Profiles of Donny Ermawan and Yos Sunitoyoso, Leaders of the Republic of Indonesia University

President Prabowo Subianto has officially appointed Donny Ermawan Taufanto and Yos Sunitoyoso as Governor and Deputy Governor of the Republic of Indonesia University (URI). The inauguration took place at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (22/7), alongside the appointment of Gerindra Party politician Sudaryono as Head of the National Nutrition Agency, replacing Nanik Sudaryati Deyang. The appointments were made under Presidential Decree Number 80/P of 2026.

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi explained that URI is an institution designed to prepare future national leaders, adopting a model used by leadership academies in several other countries. ‘This has been in preparation for a long time. I will explain the details later,’ Prasetyo stated at the Presidential Palace complex.

Donny Ermawan previously served as Deputy Minister of Defence before his new appointment. A distinguished military figure from the Indonesian Air Force, he holds the honorary rank of Marshal. His career includes serving as Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defence under Prabowo Subianto. He holds a master’s degree in development studies from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where his thesis analysed the awareness of coastal communities in Natuna regarding national defence within the context of economic development.

Yos Sunitoyoso is a professor at the School of Business and Management, Bandung Institute of Technology (SBM ITB), an AACSB-accredited institution. He specialises in business decision modelling and earned his doctorate from the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol in 2007. He also holds a master’s degree in engineering from Nagaoka University of Technology in Japan and a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from ITB. He joined SBM ITB in 2010 and has received institutional awards for teaching, institutional development, and research innovation.