Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow 2026: Meet the Changemakers Shaping Indonesia's Next Decade

RAISA
SINGER AND SONGWRITER

One of Indonesia's defining pop artists, 2022 Gen.T honouree Raisa has continued to evolve her sound and cultural influence since making her solo debut in 2011. Following the success of her album ambiVert, she won the 2025 Anugerah Musik Indonesia Award for Best Female Pop Solo Artist for "Terserah" and, in 2026, staged Raisa Live in Concert: Love & Let Go with Andi Rianto and Magenta Orchestra—a two-night concert at the Jakarta Convention Center that marked the biggest solo production of her career. Beyond music, Raisa continues to expand her influence through major brand partnerships and a highly engaged digital community.

For the past 10 years, Gen.T has recognised Indonesia's emerging leaders long before they gained widespread recognition—not for visibility alone, but for the meaningful impact they were already creating. The Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow 2026 brings together 10 new honourees and 10 alumni from previous years, celebrating how early recognition has evolved alongside their enduring influence.

NO NA
ARTIST, 88RISING

Named after "nona", the Indonesian word for "miss", No Na became the first Indonesian girl group signed to global music label 88rising. Comprising Baila Fauri, Christy Gardena, Esther Geraldine and Shazfa Adesya, the quartet broke out with its 2025 debut single "Shoot", which reached the Top 3 of Spotify's Viral 50 – South Korea, while three of its songs charted simultaneously. The group went on to perform at Head in the Clouds in Los Angeles and Tokyo, earn a place on The NME 100: Essential Emerging Artists for 2026 and build an international audience of more than 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners.

RYAN ADRIANDHY
FILM-MAKER AND ANIMATOR

Ryan Adriandhy spent years making audiences laugh as a stand-up comedian before revealing an entirely different talent. His feature directorial debut, Jumbo, a fantasy adventure about a chubby, bullied boy in search of belonging, was made over five years with 420 local creators. Released in March 2025, Jumbo became a box-office phenomenon, setting a new Indonesian record at the time and remaining the highest-grossing animated film in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. He follows this with Na Willa (2026), his live-action debut adapted from Reda Gaudiamo's novel, marking a shift toward more intimate storytelling.

WREGAS BHANUTEJA
FILM DIRECTOR AND SCREENWRITER

Since becoming the first Indonesian filmmaker to win the Leica Cine Discovery Prize at Cannes for his short film Prenjak in 2016, Wregas Bhanuteja has emerged as one of the country's most internationally acclaimed directors. His feature films, Penyalin Cahaya and Budi Pekerti, earned critical recognition at major international festivals, while his latest film, Para Perasuk, was selected for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Beyond directing, Wregas, 2017 Gen.T honouree, continues to champion Indonesian storytelling as a screenwriter and producer, helping bring a new generation of local cinema to global audiences.

ARDIKA DWITAMA TJANDRA
HEAD PASTRY CHEF, AUGUST

Ardika Dwitama Tjandra began his training in culinary arts, though pastry was not his initial focus. Instead, driven by curiosity and discipline, he volunteered and worked his way through every pastry role he could find, teaching himself the craft from the ground up. Today, as head pastry chef at August Jakarta, he creates desserts that weave refined technique with distinctly Indonesian flavours, working closely with local farmers and artisans. His approach has earned him Best Pastry Chef at the Tatler Indonesia Best Restaurants Awards 2026 and Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2026 from Asia's 50 Best Restaurants.

RONALD AKILI
CEO, POTATO HEAD FAMILY

Since opening the first Potato Head in 2009, Ronald Akili, 2017 Gen.T honouree, has redefined Indonesian hospitality by blending design, culture and sustainability into destinations with global appeal. The co-founder of Potato Head transformed the brand into Desa Potato Head Bali, a creative village that has been named to The World's 50 Best Hotels for three consecutive years and received the Eco Hotel Award in 2025. Beyond hospitality, his Community Waste Project helps businesses tackle Bali's waste crisis through collective recycling initiatives. In 2025, Akili was recognised as one of TIME's 100 Climate Leaders for advancing regenerative tourism.

