Sukanto
Tanoto Tanoto was born on December 25, 1949 in the city of Medan in Sumatra. He is the eldest of seven sons of a migrant couple who hailed from Putien in Fujian Province, China. When he was 17, he left school to join his father who was running a business supplying spare parts to oil and gas companies. The family business gradually moved from trading to building gas pipelines for multinationals. It was during the oil crisis in 1972, when oil prices surged that Tanoto first became a millionaire. In 1973, Tanoto set up RGM as a plywood company. This was the time when Indonesia was exporting logs to be converted to plywood in Japan and Taiwan then imported back, naturally, at higher costs. When his new found business had stabilized, Tanoto left Jakarta in the mid-70s and pursued several business and management courses in prestigious universities such as Harvard, Wharton, and Carnegie Mellon. The RGM International is composed of the following companies: Asia Pacific Resources Holdings International Ltd. (http://www.aprilasia.com/), one of the world’s largest fiber, pulp, and paper producers. Sateri International Group (http://www.sateri.com) a specialty cellulose and cellulosic fibre milling company Asian Agri (http://www.asianagri.com/) which produces palm oil Pacific Oil & Gas http://www.po-and-g.com/ Pec-Tech (http://www.pec-tech.com/) which provides Engineering, Procurement, and Project Management services to the group of companies of RGM International. In 1984, as a way of giving back, Tanoto and family formed the Tanoto Foundation that aims to reduce poverty and advance human achievement. The Foundation has programs on education, poverty alleviation, healthcare and disaster-relief. Moreover, each of the companies under RGM International seriously practices corporate social responsibility. For example is the pulp and paper company, Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (APRIL) which operates based on a simple motto – people, planet, and profits. APRIL is a member of the United Nations Global Compact, a partner of the United Nations Environment Program Champions of the Earth Awards and is the only Indonesian company that is a member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Sources: http://www.sukantotanoto.net/  |
Sukanto Tanoto became one of Indonesia’s richest men because
of the plywood business he founded 36 years ago. Today, RGM International
(http://www.rgmi.com/) is an Indonesian conglomerate with global
operations located in Brazil, China, Malaysia and the Philippines.