Susi pudjiastuti biography template

1. Early Life and Education
2. Entrepreneurial Journey
3. Susi Air and Aviation
4. Political Career
5. Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Susi Pudjiastuti was born on January 15, 1965, in Pangandaran, West Java, to Haji Ahmad Karlan and Hajjah Suwuh Lasminah. Her parents were involved in real estate and cattle trading. Although Javanese by origin, Susi grew up surrounded by Sundanese culture. After completing high school, she enrolled at SMA Negeri 1 in Yogyakarta but was expelled for her involvement in the anti-Suharto "golput" movement, becoming the first Indonesian minister to have not completed secondary education.

Entrepreneurial Journey

In 1983, Susi embarked on her entrepreneurial career as a seafood distributor at a fish auction in Pangandaran. By 1996, she had founded her own seafood company, PT ASI Pudjiastuti. The company quickly expanded into international markets, exporting to countries in Asia and America. To meet the growing demand for seafood, Susi acquired a Cessna 208 Caravan airplane for her company, later followed by a second Cessna. PT ASI Pudjiastuti's aircraft facilitated the rapid delivery of seafood within Indonesia, as well as to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan. In 2004, following the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami, the aircraft were used to deliver food and other aid to victims of the disaster.

Susi Air and Aviation

The success of the tsunami relief mission inspired Susi to venture into the aviation industry. In 2004, she founded Susi Air, which initially focused on transporting humanitarian supplies to Aceh. With the acquisition of additional aircraft, the airline expanded its operations to Kalimantan and Papua. Susi Air has become the largest operator of Cessna aircraft in Southeast Asia and one of Indonesia's leading regional airlines.

Political Career

On October 26, 2014, President Joko Widodo appointed Susi Pudjiastuti as Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in his Working Cabinet. Upon assuming this role, she stepped down from her leadership positions at PT ASI Pudjiastuti and Susi Air.

Personal Life

Susi Pudjiastuti's first husband was Daniel Kaiser, a Swiss national, with whom she has two children: Panji Hilmansyah and Nadine Kaiser. She is currently married to Christian Von Strombeck, a German pilot and chief operating officer of Susi Air, and they have one child together, Alvy Xavier.