Imelda Harsono says that being the daughter of the company's late owner, Arief Harsono, only makes it harder for one to be taken seriously. She didn’t want to sit back among the board of directors at Samator Group, Indonesia’s largest industrial gas-producing corporate group, and knew she had ideas worth contributing. But in a room full of men, this meant working twice as hard to make sure she was being heard.

When Harsono decided to start working with the family business in 2003 after graduating from university, she started from the bottom, moving around different divisions to learn about the business internally, before she was confident enough to lead the company. Now, she leads as Director of Technology and Compliance; she also holds the post of Executive Director of Aneka Gas Industri Tbk, Samator Group's largest subsidiary company.

In 2015 Harsono founded Samudera Biru Internasional, a renewable-energy company that facilitates the adoption of solar projects throughout Indonesia to reduce emissions. She believes that investing in renewable energy is an investment in the future. She was also the Chapter President for Entrepreneurs' Organization, a global business network of more than 13,000 business owners across 57 countries.

Harsono believes her credentials through education helped in establishing her place in the industry. She holds a Political Science and Philosophy degree from the National University of Singapore; a Master’s in Management with honours from Universitas Pelita Harapan Graduate School of Business in North Jakarta; and a Master of Laws in International Commercial Law from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.