Tempo Media Leaders 2021

Hello readers,

IT has been more than a year, Covid-19 has yet seemed to end. In the face of countless adversity, there is an important lesson from this global pandemic: the need to work effectively and efficiently. Many things can now be done virtually. The digital world has become inevitable.

Even before the pandemic, Tempo sees this digitalization as a necessity. A roadmap for the transformation of Tempo Inti Media’s business units has been drawn up. Toriq Hadad, who had been the chief executive officer (CEO) since 2017, had formed a team for this purpose and kept overseeing the execution. Toriq’s passing on May 8, forced the management to disband the team.

Nonetheless, the management is committed to continue the senior journalist’s legacy who passed away at the age of 61 years old. The commitment of digital transformation was mentioned by Arif Zulkifli, who was appointed at the extraordinary general meeting of stakeholders on July 12, as the new CEO. He will lead the company until 2025.

Arif was the 2013-2019 editor in chief of Tempo magazine and the winner of the Elizabeth O’Neil Journalism Award from the government of Australia in 2010. He then led Temprint, a printing unit in the Tempo Media Group, while being the head of corporate news. His task for the last position was to be content chief for Tempo.co, Koran Tempo, and Tempo magazine.

Aside from appointing Arif, the extraordinary general meeting of stakeholders also assigned Budi Setyarso as director. He will take care of digital matters and the development of the startup business in the Tempo Group. Master of business management from Prasetiya Mulya University, Jakarta, and the 2017-2021 editor in chief of Koran Tempo also replaces Arif as the head of corporate news. Two other members of the board of directors are Meiky Sofyansyah and Sebastian Kinaatmaja.

Shifts within the company’s management have also changed the editorial leadership structure. Jajang Jamaludin replaces Budi as editor in chief of Koran Tempo. Master of political communication from the University of Paramadina, Jakarta, was previously the executive editor and now is responsible to run Koran Tempo’s production, which has completely switched to digital platform. He is accompanied by Yandhrie Arvian, master of public policy from the Australian National University, as executive editor.

Throughout his leadership in the Tempo Group, Toriq was also the CEO of Info Media Digital (IMD), a subsidiary company that oversees several digital businesses. Now the two positions are separated. The position as CEO of IMD is held by Wahyu Dhyatmika, who previously was the editor in chief for Tempo magazine. This recipient of the Nieman Fellowship understands the digital ecosystem well, a topic he worked on during his study at Harvard University, United States.

The position left by Wahyu is held by Setri Yarsa. Setri obtained his master’s degree from the University of Paramadina. He previously led the editorship of Tempo.co. His former position is now held by Anton Aprianto, the executive editor of the news channel. He duets with another Anton: Anton Septian, who previously accompanied Wahyu as the executive editor of Tempo magazine. Anton Septian is replaced by Bagja Hidayat, who was the managing editor for the Investigation Compartment of Tempo magazine.

Honored readers, Tempo is now 50 years old. Starting with only one product, the magazine, the company has now owned dozens of subsidiaries. We also open collaborations with various groups, including in products led by millennial teenagers. Rombak Media—which houses the educational channel Kok Bisa on YouTube, the travel website TelusuRi, and the entrepreneurship portal Ziliun—are examples of the collaborations. We also built animation company Temotion and incubator Orbitin with partners to strengthen the digital line.

The digital structure will also accommodate other existing units in Tempo, including Tempo Institute and TV Tempo. That way, we can stay relevant in the midst of an era that continues to move towards a world without boundaries. Everything will continue to be carried out by holding on to Tempo’s main spirit: For the Public, for the Republic.

It is this spirit that continues to encourage us to uphold independence. For that effort, we look forward to your support.

Hopefully, we can safely get through this pandemic.

Greetings from Palmerah Barat 8,

EDITOR