While it is important for a startup going global to have a replicable business model, it is just as critical to have leaders ensuring the execution is tailored to the needs and nuances of the market. These leaders are essentially building their own startup in these markets, with the overarching business as the framework in which to operate.

In many ways, scaling a startup geographically is an art of building a startup from the ground up in every market — this could mean quite literally starting from scratch, or even in the case of a joint venture or M&A market entry, integrating the local operations into the wider global operation, both from a process and people standpoint.

Regardless, the leaders in every market need to be able to balance alignment with management with the flexibility to meet the specific needs of their market.

Such was the challenge that Carro’s Chief Science Officer Bryan Tan took on, becoming CEO of Carro Indonesia more than a year ago.

From an outsider’s perspective, Bryan has already had quite the journey, going from the academe as a nuclear physicist to joining a fast growing tech company, which we’ve covered previously on our podcast.

But Bryan took this even a step further taking on an even larger executive role with growing the Carro business in one of its first markets and Southeast Asia’s largest market. He went from Singapore to Indonesia, even taking along some colleagues from his data team.

While coming from the unlikeliest of backgrounds for a tech company in the auto industry, he became the right person at the right place at the right time. His work developing Carro’s AI/ML capabilities especially around pricing has been essential to creating a more seamless tie in between Carro’s business work at the P&L level and the tech level.

Having a leader able to bridge this link between P&L and tech has been important for a market like Indonesia where more effort has been needed to drive process automation and market education.

It also helped that while he had an academic background he was also keen to take on a role that would require him to be a “people manager”, and be able to marry his existing “tech enabler” role with people management as well.

He and his team have grown Carro Indonesia 5x over the past year, creating momentum for the market and contributing to Carro’s positioning as a global company as the group has been eyeing a potential IPO.

Having Indonesian roots on his mother’s side has made this transition a full circle moment for him as well, in a way giving back to what has played a significant part of his own life as well.

Bryan’s story is one of finding and enabling the right people to take ownership of growth levers that actually suit their strengths, even if it may not be obvious at first.

Bryan Tan at Carro Studio in Carro Indonesia

And Bryan is not alone — Carro’s six other markets also have leaders with their own stories and strengths that align with the needs of the market — and a global company like Carro will continue to need more than one such leader — a global citizen, if you will.

If you’re interested in becoming such a leader, check out Carro’s Management Associate Program (in Singapore and Malaysia)