Robert Budi Hartono (born 28 April 1941) is an Indonesian tobacco billionaire with a net worth of US$25.3 billion as of September 2023. He owns and runs the privately held

Djarum PT Djarum (; ) is an Indonesian ''kretek'' (clove cigarette) manufacturer and conglomerate based in Kudus, Central Java. It produces dozens of domestic and international brands. Djarum Black, Super, and L.A. Lights are among the most popular ...

, the world's third-largest maker of

clove cigarettes Kretek () is a type of Indonesian cigarette made with a blend of tobacco, cloves and other flavors. They are available filtered or unfiltered. The word "kretek" itself is an onomatopoeia, onomatopoetic term for the crackling sound of burning ...

. Djarum has reportedly recently grabbed shares from the number two cigarette firm,

Sampoerna PT Hanjaya Mandala Sampoerna Tbk, commonly known as Sampoerna (), sometimes stylised as SAMPŒRNA is an Indonesian tobacco company owned by Philip Morris International. Sampoerna is the largest tobacco company in Indonesia. It produces clove ci ...

. Budi Hartono also has a stake with his brother,

Michael Bambang Hartono Michael Bambang Hartono (born 2 October 1939) is an Indonesian billionaire heir and businessman. Michael and his brother Robert Budi are the owners of kretek (clove cigarette) manufacturer Djarum, which they inherited from their father Oei ...

in one of Indonesia's biggest banks,

Bank Central Asia PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, commonly known as Bank Central Asia (BCA), is an Indonesian bank founded on 21 February 1957. It is the largest private bank in Indonesia, with assets amounting to Rp 5.529,83 trillion (US$308,5 billion) as of 2022. It ...

, formerly controlled by billionaire

Sudono Salim Sudono Salim or Lim Sioe Liong (16 July 1916 – 10 June 2012), also known as Om (Uncle) Liem was an Indonesian banker and businessman. He was the richest individual in Indonesia. He was the founder and chairman of the conglomerate Salim Group be ...

. According to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', he is the second richest Indonesian and the 61st richest person in the world.

Career

Starting from scratch Mr. Oei Wie Gwan bought a small business in the field named Djarum clove gramophone. In 1951, he changed its name to Djarum. Oei began marketing cigarettes under the brand "Djarum" which turned out to be successful in the market. After a fire nearly gutted the company in 1963 (Oei died shortly afterward), Djarum back up and modernize their equipment in the factory. In 1972 Djarum began to export their product abroad. Three years later the brand Djarum Djarum Filter was introduced, the first brand to be produced by machines, followed by the brand Djarum Super, introduced in 1981. Together with his brother, Michael Hartono, at the age of 22 Robert inherited one of the leading cigarette companies today, Djarum. Djarum was previously a small business called Djarum gramophone which was later purchased by his father, Oei Wie Gwan, in 1951 and changed its name to Djarum. Robert and his brother inherited Djarum after his father died. At that time, Djarum's factory burned down and suffered an unstable condition. But in the hands of the two Hartono brothers, Djarum could grow into giants. In September 2019 billionaires' personal information, Budi Hartono and his brother Michael Hartono were reported by ''

'' magazine as the richest men in Indonesia in 2019 with a combined wealth of $35 billion. Budi Hartono was listed by ''Forbes'' as being worth $18.6 billion, while in 2012 was $6.5 billion.

Personal life

Early life

Robert Budi Hartono was born in 1941 (as ''Oei Hwie Tjhong'') in the city of

Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...

Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. and was the 2nd child of Oei Wie Gwan and Goei Tjo Nio. His brother,

was born in 1939.

Present life

He is married with three children and lives in Kudus, Indonesia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartono, Robert Budi Indonesian people of Chinese descent Indonesian businesspeople Living people Indonesian billionaires Diponegoro University alumni Businesspeople in the tobacco industry 1941 births R Budi Italian football chairmen and investors