JP/Ricky Yudhistira

Experience is still by far the best teacher.

Forty years of experience in the business world has given the newly elected chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Suryo Bambang Sulisto, the confidence to promote the role of the chamber in the country’s economic development.

Immediately after being named new chairman at the chamber’s national meeting held last weekend in Jakarta, Suryo vowed Kadin would actively take part in developing regional economies. The 63 years old believes strong regional economies are the main pillars to build a steady national economy.

“My 40-year experience in managing businesses across the country has given me a chance to understand the constraints and opportunities in developing the national economy,” he said.

Equipped with such experience, Suryo hopes Kadin, under his leadership, will establish   stronger relations with government officials, academics, businesspeo-ple and all communities in the society.

Suryo, who was born in Surakarta, Central Java, was the third child of seven. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin in the US, majoring in economics and business. He then obtained his masters’ degree at the Washington International University.

His first business endeavor was to establish a construction and oil mining company, PT Satmarindo Group, in 1975. The company — which now operates in many business sectors like steel, coal mining, tourism and retail as well as sea and air transportation — plans to invest in a palm oil plantation in Central Sulawesi and a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal in Banten, a total investment of US$530 million.

Besides leading Satmarindo Group, Suryo is also president commissioner at coal mining company PT Bumi Resources — controlled  by the Bakrie family — and at PT Giordano Indonesia.

 He used to be a chairman at PT Jamsostek and a presidential envoy for the North, Central and South American regions tasked with improving economic cooperation with, and increasing investments from, countries in those regions.

Not only has Suryo built a solid name for himself in the business community, he is also well-recognized for his involvement in many organizations.

In the 1980s, he established and became the first chairman of the Indonesian chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a reputable organization for young business leaders around the globe.

In the early 1980s, he joined the Indonesian Indigenous Business Association (Hippi) to help improve local enterprises.

His involvement in Kadin dates back to 1980s where he was head of the foreign affairs and investments department.

He also used to be the chairman of Kadin’s England and Brazil committees.

The father of three is well known for his roles in several international organizations. He was the president of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Travel Association (ASEANTA) and the head of the organizing committee for the ASEAN business summit in 1997.

In 1998, the government appointed him as the country’s representative at the business council of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Relying on his business and organizational experience, Suryo has called on all Kadin members across the country to assist him in revitalizing the chamber by strengthening its five pillars: leadership, a legal base, the role of members, regional economic development and national competitiveness.

He hopes that by strengthening these five main pillars, he can bring Indonesian products to outperform other countries’ products in international markets, particularly when exporting to European Union countries and the US.

“As a big nation, we have to be optimistic. The revitalization of Kadin is the victory for the whole nation,” he said firmly. (rdf)

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