Govt announces new Pertamina boss

The government on Thursday morning announced Karen Agustiawan, former upstream director of state oil and gas company PT Pertamina, as the company's new president director. She becomes the first woman to take up the post.

State Minister for State Enterprises Sofyan Djalil made the announcement in Jakarta. Sofyan also announced Omar Anwar as the company's new vice president director. Omar was former president director of coal mining company Rio Tinto Indonesia.

"They make an ideal combination. [The pair] has a person who knows the technical side well and another who knows business," he said.

Karen will replace the current president director Ari Soemarno and Omar will replace vice president director Iin Arifin Takhiya.

Pertamina has come under fire in the past few months over fuel shortages in gas stations and the slow progress of the kerosene-to-liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) program. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has publicly criticized Pertamina's handling of fuel shortages. (dre)