Elia Massa Manik appointed Pertamina chief

JAKARTA. State-Owned Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno has officially appointed Elia Massa Manik the new president director of oil and gas giant Pertamina.

Elia was previously the president director of PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) III, the holding company of 14 state-owned agriculture firms.

Elia has worked at various private and state companies, including consumer goods giant PT Indofood Sukses Makmur, property developer PT Jababeka, integrated oil and gas services company Elnusa and state-owned lender Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI).

“I won’t say that this job will be easy as there will be mounting burden on my shoulders. One of the challenges is the country's heavy dependence on fossil fuel, while our oil reserves have gradually been decreasing,” Elia told reporters after Pertamina’s general shareholders meeting at the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry in Jakarta on Thursday.

“However, the key to boosting the company’s performance is transparency, which is going to be the foundation for the development of the company’s culture. I want everything to be transparent.”

The government announced on Feb. 3 the dismissal of Pertamina president director Dwi Soetjipto and deputy Ahmad Bambang over concerns of a lack of teamwork and escalating conflict.

Meanwhile, the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry's deputy for financial services, Gatot Trihargo, said the appointment of Elia was expected to secure the realization of Pertamina’s various ambitious projects, including the one-price fuel policy and the development of new refineries. (Viriya P. Singgih)