ABOUT US

Rahimah “Ima” Abdulrahim is the former Director of Public Policy for Southeast Asia for Meta Asia Pacific. Prior to this, she served at The Habibie Center, one of Indonesia’s leading think tanks focusing on democracy and human rights, for 19 years, as their executive director for 9 years (2010-2019).

She has 20 years advocating for peace and democracy in Indonesia and travels extensively to speak about good governance, democratization, and the role of civil society in Southeast Asia. Ima is a 2018 Stanford—Draper Hills Fellow, a 2017 University of Hong Kong AsiaGlobal Fellow, a 2010 MIT IDEAS Indonesia Fellow, and a 2001 Asia Foundation APSA Congressional Fellow (where she worked in the Office of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald of California). She holds a Bachelors of Human Science in Political Science and Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia, and an M.A. in International Studies and Diplomacy from University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

Gary Evano is an experienced creative business professional, specializing in various F&B business such as Puyo Desserts and HAKA Dimsum Shop for almost a decade. His expertise ranges from marketing through operations where he gets things in place and done. With a strong educational background in business management, he is passionate about creating value and impact through entrepreneurship, creative communications and technology.

Lisa Luhur-Schad began her career in RCTI, the pioneer of Indonesian private television company. Over the years she expanded her portfolio covering not only television, but also print media. In addition to this, Lisa is also the Chair of Media Group Foundation and the Chair of Kick Andy Foundation which has initiated many movements to support the marginalised people. KickAndy is a well known talk show host that has inspired millions in Indonesia through his weekly program. While busy in her professional life, Mrs Luhur-Schad is also an IDEAS Fellows, MIT-Sloan School of Management, Boston.

Arief Aziz is the Global Director of Networks and Partnerships at Climate Catalyst, an organization dedicated to accelerating climate policy change in Asia and Europe. Previously he was the Cofounder and Director of Change.org Indonesia, and the cofounder of TEDxJakarta. He’s also a board member and advisor to some health and environment organizations. He’s passionate about helping people build organizations and movements that drives social change.

Dr Ait-Allah Mejri is a public health physician and the Managing Director of Roche Indonesia since 2017. Dr Mejri joined Roche Pharma Biotech International as a Medical Manager in 1992 after working four years at community health centers in his native Tunisia. From 2004 until 2010, he served in Indonesia where close partnership with the Ministry of health resulted into establishing the first national cancer registry. Dr Mejri currently serves as the Chairman of IPMG (International Pharmaceutical Manufacturer Group) Indonesia.

William Suryanto Gondokusumo is a dedicated social entrepreneur and impact investor. He is the founder of Campaign, an innovative platform recognized as the Google Play Indonesia Best App for Good 2020. A proud alumnus of Boston University, William graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, concentrating in Finance, as part of the Class of 2007. Through Campaign, he drives positive social impact by empowering individuals to take action on pressing social and environmental issues. With a strong background in finance and a passion for creating sustainable change, William utilizes his expertise to leverage technology as a force for good.

After graduating from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC, Kristin worked in the advertising industry for 10 years in Hong Kong, San Francisco, New York and Singapore. After relocating to Jakarta, Indonesia with her husband in 2010, Kristin founded a youth community service group called Hand in Hand, organized many charity fundraisers to benefit education in Indonesia, joined the Advisory Board of ReachOut Foundation (early childhood education), the Board of Advisors and Advisory Council for 1000 Days Fund, supports two refugee learning centers in Cisarua, Bogor, and is the Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS). She also runs a family-owned self-storage business in Jakarta. A native of Honolulu, Hawaii USA, Kristin has three children and enjoys playing competitive tennis.

Widharmika ‘Widhar’ Agung is founder and director of Indonrelawan, Indonesia’s largest web-based volunteer matching network, which he founded in 2012 inspired by his own community-centric Balinese heritage. Indorelawan now has 180,000 volunteers who sign up and engage via the website and app, supporting 3000+ organizations with 6000+ activities, to help one of the world’s largest and most diverse countries strengthen community action and build towards a brighter and more connected future.

A senior academic with the University of Manchester, UK (2004-now, honorary status from 2015) and former Deputy Chief of Staff (Deputy Minister level) for Analysis and Oversight of Strategic Issues on Social, Cultural and Ecological Affairs at the Executive Office of the President, Republic Indonesia (Jan 2015-Oct 2019). Previously Director and Expert Adviser to the Head of the President’s Delivery Unit for Development Monitoring and Oversight (UKP-PPP/UKP4) (2012-2014). Currently Expert Coordinator at the National Secretariat for SDGs Implementation, Ministry of National Development Planning of the Republic of Indonesia.

