Danielle Surkatty

The Yak in the team ...

From the town of Yakima, Washington to the big city of Chicago, Danielle graduated from George Williams College with an undergraduate degree in Applied Behavioral Sciences, a diploma in inter-cultural studies and a desire to travel.

Little did she know that accepting a contract with the YMCA's International Division in Yogyakarta, Central Java in the late 70s would lead to a life-long involvement with Indonesia! After two years reactivating the Y in Yogya, Danielle lived for 8 years in Houston and worked for the International Branch of the Houston YMCA, the public affairs division of the Saudi Arabian oil company (Aramco), and the Indonesian Consulate General.

A love of all things Indonesian brought Danielle and her family back to Jakarta in 1988. The first nine years of her second Indonesian stint were spent writing and editing books for expatriates and several UN agencies. Recent years have seen articles written by Danielle in Island Life, Wine & Dine Indonesia, Kem Chick's World and Jakarta Kini magazines. In 1997, an opportunity to extend Danielle's expert advice to expats to the Internet captured her interest and she developed the award-winning "Living in Indonesia, A Site for Expatriates" with colleagues. Thus began the roots of Yakindo Web Designs as developing websites for clients in Indonesia mushroomed from a second job to a full-time occupation.

The graduation of her eldest son from high school brought Danielle back to her hometown in the US - Yakima, Washington in 2002. Years of living overseas and working with people of many nationalities has taught Danielle to look beyond borders and explore opportunities to assist companies to grow on a regional and global scale through their presence on the Internet.

Building on writing and editing strengths, Danielle is responsible for site structure, content development and promotion in Yakindo Web Design projects.

Danielle can also assist in pre-departure training in the US for expatriates moving to Indonesia, with our own selected team of Indonesian country specialists.

Gene Sugandy

The Indo in the team ...

Creative genius is the key to any designer's success and Gene has gifted the world with her artistic talents on the internet, in print, photography and fashion. Gene's graphic talents enable Yakindo Web Designs' clients to present a polished and professional corporate image to the world through their website and printed promotional materials.

Born in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, Gene's artistic flare took her first to California where she was awarded a degree in fashion design. Her heart led her to Indonesia, where she joined forces with her husband to develop a garment business in Jakarta. Gene designed fabrics for the company, then moved on to product design for Disney licensees in Indonesia designing glasses, a range of stationery products, and backpacks.

Moving to printed media, Gene designed covers and graphic illustrations for books and magazines for a small publishing house in Jakarta which specialized in information for expatriates as well as community organizations.

In 1997, Gene's design work took a dramatic shift with her involvement as a founder of the award-winning Living in Indonesia website for expatriates. This initial foray into design for the internet led to the development of websites for companies and organizations. In addition, Gene's design skills have been lent to numerous graphic design projects creating business stationery, posters, stickers, newsletters, animated gifs, email newsletters and photography for websites.

Gene's diverse background, creative flare and business orientation ensures that a company or organization's image is further enhanced through the designs she creates for their website.

Networking

Yakindo Web Designs works closely with other internet professionals for the development of database and other technical applications.