Insider Stories - New chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board Mahendra Siregar, age 47, is one of the rising young Indonesian technocrats who are in a position assume the country’s top macroeconomic leadership positions. foreign investments in Indonesia. Mahendra succeeds Chatib Basri who became finance minister in May. Chatib succeeded Gita Wirjawan, who is now Indonesia’s trade minister.
 
Mahendra recently served as deputy finance minister. Before that he held leading roles as deputy trade minister and deputy coordinating minister for economic affairs.
 
Prior to his leadership positions in trade and finance, Mahendra was a career diplomat with Indonesia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and served in the Indonesian Embassy in Washington in the 1990s. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
 
Mahendra is a bold and capable leader. His ethical profile and commitment to his country are unquestioned. As an official with experience in three important portfolios—foreign affairs, trade, and finance—Mahendra is well-placed to influence key policymakers in Jakarta.
 
He graduated with a Bachelor degree in Economics from University of Indonesia in 1986, and received a Master in Economics from Monash University in 1991. Mahendra joined the Foreign Affairs Ministry in 1986 and was assigned to various postings including Economic Third Secretary of the Indonesian Embassy in London (1992- 1995) and Information Counsellor of the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC (1998-2001).
 
He joined Coordinating Ministry in late 2001 as Special Assistant to Minister Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti. He was then appointed as Deputy Minister in charge of International Economic and Financial Relations in May 2005 by Minister Aburizal Bakrie. He maintained the assignment during Coordinating Minister Boediono (2006-2008) and Coordinating Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (2008-2009).
 
He was then appointed as Chairman and CEO of the newly established Indonesia Eximbank in September 2009 until December 2009. He was a Commissioners of Indonesian Aircraft Manufacturing Company PTDI (2003-2008) and Commissioner of PT Antam, Tbk (2008-2009). He was Indonesian representative at the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund Board between 2007-2009.