Professor Mari Pangestu served as Indonesia’s Minister of Trade from 2004 to 2011, and as Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy from 2011 until October 2014.

She obtained her Bachelor’s?Master’s and Doctor HC degrees from the Australian National University (ANU), and her PhD from the University of California, Davis, where she specialised in macroeconomics, and international trade.

Prior to being a minister she was one of Indonesia’s well-known economists working in various areas of international trade, financial sector, macro-economics and policy reforms at the University of Indonesia and Centre for Strategic and International Studies, as well as being a consultant to many international organizations. She was and continues to be active with the Pacific Economy Cooperation Council (PECC), Davos World Economic Forum (including being on various Global Agenda Councils), China Boao Forum for Asia, Asian Economists Panel and many other international leadership forums. She has also served on various company boards such as Astra International.

Professor Pangestu worked with Jeffrey Sahcs on the UN Secretary General Millen-nium Development Goals (MDGs) Review (2003-2005), was the WTO Group-33 Chairperson (2005-2011), nominated as a candidate for the WTO Director General (2013), provided leadership (1987 - 2003) in regional cooperation for Asia Pacific Cooperation Council (APEC) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In August 2013 President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono awarded Professor Pangestu with Bintang Mahaputera Adipradana (Adipradana Mahaputera Star Honor), a tribute to those who rendered great services to the nation and the country, and in December 2014 she was awarded the “lifetime achievement in leadership” awards during the World Chinese Enterprise Forum in Chongqing China.

Currently she is a Professor of International Economics at the University of Indonesia and Senior Fellow at Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She has been a visiting fellow at Rand Corporation, Santa Monica as well as giving lec-tures at various universities and institutions in Singapore, Australia and the US. She also serves on the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solution Network (SDSN) and is patron of the Southeast Asia and Indonesia SDSN; In-ternational Advisory Board of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and McLarty As-sociates; panel of the UN WHO and other convenors health initiative, Equal Access Initiative (chaired by Pascal Lamy); distinguished fellow Fung Global Institute; mem-ber of Women International Council on Women’s Business Leadership (chaired by Hilary Clinton), Eisenhower Fellowships Indonesia Chapter active member, and she is also active as board advisor to many Indonesia social and business organizations, including the Chinese printed media Shangbao as the honorary chairwoman.