An independent research and evaluation consultant in Ottawa, Canada with over 30 years’ experience in evaluating development research. He was Director of Evaluation at the International Development Research Centre (Canada), where he worked from 1993-2013. He now leads an independent consultancy, Using Evidence. He has lived and worked in Indonesia for extended periods since 1989 and has worked in many other countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta is the Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, co-Director of the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health, and the Founding Director of the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health & Institute of Global Health & Development at the Aga Khan University, unique joint appointments. He also holds adjunct professorships at several leading universities globally, including the Schools of Public Health at Johns Hopkins (Baltimore), Boston University, George Washington University, as well as the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He is a designated Distinguished National Professor of the Government of Pakistan and was the Founding Chair of the National Research Ethics Committee of the Government of Pakistan from 2003 to 2014. Dr. Bhutta was part of the seven-member Independent Expert Review Group (iERG) appointed by the UN Secretary General for monitoring global progress in maternal and child health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Dr. Bhutta was educated at the University of Peshawar (MBBS) and obtained his PhD from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society (London) and the National Academy of Medicine (USA). He is a recipient of sone of the highest awards in global health including the acclaimed Roux Prize (2021), the Canada Gairdner Global Health Award (2022) and the Henry Friesen Prize (2023). He heads a large research team in Pakistan with a special interest in research synthesis. Dr. Bhutta’s research interests include newborn and child survival, maternal and child undernutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies.

Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, University of Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, and Coordinator of the Southeast Asia Regional Training Center for Health Research, supported by WHO-TDR. A medical doctor and researcher.

Tiara Marthias focuses on research and projects on inequality in reproductive health, maternal, neonatal and child health (RMNCH) using health systems perspective. Her research interests include (1) health systems & policy analyses related to geographical inequity in RMNCH services utilization including policy development, evidence-based planning and budgeting, (2) econometric studies to decompose inequalities and inequities in health care utilization, (3) health financing analysis and evaluation of health fund channelling and prioritization and (4) evaluation methods particularly exploring the realist evaluation approach. Tiara also has extensive experience working with Indonesian ministries and sub-national government offices to assist in health program planning and evaluation and collaborating with international health organizations.

Sally Pairman is Chief Executive of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), a role she commenced in mid-January 2017 after more than 30 years of work in midwifery practice, education, and regulation in her home country of New Zealand. Previous roles include Professor of Midwifery, Director of Learning and Teaching and Head of Midwifery at Otago Polytechnic.

Kharisma Nugroho is an accountant and medical sociologist, passionate about continuous quality improvement and equity-focused research and evaluation. Through his work with Migunani Research Institute Yogyakarta, Kharisma has been an active advocate for cognitive diversity and continuous improvement in development work in Indonesia. In his role as a member of the Technical Expert Advisory Group at Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), UK, Kharisma reviews research protocols and reports funded by GCRF. Specific development sectors of interest include locally-led transformation, knowledge sector, climate smart-public health, and anti-corruption initiatives.

Data scientist and researcher with 8 years of experience in public health research, data science, analytics, and program monitoring and evaluation, with a focus on community health and health equity and formal training in epidemiology and biostatistics. She managed research and evaluation at Last Mile Health, where she worked on Liberia’s first national community health data systems and led research on treatment seeking for child illness, program implementation science, and CHW knowledge. A graduate of Johns Hopkins and MIT, her skill set includes statistical analysis, data visualization, product analytics, data system design and management, KPI development, monitoring and evaluation, research study design, and translation of analytical findings into actionable insights.

Gumilang Sahadewo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, University of Gadjah Mada. He holds a PhD in economics from the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests are the economics of education, human capital, and the economics of tobacco control. His current projects investigate the livelihood of current and former tobacco farmers in Indonesia, the effect of an information campaign on child marriage, the effect of a home-based growth chart on stunting reduction, and the effect of tobacco consumption on stunting. He has published in the journals of Human Resources, Development Studies, Applied Economics,and Tobacco Control.

Elizabeth Pisani is an epidemiologist focusing on the intersection between public health evidence and the messy realities of politics, culture and money. She currently focuses mostly on incentives in the medicine market, including those that nudge people to make or take poor quality medicines, and those that push governments and patients to pay more than they need to for treatment. Over the last 30 years, she has also done work on HIV, public health surveillance, and data sharing in public health. Dr Pisani has worked extensively in Indonesia, but she has worked in many other Asian countries, as well as East Africa and Europe.

Dr Pisani runs Ternyata Ltd., a small public health consultancy which works mostly for the World Health Organization, the World Bank and other global health institutions. She also initiates grant-funded research, which is implemented in partnership with universities including Imperial College London, The George Institute of Global Health, Oxford University, and Universitas Pancasila. She writes and gives TED Talks.

Zack Petersen is the co-founder and Managing Advisor for the 1000 Days Fund. He has over 12 years of experience in leading teams and overseeing programs in community health and development, delivering strong results in complex environments and low-resource settings. He designed the 1000 Days Fund as a bold approach to invent and test innovative, cost-effective solutions to help end stunting in Indonesia. Zack and his team are relentlessly committed to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes for the poor and marginalized. Prior to founding the 1000 Days Fund, Mr. Petersen worked for the World Bank Group and the Research Triangle Institute. Zack is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy and served proudly as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania.