Manager at Grab for three years, Priya Sahu was pondering about the next step in her career. Having managed business operations, she counts the launch of GrabFood and Grab Kitchen in Indonesia and Vietnam, and subsequently managing demand for them, as well as optimising business processes across our various verticals, among her key work milestones.

Having played a pivotal role in our business operations, Priya was looking to make a career switch, where she could develop a more strategic and broad-based understanding of Grab. She managed to find the sweet spot within Grab – thanks to our Internal Mobility Programme. It enables Grabbers to expand their interests in various functions and take on new roles within the organisation that keeps them growing in the desired direction of their career. Today, Priya is a Strategy and Planning Manager with the regional operations team.

Making the job transfer more seamless internally, Grabbers do not need to obtain formal approvals from their current reporting manager before applying for the new role and the transfer process has shortened to just up to three months. In a bid to retain talent, Grabbers who have been in their current role for over 12 months will be prioritised over external candidates for roles in the company. 

We chat with Priya to find out more about her experience switching roles within Grab and her biggest takeaways from making the transition. 

Why did you decide to switch to a new role at Grab?

I wanted to gain a better understanding on the operations of our core businesses at Grab, learn on P&L decision making and at the same time continue to work on some of the strategic projects.

How did your previous manager react when you wanted to move to a different team internally?

My previous manager is an extremely great mentor. She helped me to shape my thoughts and provided an independent opinion on my career switch at Grab. She has always encouraged me to find new avenues to learn. As such, I think the job switch was well- accepted by her and the team when I informed them about it.

How was your experience transiting into a new team?

The process was very seamless as both teams had a clear understanding of my responsibilities and the transition timelines. This also helped me to smoothly hand over my past projects. Within the first three weeks, I’ve gotten to know a lot about how different countries function in business, what the strategies are for each country as well as the priorities and implementation for upcoming projects.

How was the learning curve for you when adjusting to your new role?

The learning curve was steep for me as my job scope switched from micro to macro, which involves understanding how businesses function differently in various countries on a broader level. However, my senior colleagues have given me immense opportunities to keep learning. 

What new learning opportunities have you received in your new role?

My new role involves supporting the group Managing Director of Grab’s regional operations, setting and executing a regional strategy to manage our core businesses as well as ensuring that operations run smoothly within the region. I have received a lot of opportunities to study, create and implement high strategic initiative projects for our consumers and partners.

What kind of support did you receive from your current team?

They trusted me right from day one, and my new team members helped me a lot so that I could work independently. As I ramp up my responsibilities in my new role, my manager has been addressing and answering questions that I have – down to the basic ones.

What are the benefits of participating in Grab’s Internal Mobility Programme?

In my opinion, if you believe in a company’s culture and you can relate to its mission, which I do, internal mobility is a great way to continue learning within an organisation. It provides a very safe environment to challenge yourself, come out of your comfort zone, make mistakes and continue learning. 

Also, the professional rapport that we’ve built with our colleagues in previous roles comes in handy when taking on new roles in the organisation. I am thankful to Grab’s leaders for keeping the company culture so open and increasing opportunities for internal mobility.

We encourage Grabbers to consider Internal Mobility when developing their careers. Interested in joining the Grab family? Check out our open roles here!