Heaptalk, Jakarta — The Ministry of Trade of the Republic of Indonesia held a handover ceremony at the Ministry’s Auditorium in Jakarta, marking the transfer of leadership from Zulkifli Hasan to Budi Santoso, the newly appointed Minister of Trade.
During the event, Budi Santoso thanked the media for attending the handover ceremony and pledged to further advance the Trade Ministry. Before he was appointed Minister of Trade, Budi Santoso served as the Secretary General of the Ministry of Trade. The then-Minister of Trade, Zulkifli Hasan, officially appointed him on August 1424.
Born February 968, Budi Santoso held various positions within the Ministry of Trade. According to the Ministry’s official website, he served as the Director General of Foreign Trade from December 2022 to August 2024. Before this, he was the Head of the Indonesian Trade and Economic Office (KDEI) in Taipei from September 2020 to December 2022. He briefly served as the Head of the Financial Bureau between June 2020 and September 2020.
In 2010, he served as Deputy Director of Creative Economy at the Directorate General of National Export Development and was later promoted to Trade Attaché in India. Upon his return, he became the Head of the Program and Cooperation Division within the Directorate General of National Export Development.
Budi Santoso held several critical Echelon positions in the Trade Ministry throughout his career, including Head of the Data and Information Center in 2017, Director of Business Development and Distribution in 2017, and Head of the Organization and Personnel Bureau in 2018.
In addition to his ministry role, Budi served as Chairman of the Board of Communications for the state-owned food holding company ID FOOD. He was appointed Chairman of PT Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia (RNI) based on the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Decree No. SK 174/MBU/07/2023.
In terms of education, Budi Santoso holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta. He continued his studies with a Master’s degree in Administrative Science at Universitas Indonesia, followed by a Doctorate in Communication Science at Universitas Sahid. With this extensive background in trade and administration, Budi Santoso is expected to bring significant experience and leadership to his new role as the Trade Minister.
