One by one, Dr. Jikyeong Kang, President and Dean of AIM, Prof. Alberto Mateo, Head of the School of Education and Lifelong Learning (SEELL), and Bernardino Jiao, Executive Managing Director of the Alumni Relations Office (ARO), descended upon Jakarta for a 2-day whirlwind visit to engage alumni and reintroduce AIM to the Indonesian business community. The mission was to bring AIM back on the radar of Indonesia’s biggest corporations for their executive education and lifelong learning needs.
The series of events began with a luncheon co-organized by the Ikatan AIM Alumni Indonesia, led by its Chairman, Inyas Udaya, MBA 2005, and the Philippine Business Club Indonesia’s Vice Chairman and AIM alumnus, Rudy Balmater, MM 1978, with the support of the Rotary Club Jakarta Gambir. As part of the program, Bernie Jiao delivered a talk on the Role of AIM Alumni Associations, followed by a presentation by Prof. Albert Mateo on Leadership Development in the Era of AI.
An alumni dinner with guests from the business community followed afterward. With the theme “An Evening Forum with AIM Leaders, Alumni, and the Business Community,” the event attracted strong support from a large delegation of AIM alumni and featured industry captains and prominent business leaders. Bernie Jiao hosted the evening’s proceedings, while President and Dean Jikyeong Kang warmly welcomed everyone and shared an update on the latest developments at AIM, including new programs and plans, which truly impressed the audience. Ikatan Alumni Chairman Inyas Udaya welcomed the AIM delegation and guests on behalf of the chapter. Prof. Albert delivered another presentation, leading to a lively Q&A session with the audience. The evening concluded with a raffle led by Archipelago’s Chief Commercial Officer, Chris Legaspi, EMBA 2025, and current DBA candidate. Chris generously raffled off vouchers for free stays at Archipelago’s Grand Aston properties across Indonesia.
The following day, the AIM delegation held a series of meetings with the top executives of Indonesian conglomerates. Bani M. Mulia, Group CEO of PT Samudera Indonesia, a shipping, ports, and logistics corporation, cordially welcomed the AIM team, which included Rudy Balmater, to their corporate headquarters. He had with him his top directors and led a lively discussion about the company’s operations and strategic plans and how AIM could help train their executives and staff to achieve the company’s goals.
This was followed by a lunch meeting with Amb. John Prasetio, who, together with Leonard Tanubrata, MBM 78, treated the AIM delegation to a wonderful lunch at the Langham Hotel. Among his many titles, Amb. Prasetio was the former country head of SGV Indonesia, President Commissioner of the Indonesia Stock Exchange, and currently an Independent Commissioner of PT Sarana Menara Nusantara and PT Goto GoJek Tokopedia.
Next on the schedule was a meeting with Anthony Putihrai, Founder and President Director of Tamara Corporation, the holding company of Alpha Putihrai Capital and Tamara Group. Anthony oversees the corporation’s investments in mining, real estate and property development, food and beverage (F&B), manufacturing, agritech, and many other sectors. Once again, a lively discussion ensued on the current state of the business environment, AI, and the need to upskill staff and management.
The day concluded with a dinner meeting hosted by Arief Sidarto. Accompanying him was Kenny Wirya, founder of Joint Cares for Bali Foundation. Arief is the President Director of PT Amman Mineral International, the largest publicly traded copper and gold mining company in Indonesia. He is a visionary leader, constantly upgrading the skills of Amman’s 30,000-strong workforce through advanced training to improve operational efficiency and communication. He hopes to utilize AIM’s executive programs to support his management’s leadership development in the age of AI.
It was indeed a successful trip that highlighted AIM, its programs, and its alumni. As Jikyeong mentioned, doing this every six months would be ideal if we could match the quality of the meetings and the caliber of the people involved. Indonesia has historically been a key market for AIM, with over 4,000 alumni across the country. Reconnecting the Institute with the business community is a victory for both AIM and its alumni. We are especially grateful to Rudy Balmater, MM 78, Ikatan alumni chairman Inyas Udaya, MBA 2005, and all the alumni who attended the events, sharing valuable insights on how to restore AIM’s former reputation and win back the Indonesian market. Rudy organized the company visits and received the highest accolades from AIM’s President and Dean. Special thanks to Chris Legaspi, EMBA 2025 and DBA 2028 candidate, and Chief Commercial Officer of Archipelago, for his generous hosting of the alumni dinner as well as accommodations for the AIM team. We couldn’t have done it without your support.
Terima kasih banyak! Mission accomplished!
