Prajogo Pangestu, born Phang Djoen Phen (born 13 May 1944) is an Indonesian billionaire, business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder of the Indonesian conglomerate Barito Pacific Group, which engages in forestry, plantations, oil and gas, coal, gold mining, and geothermal energy. With a net worth of USD$43.41 billion, he is the wealthiest person in Southeast Asia.[1]
Early life
Pangestu was born on 13 May 1944, in Bengkayang, West Kalimantan, into a Hakka family from Guangdong, China. He attended Chinese schools in Indonesia and moved to Jakarta in 1965. In 1970, he joined Burhan Uray's timber company Djajanti Group and became the general manager of PT Nusantara in 1976. He left Djajanti in 1977 to start his own business.[2]
Business career
Prajogo's company PT Barito Pacific Timber Tbk was the largest listed company on the Jakarta Stock Exchange in 1993.[3]