Tanoto Foundation Supports Tanoto Scholars to Become Future Leaders

Tanoto Foundation held its yearly event of Tanoto Scholars Gathering at Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, from August 12 to 15, 2015. The Gathering aims to provide recipients of Tanoto Foundation scholarships or Tanoto Scholars with various soft skills such as teamwork and leadership.

In his opening remark, member of Tanoto Foundation Board of Trustees Anderson Tanoto said that with a total of 266 people, this year’s gathering has attracted the highest number of participants so far. These Tanoto Scholars came from 23 universities in nine cities in Indonesia, namely Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Medan, Pekanbaru, Jambi, Samarinda, and Makassar.

“Tanoto Foundation does not only provide financial support for Tanoto Scholars, but also prepares the scholarship recipients to be effective leaders for now and the future. Tanoto Foundation is committed to support the Indonesian Government’s effort to alleviate poverty. As education is an important element of this effort, Tanoto Foundation also continues to support the improvement of this sector as well,” said Anderson Tanoto.

The theme of Tanoto Scholars Gathering 2015 is “Learn and Lead.” This theme is based on the belief of the founders of Tanoto Foundation, Bapak Sukanto Tanoto and Ibu Tinah Bingei Tanoto. They believe that to progress, one can learn from various sources, not just restricted to school teachings. Further, they believe that to be a good leader, one must be able to lead oneself, to adapt into the surrounding environment, and eventually learn how to become a leader of this nation.

“This event was exciting and fun. We obtain a lot of useful information. In addition to being trained in leadership and other skills, we are also able to build our network with Tanoto Scholars from other universities,” said Hapsari Sulitya, Tanoto Scholar from Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta.

As part of the event, Tanoto Scholars also visited the operational areas of Tanoto Foundation corporate partners, PT. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper and Asian Agri to directly learn about these organizations’ sustainability practices in their businesses.

In addition, Tanoto Scholars also met with the founders of Tanoto Foundation, Bapak Sukanto Tanoto and Ibu Tinah Bingei Tanoto. In this occasion, Bapak Sukanto Tanoto shared his values with Tanoto Scholars.

“There are five things that you need to have to be a good leader. First, regardless the situation, do not give up. Second, you need to use every available opportunity to learn. The third character that you need to have is to always work hard. Fourth, when you don’t understand, don’t be shy and ask someone who knows. And lastly, you have to be prepared for all kinds of possibilities at all times,” said Sukanto Tanoto.