M

artiono Hadianto, the president director of PT Newmont Pacific Nusantara (PTNPN) is no new face in the domestic mining sector. The former president director of Pertamina joined PTNPN after retiring.

PTNPN is a mining service company that takes care of the requirements of Newmont Mining Corporation (NMC) in Indonesia. PTNPN, located in the Eastern part of Indonesia, is fully owned by Newmont and is active in exploration, government relations, taxation and other services.

PTNPN has an office in Jakarta with 70 employees.

For Martiono heading PTNPN is a whole new experience after leading a number of state-owned companies and governmental institutions. In his long career some of his previous positions were: finance director of Garuda, deputy for economic and financial affairs of the Strategic Industries Supervisory Agency (BPIS), director general of Customs and Excise and commissioner of several state-owned companies.

Throughout his career Martiono has been known as a trouble shooter. When The Jakarta Post met him at his office in the Mega Kuningan area, Jakarta, he spoke at length about himself and the reasons why he joined PTNPN.

”I was already 61 then. After retiring I was enjoying a relaxing time with my family and had no plans to work again, what more working for a private foreign company. At the end of January 2007 a friend called and requested me to head the company,” recalled Martiono.

He did not respond immediately, but asked for a meeting first. He wanted to find out more about PTNPN. He met his friend a few days later. “He spoke a lot about PTNPN, but I did not make a decision to join the company immediately. I said I would think about the offer. It took me five months before I made a decision. I was thinking what kind of bureaucrat would be useful in this multinational company,” he said.

When browsing the Internet he came across an interesting line from Newmont: beyond mining. In simple language, besides being concerned about mining, the company has four other major concerns: health and work safety, human rights, the environment and community development, otherwise known as corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The vision of Newmont Mining Corporation (NMC) is to become the most respected mining company in the country through its leading performance in mining. And, to achieve that vision one of NMC’s goals is to become a leader in work safety, environmental management and social responsibility.

This regional policy is in conformity with the NMC’s Social Responsibility policy. Newmont believes that conducting social responsibility activities is important for its business and its relationships built on mutual trust while providing added value to the communities in its area of operation. This is achieved through skillful formal management for effective decision making, risk management and boosting sustainable development.

After he joined PTNPN he found that the information given to him was correct and that Newmont was, in fact, deeply concerned about CSR. “We are fully concerned and also implement it fully. The corporation’s vision and mission are also interesting. What is more interesting is that the company’s values are translated into taking action based on integrity, trust and respect,” said Martiono with pride.

He added that what made him admire the company even more was that it considers its human resources as its most vital element. Although PTNPN is a foreign company it is deeply concerned about CSR and its employees. The employees are regarded as a company asset, whose presence is essential to the progress of the company. Martiono added that PTNPN is also deeply concerned about the environment.

“During my entire career I have always believed that a company is a living organization. While
some companies treat their employees like laborers and machines, Newmont gives them the most humane treatment and respect them highly,” he said.

PTNPN implements it from the heart rather than doing it as a mere prerequisite, said Martiono. And, it often garners awards, including those that highlight employee rights. “We have an antidiscrimination policy and treat Muslims, Christians, Javanese and non-Javanese equally and give them the same opportunities. We also have an anticorruption policy in the company,” he emphasized.

Some companies, like food producing companies, have a fast return on investment but it takes
more than a decade for mining companies. Martiono cited an example: the investment of Batu Hijau. “We are building Batu Hijau which takes 15 years, so from the very start we are tied to a long term contract,” he explained.

Another aspect to observe is competition. In the mining industry there is almost no competition, what is important is the company’s reputation. Martiono, who studied chemistry at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), said that PTNPN did not compete with other companies, including those in the same mining sector. What is clear is that the copper produced by Newmont is no different from the copper produced by other mining companies.

Another interesting aspect about the leadership style of this father of three, is that he never thinks about hurdles. For him everything is a challenge. “I view everything as a challenge rather than a hurdle. We must avoid hindrances, but we must respond to challenges. That’s the way I view problems,” said Martiono.

Martiono, who holds a master’s degree from Oregon University, United States, loves singing and has an interesting story to relate about this hobby of his. After his appointment as finance director of Garuda he found out that there was a kind of “test” when there is a change of directors at the company, which was a tradition at the company. “As a new director I was asked to sing. I had no choice. The audience was surprised to find that I can sing well. Well, after that I became famous in the company and most women employees as well as the wives of employees knew of my singing ability,” he recalled.

He also loves sport, in fact almost any kind of sport. He used to play soccer and basketball, but after he resumed work he was only able to concentrate on playing tennis. “But now I don’t even play tennis, I don’t feel up to it. So to keep fit I just walk,” he concluded.