NADIA HABIBIE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HABIBIE & AINUN FOUNDATION

Nadia Habibie carries a name that comes with weight—and a sense of duty to match. As the granddaughter of Indonesia's third president BJ Habibie, she has channelled the family legacy into climate advocacy and education, serving as Executive Director of the Habibie & Ainun Foundation and Secretary of The Executive Board at The Habibie Center. Before this, the University of Chicago and Imperial College alumna served as Chief of Staff to the COO at Xendit and worked on policies to increase the national adoption of electric vehicles in the previous government administration. She has co-authored Climate Action 101 and served as the Youth Ambassador for Sustainability in various conferences, championing Indonesia's green transition for the next generation.

GRACE TAHIR
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, EVEREST MEDIA

Building on her experience in Indonesia's healthcare sector through Mayapada Healthcare and digital health ventures, Grace Tahir has expanded her focus to education and media. A 2019 Gen.T honouree, she now leads Everest Media as CEO, overseeing the creation of premium educational content that combines cinematic storytelling, rigorous research and data-driven insights to make learning more engaging for the next generation. Under her leadership, the company has achieved double-digit annual growth while forging partnerships with global brands. She is also developing a business school designed to equip future leaders with practical skills, stronger critical thinking and meaningful industry connections.

ANDRY HAKIM
FOUNDER AND CIO, STOCKWISE

Andry Hakim built Stockwise out of a simple belief: that everyday Indonesians deserve access to quality investment education. The Jakarta-based platform, co-founded with Douglas Goh, runs monthly classes, masterclasses and an active investor community focused on value investing and long-term wealth building. In November 2024, its flagship seminar The Art of Multibagger Investing drew more than 1,000 participants. An MBA graduate of the University of San Francisco, Andry also manages Hakimson, a private investment firm focused on the Indonesian and US stock markets.

RODERICK PURWANA
MANAGING PARTNER, EAST VENTURES

Helping entrepreneurs turn bold ideas into lasting businesses, Roderick Purwana plays a key role in shaping Southeast Asia's innovation economy as Managing Partner at East Ventures. A 2020 Gen.T honouree, he supports high-growth companies with capital, strategic guidance and long-term partnerships, while connecting startups with corporations, investors and policymakers to accelerate innovation across industries.

Under his leadership, East Ventures has continued backing resilient businesses through a more disciplined investment landscape, supporting companies from early growth to successful public listings and reinforcing the region's long-term digital and economic development.

CHRISTOPHER ALDO SETIAWAN
FOUNDER AND CEO, YELLOW FIT KITCHEN

When Christopher Aldo Setiawan took full ownership of Yellow Fit Kitchen, the company was navigating a challenging period. What followed was one of Indonesia's most dramatic food and beverage turnarounds: over two years, he grew revenue by 500 per cent, turning it around not just financially but culturally, and expanding the team to more than 800 people. Built on the belief that healthy eating only sticks when the food is genuinely enjoyable, Yellow Fit Kitchen has since earned a MURI Record for being the healthy food brand that has helped the most customers lose weight in Indonesia.

WINSTON UTOMO
FOUNDER AND CEO, IDN

Founded in 2014, IDN has grown into Indonesia's leading media and entertainment technology company, reaching more than 70 million young Indonesians each month through an integrated ecosystem spanning digital media, entertainment, the creator economy and live experiences. Under the leadership of Winston Utomo, 2022 Gen.T honouree, the company has expanded beyond digital platforms with brands including IDN Times, Popbela, FORTUNE Indonesia, JKT48 and Pestapora. In 2026, IDN further strengthened its cultural footprint by acquiring M Bloc Group, bringing together one of Indonesia's largest youth-focused digital ecosystems with a network of creative community spaces across the country.

CHRISANTI INDIANA
CO-FOUNDER AND CMO, SOCIAL BELLA

As co-founder and chief marketing officer of Social Bella, the beauty technology company behind Sociolla, Chrisanti Indiana has helped build one of Southeast Asia's leading omnichannel beauty ecosystems. A 2019 Gen.T honouree, she has helped expand Sociolla beyond e-commerce into a network of retail stores and digital platforms serving millions of customers across Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Chrisanti leads marketing and brand strategy, championing access to trusted and authentic beauty products while introducing local and global brands to the market. She also spearheads Lilla, Social Bella's ecosystem supporting mothers and young families.

