The Figure of Michael Bambang Hartono, Owner of the Djarum Group and Bridge Figure

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The national entrepreneur and owner of the Djarum Group, Michael Bambang Hartono, who passed away at the age of 86, was one of the key figures in the development of the tobacco and banking industries in Indonesia. The news of his death was confirmed by the Djarum Group management on Thursday (19/3) at 13:15 Singapore time, expressing condolences over the departure of the company’s leader. “The extended family of PT Djarum deeply mourns the passing of our leader, Mr Michael Bambang Hartono, on Thursday, 19 March 2026, at 13:15 Singapore time,” said Corporate Communication Senior Manager of the Djarum Group, Budi Darmawan, when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta on Thursday. Michael Bambang Hartono was born in Kudus, Central Java, on 2 October 1939. He was the son of Oei Wie Gwan, the founder of PT Djarum, which was later continued by him and his younger brother, Robert Budi Hartono, as leaders and owners of the cigarette company. After his father passed away in 1963, Michael and his brother continued the family business amid various challenges. The company once experienced a fire that impacted operations, but it subsequently recovered under the leadership of the Hartono brothers. Djarum developed into one of the largest cigarette producers in Indonesia with a market reach extending to overseas. Business expansion was then carried out by broadening into various sectors outside the tobacco industry. The Djarum Group subsequently developed businesses in the electronics sector through Polytron around 1970, as well as in property, plantations, and infrastructure.