Scholars

Astari Raihanah currently lives in Sarmi Regency, Papua Province, Indonesia. She earned her Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Economics of Statistics from the Institute of Statistics (Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Statistik Jakarta). Since then, she works as a Statistician for the Indonesian Government in the Statistics of Sarmi Regency Office, where she is actively involved in the economics and trade-related surveys and censuses conducted by the Indonesian Government. She also has experience in statistics-related conferences in Malaysia and Thailand. During her experiences in these conferences, she learned Bayesian Data Analysis and R programming as a new tool for data analysis in official statistics. In her meantime, she also volunteered for local communities by teaching basic skills such as reading, writing, and basic math for underprivileged young children from remote areas in Papua.

Ayunda is a communication professional with years of experience working for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Currently, she is focusing on the communication for development (C4D) field where she is interested in any work related to behavioral and social change. She believes that communication plays a crucial role in helping social change in the community. She is currently working for the International Labour Organization and involved in several projects related to labor issues. Prior to joining the United Nations, she worked as a Public Relations and Communications Manager at SOS Children Villages, an INGO that provides care for children who lost or at risk of losing parental care. As a communication professional, Ayunda does not dedicate herself to a particular development issue, but she is very interested in children, public health, and equality topics. Before dedicating herself to non-profit organizations, she used to work at Public relations firms where she developed her skills at developing and executing communication strategy plans for multinational and technology companies. She is now pursuing her calling as a C4D expert and wishes to explore opportunities and collaborations with more international development organizations. Ayunda holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Indonesia majoring in Communication. She later awarded by Chevening Scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in Communication for Development (C4D) at the University of Reading, the United Kingdom.

Bayu Ramadhan Putra has years of experience in both the private sector and government, which all of which are related to finance, economics, and education. After graduating, Bayu gained experience in marketing and sales at Prime Blue International, LLC then Corporate Banking at KEB Hana Bank, specializing in analysis and feasibility on Indonesian corporate accounts. With the knowledge and experience, he decided to serve in the government where he is currently posted at the Ministry of Trade of The Republic of Indonesia. Bayu’s previous proved to be influential in government work, utilizing it in helping to formulate regulations, increase Indonesia’s trade balance, enhance international trade cooperation, maintain stability in the domestic market especially on basic goods, and elevate local small to medium enterprises to be financially feasible and export worthy. For over the last two years, Bayu has seen first-hand the importance of how information on trade regulation and the economy is evenly spread in the country, also how education plays a huge part in shaping the economy. From previously working with multi-national companies to serving in the interests of the economy of all classes, it was obvious that the level of education and access to information influenced people’s ethics, determination, and mindset. This experience, together with organizational and social activities throughout high school and university, developed Bayu’s passion for fair trade, education, and the development of society, determined to continue working and studying in order to best serve the economy.

Beni Suryadi is an energy professional with a decade of experience managing research and program relating to energy, power, and climate change in Southeast Asia. As a manager, researcher, and director of studies at the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), Beni helps the 10 countries in the region to develop and implement their regional and national energy policies in achieving energy accessibility, affordability, energy security, and sustainability goals. Beni is the Project Leader at the ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT), the first official integrated project on energy-climate nexus in the region, aiming to study and contribute to the implementation of energy policies for the climate change mitigation strategies. Beni is also a member of the Sustainability Advisory Council of Gojek, Agence française de développement (AFD) Indonesia Advisory Board, Steering Committee of the Global Consortium on Power System Transformation (G-PST), and Non-Resident Fellow of the U.S.’s based think tank; Energy for Growth. Beni is interested in energy poverty, just transition, and sustainable development goals.