NATASHA ARDIANI HARTORO
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, DURIANPAY

When Natasha Ardiani Hartoro's co-founders stepped back, she faced a choice: wind Durianpay down or carry it forward alone. She chose to keep building. That solo stretch became the company's strongest chapter yet—achieving full-year profitability, a rare feat in payments infrastructure, while processing billions in annual payments volume and growing the team from 40 to 110. Built on API-first infrastructure unifying fiat and stablecoin payments across Web2 and Web3, Durianpay is now expanding into Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines—with a long-term goal of becoming the default infrastructure for cross-border payments across Asia.

JANICE TJEN
TENNIS PLAYER

In 2025, Janice Tjen went from No. 411 in the world to the WTA Top 50—one of the most remarkable single-season rises on the tour. The Jakarta native made history at the US Open, becoming the first Indonesian player to win a Grand Slam match since 2003, before winning her first WTA singles title at the Chennai Open, the first by an Indonesian woman since 2002. She also won WTA doubles titles in Guangzhou and Hobart. By February 2026, Janice had reached a career-high singles ranking of World No. 36, one of the highest WTA rankings ever achieved by an Indonesian player.

GARY BENCHEGHIB
CO-FOUNDER, SUNGAI WATCH

French-Indonesian environmental activist, filmmaker and entrepreneur Gary Bencheghib co-founded Sungai Watch to tackle Indonesia's plastic pollution crisis by intercepting waste in rivers before it reaches the ocean. A 2023 Gen.T honouree, he has helped expand the organisation's waste collection systems across the country while using data to improve long-term waste management. In 2026, Bencheghib ran from Bali to Jakarta to raise awareness of Indonesia's polluted waterways and inspire collective action. His work earned the Ramon Magsaysay Award, widely regarded as Asia's Nobel Prize.

ARUNA HARSA
CO-FOUNDER AND CCO, DEKORUMA

After two failed start-ups in Singapore, Aruna Harsa co-founded Dekoruma in Indonesia. Over the past decade, Dekoruma has evolved from a digital marketplace into a profitable omnichannel home-living platform with more than 40 stores, serving over ten million customers across Indonesia. Following its strategic acquisition by Blibli in 2024—a move that has since accelerated its next phase of growth—Aruna is now steering the company's continued expansion to more than 100 stores nationwide, while remaining passionate about developing exceptional talent and helping more Indonesians create homes they love.

DENICA RIADINI-FLESCH
FOUNDER AND CEO, SUKKHACITTA

A decade after founding SukkhaCitta, Denica Riadini-Flesch has transformed the label into one of Indonesia's leading regenerative fashion brands, connecting heritage craftsmanship with modern design. A 2020 Gen.T honouree, she has built the company around a farm-to-closet model, growing its own cotton, using natural dyes and working directly with women artisans across rural Indonesia to ensure every garment is fully traceable from soil to maker. As the brand marks its 10th anniversary in 2026, it continues expanding its impact through new retail spaces and Rumah SukkhaCitta, an initiative inviting visitors to learn directly from the communities preserving Indonesia's textile traditions.

SARI CHAIRUNNISA
DEPUTY CEO AND CHIEF R&D OFFICER, PARAGONCORP

Sari Chairunnisa practised as a clinical dermatologist before moving fully into research and business leadership—a dual life that grounds every formulation decision she makes in real patient experience. As Deputy CEO and Chief R&D Officer of ParagonCorp, the company behind Wardah, Kahf and Laboré, she oversees one of Southeast Asia's largest cosmetic R&D teams: more than 200 researchers collaborating with 388 experts across 35 countries. In 2025, the team won 11 awards at the C&T Allē Awards in New Jersey. The following year, ParagonCorp held Beauty Science Tech, a landmark mega-event showcasing 24 AI-powered beauty experiences—a statement that Indonesian beauty innovation belongs on the global stage.

CARINA CITRA DEWI JOE
RESEARCHER AND PROFESSOR

As one of the key architects behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, Carina Joe has played a pivotal role in advancing global public health. A 2025 Gen.T honouree, she now leads research and commercialisation projects at a biopharmaceutical company, driving the development of next-generation medicines through modern technologies. A recipient of the 2022 Young Investigator Award for Vaccines, Joe also serves as honorary professor of biomanufacturing at Universitas Airlangga, mentoring future scientists while advocating for equitable access to life-saving medicines and high-quality, streamlined healthcare regulation across Southeast Asia.

BACA SEKARANG

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