“With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of Kartini Muljadi (May 17, 1930 – Oct. 20, 2025). Our beloved great-grandmother and mother, a loving presence at the heart of our big family who departed peacefully in Jakarta,” Shalvynne Chang, wife of one of Kartini’s grandchildren, Richard Muljadi, posted to her Instagram account.

Born as Pauline Fanny Kho on May 17, 1930, in Karanganyar, Kebumen, Kartini came from a modest background. Her father Budi Tjahono was an accountant while her mother Marianne Han worked as a teacher.

Over the decades, Kartini Muljadi became a symbol of female leadership in Indonesia’s corporate and legal landscapes.

Forbes consistently listed her among the country’s wealthiest women, estimating her family’s net worth at US$695 million in 2021.

After studying law and social sciences at the University of Indonesia, she became a judge at the Jakarta Special Court in 1958. While serving on the bench, Kartini also pursued notarial studies, earning her notary degree in 1970, a year that would mark her transition from law to entrepreneurship.

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That same year, Kartini established PT Scanchemie, the company that would later evolve into the Tempo Scan Group.

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