Budi Bowoleksono

Budi Bowoleksono graduated from Krisnadwipayana University in Jakarta in 1984 and entered the Foreign Ministry in 1986. His early career included assignments in New York, Geneva, and Vienna and work on economic, ASEAN, and multilateral affairs. He became ambassador in Nairobi in 2008, with additional responsibilities for neighboring countries and international organizations, and served as the ministry’s secretary-general from 2010 to 2014. ^{1, 2}

As ambassador to the United States from 2014 to 2019, Bowoleksono helped prepare President Joko Widodo’s October 2015 visit to Washington. In his account of the preparations, he described meetings with American legislators, business delegations, and officials working on defense, maritime, and energy cooperation. He issued that explanation while rejecting an allegation that a lobbyist had arranged the presidential meeting, maintaining that the embassy and Indonesian government had organized the visit through official channels. ³

Cultural outreach was another part of his work. In a welcome message for the 2016 Performing Indonesia festival, organized with the Smithsonian and George Washington University, he emphasized the interaction of Islam with Indonesia’s diverse artistic traditions. The program brought together music, shadow puppetry, Qur’anic recitation, and public workshops. ⁴

A keen cook himself, Bowoleksono also promoted Indonesian cuisine as a way to introduce Americans to the country. At an Atlanta restaurant opening in 2019, he spoke about meals as a setting for conversation across cultural differences and encouraged the venture’s role in tourism and business. ⁵

After diplomatic service, Bowoleksono entered corporate governance. In February 2020, he became chairman of Merdeka Copper Gold’s audit committee and its nomination and remuneration committee. ²