Cyndi Natalia has over 10 years of experience as a Legal Analyst for the Ministry of Finance in Indonesia. Upon receiving the Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP), she pursued a Master of law (LLM) degree from the Pennsylvania University in the USA. Cyndi’s primary duty as a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia is to enforce bureaucracy reformation and finance professional development through her expertise in drafting national laws. Cyndi has contributed to many legal drafting of the statute. Her recent work is drafting the omnibus law for the Financial Reporting Law of Indonesia, which will reform all the governmental organizations of submitting a financial report to establish a uniform and transparent report with the support of digital technologies. Cyndi has been involved in many international affairs diplomacy and agreements to develop regulations and programs for accountant professionals in Indonesia. Specifically, during the ASEAN Economic Community, to ensure the free trade and services in the ASEAN region fairly implemented for all member states. She was appointed by the Minister of Finance of Indonesia to hold a position as the Head of ACPACC Secretariat. With this position, she is trusted to liaise and coordinate with relevant authorities and or parties regarding accountant professionals within ASEAN member states and facilitate mobility of accountancy services professionals across ASEAN.

Desi Saragih holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the State University of Medan and currently a Master’s Student in Public Policy with a research focus on Indonesia Education Policy Response during COVID-19 at the Indonesia School of Government and Public Policy. Her progressive two years of experience on diverse scopes and scales of educational initiatives recently earned recognition from the Government of Indonesia with her participation in the UN ECOSOC Youth Forum 2021 under the official endorsement. Through this platform, Desi had the opportunity to share her aspiration to the forum how economic and social constraint had disrupted the fundamental human right of Education and encourage the high-level political leaders to put forward the educational access improvement as one of a strategic approach to #buildbackbetter and resilient from COVID-19 pandemic. She is also one of the leading Global Youth Ambassadors from a global non-profit organization, Theirworld.Org, advocating for inclusive and participatory Education, covering Early Childhood Education and Education Financing in Emergencies.

Dinah Yunitawati has been working in the fields of marine policy and management, environmental sustainability, and community development for over 10 years. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Bandung Institute of Technology and a Master of Environmental Science from the University of Western Australia. She is working for the Indonesian Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, particularly on marine spatial planning that is utilized as a policy instrument to achieve sustainable ocean development in Indonesia. She works closely with various government agencies at both national and local levels, international organizations, NGOs, academia, and community groups. Dinah has actively participated in the Women Leaders Forum of Coral Triangle Initiative for Coral Reef, Food, and Fisheries (CTI-CFF) that aims to promote women’s roles in marine conservation and management. She also manages an initiative called “Banda Aware,” which aims to reduce corals and beach sand mining in Banda Islands, through community-based approaches. For her contribution to marine conservation, she was awarded the Ocean Legacy Awards. Recently she was featured at the Southeast Asia Women platform that allows leading women in Southeast Asia to be discovered and connected to the public for collaboration. In her free time, she is engaged in mentoring programs to prepare youth to successfully begin work life. She will start her doctoral program at the University of Western Australia, focusing on marine policy and sustainable development in the near future.

Dwi Rezeki Kirana Bangun is a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance of Indonesia. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Management from Indonesia Open University. She has been working in Indonesia Tax Court for six years and has a strong understanding of taxation and management both in theory and practice. Besides that, she developed an interest in nature and the environment. She is currently participating as a Hutan Itu Indonesia (HII) volunteer, one of the leading organizations campaigning about Indonesian forests. She also participated in fundraising and collected 86 million rupiahs to adopt more than 430 trees in the Sumatra forest. Recently, HII and more than 140 collaborators declared 7 August as Forest Day in Indonesia for the first time. This action is acknowledged by the Minister of Environment and Forestry. Combining her government experience and volunteering in HII, she initiated a movement called Forest is Our Friend (FiOF). Every month, FiOF presents a talk show called ‘Forest Talk’ that invited various speakers from all over Indonesia, such as Dayak Tribe Community, musicians, filmmakers, researchers, and anyone related to the forest. Her main goal is to raise awareness for Indonesian people to know more about the importance of protecting the forest as it is the source of clean air, clean water, and home for millions of people, flora, and fauna. She encouraged people to take real action by planting trees in their homes or protecting the existing forest with tree adoption and visit national parks to support ecotourism.