Prajogo Pangestu
Founder
Prajogo Pangestu is an Indonesian businessman and philanthropist best known as the founder and President Commissioner of PT Barito Pacific Tbk, an industrial and energy group whose strategic expansion into renewable energy has helped move the country toward cleaner energy.
Throughout his career he has paired corporate growth with institutionalised giving. Together with his wife, Harlina Tjandinegara, he established the Bakti Barito Foundation in 2011 to support long-term programs to its four pillars: Education, Environment, Economy, and Social. The Foundation and related corporate philanthropy support disaster relief, community development and long-term partnerships with local organisations; between 2020 and 2024 the group’s giving totalled roughly Rp 270 billion.
The Indonesian government formally recognised his contributions in 2019, when President Joko Widodo bestowed on him the Bintang Jasa Utama, a state honour awarded for significant services to the nation.
Prajogo began in the timber trade in the 1970s and built that foothold into Barito Pacific Group, which includes Barito Pacific, Barito Renewables (including Star Energy Geothermals and Barito Wind Energy), Chandra Asri Group, Griya Idola, Petrindo Jaya Kreasi, and Petrosea. Under his stewardship the company has moved beyond timber into energy and petrochemicals, becoming one of Indonesia’s most prominent industrial groups.
Born in 1944 in Bengkayang, West Kalimantan, Pangestu moved to Jakarta as a young man and built his business over decades of hard work. He remains an active figure in both corporate governance and philanthropic leadership, balancing board responsibilities with the foundation’s programs.