Indonesia's economic profile and opportunity for cooperation
Channel: ANU TV
Date: 2012-10-22

Indonesian Trade Minister Mr Gita Wirjawan, delivering a public lecture at The Australian National University on Friday 12 October 2012.

Mr Gita Wirjawan was appointed as the Minister of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia in October 2011. Two years prior to this post, he was most recently the Chairman of Indonesia's Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). The Harvard-educated investment banker has held key appointments in Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, and was senior advisor to JPMorgan for Southeast Asia. Before he joined the government, he was Founder and Chairman of Ancora Capital, a Jakarta-based private equity fund, a Commissioner of state-owned oil giant, Pertamina, and an Independent Board Director of Axiata Group Berhad.

Mr Wirjawan has been involved in advising private sector in many Asian countries with respect to corporate restructuring, M&A and strategic sales. He has concluded several high profile transactions. Outside the world of business, his passion lies in philanthropy, education, golf and music.

As a philanthropist, he has endowed scholarships for Indonesians to attend the best universities in the world, including Harvard University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge,, Nanyang Technological University, Stanford University, and Science Po. He is also in the process of establishing 1,000 preschools throughout Indonesia. An avid golfer, he has set up prominent academies to groom future Indonesian golfers. And through Ancora Music, he has produced a range of albums that has been critically acclaimed.

Mr Wirjawan is a member of the dean's leadership council for both the Harvard Kennedy School and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at NTU.