Rosan Explains Why Luke Thomas Mahony Was Appointed Chief Executive of DSI, the State-Owned Enterprise Focused on Strategic Exports

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Rosan Roeslani, CEO of the Danantara Investment Management Agency (BPI), spoke about the reasons Luke Thomas Mahony was appointed as President Director of PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI). The agency is being prepared by the government to manage the export trade of Indonesia’s strategic commodities such as coal, palm oil and ferro alloys.

Rosan sees Thomas’s experience at PT Vale Indonesia Tbk and his long involvement in trading. Thus he is regarded as capable to lead PT DSI. He even notes that Thomas has lived in Indonesia for a long time.

“We look at many considerations, this is about track record, and he understands well, with previous experience at a multinational company at Vale, and he can also speak Indonesian, his wife is Indonesian too,” Rosan said at the Presidential Palace Complex, on Friday (22/5/2026).

“But the most important thing is that we see his trading experience, there is minerals, so he has led many mining companies, and his networking is good, and most importantly we see that in Danantara his work has been very, very good,” he added.

It is known that Luke is not a new figure in Indonesia’s mining environment and in Danantara. Previously he served as SEVP, Business Performance & Optimization at Danantara Indonesia since September 2025.

Luke Mahony is an Australian national who now resides in Jakarta. He also previously served as Director and Chief Strategy and Technical Officer of PT Vale Indonesia Tbk. (INCO) from July 2024 until his resignation in July 2025.

Luke has long experience in the global mining industry, including at BHP Billiton and Xstrata Coal.

In terms of education, Luke Mahony has a strong academic background in mining and finance. He is a graduate of the University of New South Wales, Australia, with a Bachelor of Mining Engineering in 2002.

Not stopping there, Luke also holds three master’s degrees, namely Master of Finance (2004), Master of Mining Engineering (2006), and Master of Geomechanics (2009).

Luke’s career has been forged in the global mining industry. Before joining Vale Indonesia, he held a number of senior positions at world-class mining companies.