Garuda Indonesia names new president director after recent scandals

Garuda Indonesia has appointed a tech expert Irfan Setiaputra as its new president director. According to media reports, Setiaputra will be taking over the duties of Gusti Ngurah Askhara Danadiputra, who was fired last month when he was caught attempting to smuggle a classic 1972 Harley-Davidson motorcycle on a flight.

According to his LinkedIn, Setiaputra was previously CEO of telecommunications company Sigfox Indonesia. Prior to that, he was CEO of state-owned Industri Telekomunikasi Indonesia as well as mining companies Reswara Minergi Hartama and Cipta Kridatama. Setiaputra also held senior positions at tech companies including Cisco Systems, LinkNet, and IBM Indonesia.

Jakarta Globe reports that the appointment comes as the airline company seeks to improve governance and financial performance following recent scandals under its previous management. Quoting Erick Thohir, Indonesia's minister for state-owned enterprises, it is added that Setiaputra "would do a good job, adhere to good corporate governance and take Garuda to a better place", according to multiple media reports such as Nikkei Asian Review and Bloomberg.

Marketing Interactive has reached out to Garuda Indonesia for additional information.

Danadiputra, also known as Ari Askhara, was appointed CEO of Garuda Indonesia in 2018. He made headlines about a month ago when he flew in a Harley-Davidson bike on a flight to Indonesia in 15 boxes, while the other two folding bikes and their accessories were kept in three separate boxes. Media reports said that the undeclared bikes “deprived the country” of about IDR500k to IDR1.5 billion in customs duties for luxury items.

Not long after, the airline company came into the spotlight again for reportedly misusing its CSR funds by transferring the money to the Garuda Indonesia Cabin Crew Union, when the CSR funds are supposed to go to external projects instead of internal use.

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