Mahendra Siregar

Mahendra Siregar studied economics at the University of Indonesia and Monash University and joined the Foreign Ministry in 1986. His diplomatic assignments included London and an earlier posting in Washington. He subsequently worked across Indonesia’s economic institutions, heading Eximbank and serving as vice minister of trade, vice minister of finance, and chairman of the Investment Coordinating Board. He also directed the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries. ^{1, 2}

His return to Washington as ambassador in 2019 was brief. At a Hudson Institute–USINDO conference marking 70 years of bilateral relations, he argued that the relationship depended on businesses, civil society, and younger generations as well as government officials. He supported ASEAN’s Indo-Pacific outlook and described more direct communication with American counterparts as an opportunity to resolve disputes. In October 2019, he was appointed vice minister of foreign affairs. ^{2, 1}

Siregar became chairman of Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority, OJK, in July 2022. He submitted his resignation in January 2026 amid upheaval in the stock market, describing the decision as an acceptance of moral responsibility intended to support recovery. He later became a senior adviser at RSM Indonesia. ^{3, 4, 5}