Anderson Tanoto – RGE Managing Director
Anderson Tanoto is Managing Director at RGE and a member of the Executive Management Board. RGE is a group of world-class companies in resource-based manufacturing industries, operating in Indonesia, China, Brazil, Canada, Spain and Malaysia, with over US$35 billion in assets and a workforce of over 80,000 people. Anderson is also a member of the executive committee of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), one of the largest pulp and paper producers in the world.
Anderson Tanoto drives RGE’s strategic growth initiatives and is closely involved in the group’s fibre operations and business transformation activities, specifically on sustainability and conservation efforts. Several of these efforts include the Riau Ecosystem Restoration (RER) initiative and the Fire-Free Village Programme undertaken by APRIL.
Anderson, currently serving on the Executive Committee of APRIL Group, believes that successful businesses must align with sustainability. He emphasised this importance at the 26th Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Scotland in October 2021, attended by the 7th Indonesian President Jokowi and several ministers.
Further reflecting Anderson’s concrete actions to support sustainability efforts in Indonesia, since 2020, APRIL Group has launched its APRIL2030 commitment. One of the aims is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from its managed land. This commitment includes initiatives to balance sustainable business practices, biodiversity, and community empowerment.
Under Anderson’s leadership, APRIL2030 has made significant progress, including optimising renewable energy sources through solar panel installations, utilising electric buses, and developing a decarbonisation roadmap for manufacturing. Additionally, APRIL Group is enhancing research and development in silviculture to improve seed yields without clearing new land, improving water management practices, and advancing knowledge on tropical peatlands.
A young emerging business leader, he serves as Chairman for the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s (KADIN) Brazil Committee and has been KADIN’s representative to Canada since 2018. Anderson is also a Champion for Nature at the World Economic Forum (WEF). He has held memberships in the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020’s Southeast Asia Regional Committee, Wharton Executive Board for Asia, and WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Forests. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the Tanoto Foundation, Anderson drives programmes focussed on forging international partnerships with reputable universities and developing leaders of the next generation. He co-founded Asia’s first SDG Academy in 2019 with Indonesia’s Ministry of Development Planning and the UN Development Programme. He has also been recognised by Forbes as one of Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy.
Anderson Tanoto previously served as a consultant at Bain & Company and holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.