THE GLOBAL LEADERSHIP BOARD

Initiated in 2015 to boost US-Asia Institute’s outreach in the region and its ability to facilitate communication and understanding, the Global Leadership Board (GLB) is comprised of prominent Asian leaders who provide invaluable advice on USAI’s programs and diverse perspectives on the region. The GLB also provides insight into how the Institute can best work to fulfill its mission across the region.

Mr. Kenneth Walsh is Chairman of USAI’s Global Leadership Board and Managing Director of Southeast Asia at Fairfield Maxwell in Jakarta, Indonesia. Ken has over 42 years of management experience in the petrochemical and oil industry and had postings in various countries in South America, Europe, and Asia.

Two years after joining Fairfield Maxwell, Ken helped the firm set up its Southeast Asia office in 1988 and has managed the office since then. His works focuses on developing strategic alliances and business opportunities for the firm. Prior to his position with Fairfield Maxwell, Ken was Marketing Director at Belen Enterprises International in Ecuador from 1982 to 1985 and Vice President of Trading for all West Coast operations with Sentry Refining from 1979 to 1981. He has also worked for International Petchemco, Inc., and Commonwealth Oil & Refining Company.

Ken received his B.B.S. in Marketing from St. Peter’s University, New Jersey in 1973.

In March 1998 Tanri Abeng was appointed by President Soeharto as Indonesia's first Minister for State-Owned Enterprises and given the challenge not only of restructuring the State sector but also of creating, from scratch, the new ministry to undertake the task. He was re-appointed to the same portfolio when Dr. Habibie replaced President Soeharto. He launched a program to restructure the state-owned enterprises, to increase their productivity and unlock their value, which was completed before President Habibie's cabinet was resolved in 1999.

Tanri Abeng's experience in formulating a coherent plan for state-owned enterprise reform is part of his involvement, for more than three decades, with multinational, regional and national corporations. He has held top executive positions in Indonesia for Union Carbide (USA), Heineken (Netherlands), Bakrie & Brothers and has held non executive positions in other companies; including BAT (United Kingdom), BATA (Canada) and Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore). Tanri was also an Elected Member of People's Consultative Assembly from 1990- 1998. Since leaving government, Tanri has been active in the field of developing cross cultural leadership skills for the benefit of future private and public sector leaders in Indonesia and the Asia pacific region, through the Executive Center for Global Leadership, as its Chairman. After almost 7 years, Tanri stepped down as Chairman of PT Telkom Indonesia as of January 1, 2011. In may 2015, Tanri was appointed by President Joko Widodo to Chair Pertamina, the National Oil and Gas Company (Fortune 500) and the largest corporation in Indonesia. He is also the Chairman of Newcrest Mining Limited (Australia) for Indonesia since January 2015. Tanri is recognized as a management guru and a corporate leader who is also known for his critical views on government policies affecting business. Before the East Asia 1997 – 1998 crisis, Asiaweek magazine wrote “ Tanri Abeng, the most prominent and probably the most respected Indonesian executive, sums up challenge facing businessmen of his country today. Not to mention those of other nations long used the niceties of government protection, political connections and cozy family enterprises.”

Tanri’s involvement in leading public sector enterprises spanning over two decades under five presidents: Soeharto, Habibie, Megawati, S.B. Yudhoyono and Joko Widodo – is one of many considerations for him receiving the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Public Services” by the World Chinese Economic Summit in October 2016. A prestigious university, Universitas Indonesia, also presented Tanri “Lifetime Achievement Award” for leadership in Management in January 2017.

A graduate of State University of New York at Buffalo in Business Administration, Tanri also completed an Advanced Management Program at Claremont Graduate School, USA. He earned his doctorate degree from University of Gadjah Mada in Indonesia in 2010. His latest venture is establishing Tanri Abeng University, opened in 2011.

Ambassador Edward Lee spent 36 years in the Singapore Foreign Service, a total of 18 of which were in Indonesia from the 1970's. He was Singapore's Ambassador in Jakarta, 1994-2006. His previous appointments include being High Commissioner in Brunei Darussalam (1984-90), and Ambassador in the Philippines (1990-1993). For his services, he received the Meritorious Service Award from Singapore, the Order of Sikatuna, Rank of Datu (Grand Cross) from the Philippines and the Bintang Jasa Utama from Indonesia.

Since his retirement from the Foreign Service in 2006, Ambassador Lee sits on a number of boards in Singapore and Indonesia.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Singapore and a Masters of Arts from Cornell.

Mr. Andi W. Setianto is a Director of Bakrie Sumatera Plantations, a legacy of 1911 Dutch and American rubber plantations and now sustainable-renewable vegetable palm oil and rubber plantations. Indonesia is the world’s number one palm oil producer with growing smallholders’ ownership, and together with Malaysia supplies more than 80% of the world’s palm oil. Mr. Setianto is a Wall Street and Indonesian-licensed investment banker with a passion for the circular economy and sustainable productivity related to Indonesian palm oil and tropical rainforest conservation. With the US-Asia Institute, Mr. Setianto is working toward building an even closer US and Asia relationship through trade and climate change mitigation cooperation in tropical rainforest conservation and global natural carbon/CO2 capture and storage.

Mr. Setianto is a finance professional with 27 years’ experience including at Salomon Brothers and Mandiri Sekuritas investment banks, the latter being Indonesia’s largest and wholly-owned subsidiary of Bank Mandiri the largest Indonesian bank. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from The Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and an Electronics Engineering degree from the University of Indonesia.

After leaving the Secretariat, he joined the National Petroleum Oil Company, PETRONAS, where he worked as Director, International Business Ventures from August 1997 to October 1999. He left to help establish the Boao Forum for Asia in Hainan, China and was elected as its first Secretary-General in February 2001.

Upon his return, he became the Advisor for India Business for IJM Corporation Bhd. and is now a member of the Malaysia-India CEO Forum set up by the Prime Ministers of the two countries, the Advisor to the Malaysia-India Business Council, (MIBC), and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Mercy Malaysia, a well-known humanitarian organization providing aid and working in disaster and relief-stricken areas and countries.

In early 2009, he was appointed to the then Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of Overseas India. In Jan. 2011, he was awarded India’s highest award for an overseas Indian, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, by the Indian Government.

Dr. Sarasin Viraphol is the Executive Vice President of the Charon Pokphand Group (CP Group), a Thai transnational company. The CP Group core businesses consist of agro-industry and food, retail and merchandising, and the telecommunications.

Prior to joining the private sector, Dr. Sarasin served in Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for twenty years between having served in China and Japan, and the Philippines. Between 1968 and 1976, Dr. Sarasin lectured at Chulalongkorn University as an assistant professor.

Dr. Sarasin received his PhD from Harvard University in East Asian languages and history. His academic and professional interests include Asian studies, international development and trade.

You can download the one-pager detailing information on the Global Leadership Board and their work HERE.