Chairul Tanjung

Chairul Tanjung
Born	(1962-06-18) June 18, 1962 Jakarta, Indonesia
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, former Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs
Known for	Founder and chairman of CT Corp; former Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of Indonesia

Chairul Tanjung (born 18 June 1962) is a prominent Indonesian entrepreneur and the former Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, appointed by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on 19 May 2014 following Hatta Rajasa's resignation. As of 2024, his wealth is valued at approximately $5.2 billion.

Early life

Originating from Jakarta, Chairul is the son of A.G. Tanjung and Halimah. His family endured financial difficulties after the Suharto administration shut down his father's magazine business, which compelled them to reduce their living standards. He completed his education at Boedi Oetomo Senior High School in 1981 and obtained a dentistry degree from University of Indonesia, where he earned recognition as a "national noble student" in both 1984 and 1985. While pursuing his studies, Chairul collaborated with two friends to launch a venture selling books, T-shirts, and eventually medical devices. Upon graduating, he established PT CT Corp backed by a Rp150 million loan from Exim Bank, initially manufacturing children's shoes with export contracts to Italy. After encountering disagreements with his partners, he separated from them and assumed leadership of CT Corp as its founder and chairman.

Business

Chairul Tanjung joined forces with Hasbi Hafani to build his business conglomerate. He acquired Bank Karman, which he rebranded as Bank Mega, and expanded operations into insurance and securities sectors. His media ventures include founding Trans TV and purchasing TV 7 from the Kompas-Gramedia Group. His real estate holdings feature Bandung Super Mall, Batam Indah Prospertindo, Para Bali Propertindo, and Mega Indah Propertindo. In 2012, he acquired a minority share in Garuda Indonesia. His holding entity, CT Corp (previously known as Para Group), is structured into three primary sub-holdings:

• Mega Corp responsible for Financial Services including:
  • Banking: Bank Mega, Bank Sulut, Bank Sulteng, Allo Bank
  • Insurance: Mega Jiwa, Mega Insurance, PFI Mega Life (in partnership with Pramerica)
  • Financing: Mega Auto Finance, Mega Central Finance

• Trans Corp managing:
  • Media: Trans TV, Trans7, CNN Indonesia, CNBC Indonesia; digital platforms such as Detik.com, Insertlive.com, Haibunda.com, Female Daily; and satellite broadcaster Transvision
  • Retail: Transmart (acquired from Carrefour Indonesia) alongside Metro department stores
  • Fashion: specialty outlets featuring brands like Aigner Munich, Hugo Boss, Canali, Find Kapoor, Furla, Geox, Bimba Y Lola; previously included Mango, Versace, Armani, Tod's, Tommy Hilfiger, Valentino, Brioni, and Jimmy Choo
  • Food & Beverage: franchises including The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Wendy's, Baskin-Robbins
  • Property: Trans Studio Malls, Trans Park complexes, Trans Luxury Hotels plus licensed properties such as Ibis and FashionTV hotels

• Other Investments encompassing:
  • Plantations: palm oil enterprises operated through CT Plantations, CT Agro, CT Global Resources
  • Transportation: stakes in Garuda Indonesia and its budget airline subsidiary Citilink

Other activities

From 2001 until 2004, Chairul Tanjung held the position of head of the Badminton Association of Indonesia.

Biography

In 2012, a biography entitled Chairul Tanjung Si Anak Singkong ("Chairul Tanjung the Cassava Child," with "cassava" representing modest beginnings) was released, chronicling his rise to prominence as a major business leader.

External links

• Chairul at tokohindonesia.com (archived)