Indonesia has enjoyed strong economic growth, and is entering its second decades of stable democracy. A young population coupled with rising living standards suggests the country is poised to benefit from a ‘demographic dividend.’ But as recent jitters about the Indonesian economy suggest, these conditions cannot be taken for granted. Are these sources of growth sustainable going forward?
Meanwhile, Australia looks towards Asia for its future growth, but given the drop-off in demand from China and falling commodity prices, it cannot necessarily rely on its mining sector forever. How long does Australia have before it looses its name “the unlucky country” and what does it need to do to diversify its sources of revenue?
Speakers
Mr Fauzi Ichsan
Fauzi Ichsan is managing director, senior economist and head of government relations, at Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) in Jakarta, Indonesia. Before joining SCB in 2001, he had been senior economic adviser to the British ambassador Sir Robin Christopher in Jakarta, where he evaluated the effectiveness of the IMF program in Indonesia during 1998-2000, a period of economic crisis.
Fauzi entered the financial markets by joining Citibank Jakarta in 1995, as a treasury economist and later became head of the bank’s fixed income sales desk. He relocated to Citibank Singapore in 1997 to become a bond trader, before and during the Asian financial crisis, when he helped coordinate investor efforts to settle cases of Indonesian bond defaults. Fauzi started his career in 1991 at Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance, as an analyst at the Harvard Institute for International Development, an advisory team to the finance minister.
In addition to servicing SCB’s clients, Fauzi provides economic and market views to the Vice President of Indonesia, Minister of Finance, Bank Indonesia Governor and parliamentary commission XI on banking and finance.
Fauzi writes articles for Kompas and Bisnis Indonesia, while his comments are quoted by domestic and international media, including Reuters, Bloomberg, Jakarta Post, Asian Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Business Times, CNBC, CNN and BBC.
Fauzi received a master degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1995 and a bachelor degree from London School of Economics (LSE) in 1991.
Ms Sinthya Roesly
Sinthya Roesly is the Chief Executive Officer of the Indonesia Infrastructure Guarantee Fund (IIGF), an institution whose mission is to support acceleration of infrastructure development in Indonesia executed under PPP scheme,by providing guarantees against infrastructure project risks related to government actions or inactions.
Previously, Ms Roesly worked for PT PLN (Persero), a state-owned electricity company for 19 years, with responsibilities ranging from corporate finance and fund raising to corporate planning and strategy, power system operations and power project construction. Ms Roesly has an MBA from Monash University, Australia, an MEngSc in Power Systems from the University of New South Wales, Australia,and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Indonesia.
Mr Chris Barnes
Chris Barnes is Managing Director of ICON Indonesia. Chris is a highly experienced practitioner in strategy, government relations (especially emerging markets), business development (financial services), public policy (trade and investment), media relations and public affairs.
Chris previously held senior roles with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, including General Manager, Business Development, International Financial Services, where he developed offshore growth opportunities in the Asia Pacific Region, and General Manager, Government & Industry Affairs with responsibility for all global and domestic government relations. He was also Senior Adviser (Political & Media) to the Australian Finance Minister.
Chris is a member of the Indonesia Australia Leadership Dialogue, the NSW Government’s Export & Investment Advisory Panel, the Indonesia-Australia Partnership on Food Security in the Red Meat and Cattle Sector and a member of the Business Partnership Group (BPG) advising the Australian and Indonesian Governments on the Indonesia Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA). He is a former National President of the Australia Indonesia Business Council (AIBC) and a former Director of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Australia. He was recognised by the Indonesian Government as a Presidential Friend of Indonesia in 2009.
Moderator
Mr Tommy Tjokro
Tommy Tjokro is one of the two lead anchors at Bloomberg TV Indonesia. He hosts the channel’s flagship markets show Trading Floor ‘LANTAI BURSA’ and the talk show ‘At The Wheel’. Tommy came to Bloomberg TV Indonesia after ten years at Metro TV where he became one of Indonesia’s most well-known news presenters. In that time he covered the country’s biggest stories. He presented several weeks of live coverage from the disaster-struck Aceh province in the aftermath of the Asian tsunami. He also covered the earthquakes in Sumatra and Padang.
Tommy regularly interviews Indonesia’s top political figures. In the past he has spoken to former president Habibie and former vice president Jusuf Kalla. He has also interviewed a number of international celebrities, including Jackie Chan and John Legend. With Bloomberg TV Indonesia, Tommy has interviewed several CEOs such as Standard Chartered Group CEO Peter Sands, and Air Asia CEO Tony Fernandez.
