Plastics-man Tony named as business leader of the year
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The chief executive of the country's largest plastic packaging firm, Tony Tirtadjaja Hambali, has been named "Indonesia Business Leader of the Year" and will represent Indonesia in CNBC Asia Pacific's inaugural awards for the region.
The president director of PT Dynaplast, Tony received the top honors from CNBC Asia Pacific late on Friday in recognition of his ability to retain loyal customers, inspire and motivate staff, grow profitability and turn corporate visions into reality.
Meanwhile, Johannes Setijono, the president director of pharmaceutical company PT Kalbe Farma, was named the "Indonesia Innovator of the Year", for his achievements in new product development and groundbreaking business processes, business models and strategies.
Other winners of the Indonesia Business Leaders Award (IBLA) were Maruli Gultom, the president director of plantation firm PT Astra Agro Lestari, and Setyono Djuani Darmono, the chief executive officer of industrial area management firm PT Kawasan Industri Jababeka.
Maruli received the "Indonesia Corporate Citizen of the Year" award for his outstanding contribution to the arts, education, the environment and community development, while Setyono Djuandi Darmono was "Indonesia CEO's Choice of the Year", based on a poll conducted among top executives throughout Asia and the Pacific.
CNBC Asia Pacific presented the IBLA 2005 -- the fourth since 2001 -- with Bank Mandiri, in association with PT Astra International business group, the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (GSB), and human resources consulting firm Development Dimensions International.
The IBLA judging panel was headed by GSB's dean of executive MBA programs, Professor Mark E. Zmijewski. Its members included former minister of cooperatives and small- and medium-sized enterprises, Subiakto Tjakrawerdaja, among others.
The panel chose the recipients based on an assessment of the sales growth, operating margin, earnings-before-interest and return on capital employed of the candidates' companies, and on a face-to-face interview to understand their management style and business visions.
Dynaplast currently controls 40 percent of Indonesia's plastic packaging market share, with revenues totaling Rp 420 billion (some US$42 million) until the period ended June 30 -- up 18 percent from Rp 356.14 billion during the same period last year.
Kalbe Farma, which controls 19 percent of the local pharmaceutical market share, meanwhile, booked Rp 2.18 trillion in sales and Rp 311 billion in net profit during the year's first half, both up 33 percent and 40 percent, respectively, from the previous year.
Speaking at the IBLA ceremony, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie hoped the awards would encourage local businesses to become the main agents of development in the country and lead the way in competing at the regional and international levels
"The business sector should lead the way, with the government playing the role of a good partner, supporting and creating the possibilities for the business sector to flourish," he said.
The 2005 IBLA recipients will compete with other selected business leaders from China, India, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, at CNBC Asia Pacific's Asia Business Leader Award on Nov. 9 in Kuala Lumpur.