Joining Sampoerna in 1996, Ivan became the company’s first Indonesian president director in 2024, following its acquisition by Philip Morris International (PMI). His appointment marked a significant milestone in a career that has developed alongside the company.

“In many ways I have grown up here, as a professional, as a leader and as a person,” he said.

His career has taken him across multiple functions and markets. Through roles in sales, IT, marketing, supply chain, business planning and people and culture as well as an assignment in Malaysia, Ivan developed a broad understanding of how different parts of the business are connected. These experiences also shaped his leadership approach: adapting across markets, trusting his people and developing others.

“As an Indonesian, being entrusted to lead a company with such deep roots in this country carries special meaning. It also brings significant responsibility to our employees, business partners and the many communities connected to Sampoerna,” he said.

For Ivan, his own journey reflects the opportunities Sampoerna offers Indonesian talent to develop and take on leadership roles. Having benefited from those opportunities himself, he now wants to help shape the company’s next chapter while preparing its next generation of leaders.

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Ivan believes Sampoerna’s greatest strength is its people and the trust built over generations.

“A company can have strong brands and a good strategy, but it is people who bring those things to life every day,” he said.

This belief is embodied in Sampoerna’s Three Hands Philosophy, which seeks to balance the interests of adult consumers, employees, business partners and shareholders, as well as society at large.

“The principle is simple: We grow together. Our success must create value for the people connected to our business,” Ivan said.

After three decades with the company, Ivan sees this principle reflected in employees’ pride in their work and Sampoerna’s enduring relationships with business partners, retailers, farmers and communities. Maintaining these relationships, however, requires consistent commitment.

“We have to earn that trust continuously,” he emphasized.

His personal leadership principle is “respect the past and embrace the future”. Respecting the past means understanding the values, craftsmanship, entrepreneurial spirit and contributions of previous generations. Embracing the future requires the curiosity and courage to evolve as consumer expectations change, technology advances and Indonesia develops.

“I want our people to feel proud of what they have inherited and confident enough to help shape what comes next. For me, that is how a 113-year legacy stays alive: Each generation takes responsibility for making it stronger and relevant to its time,” he said.

Taking responsibility also means giving people room to contribute ideas, staying close to the market and helping business partners strengthen their capabilities.

Creating opportunities

Having benefited from the trust of colleagues, mentors and teams throughout his career, he feels that developing future leaders is one of his most important responsibilities.

“Delivering results today matters, and so does building the people who will lead this company in the years ahead,” said Ivan.

Talent development should be part of everyday leadership, he says, underpinned by meritocracy to ensure that people can see a clear connection between their contributions and their prospects for advancement.

“That means setting clear expectations, giving honest feedback and making career decisions based on performance, competencies and contribution,” explained Ivan.

Leaders also have a duty to recognize talent beyond the most visible employees, providing people across functions and organizational levels with opportunities that allow them to demonstrate their abilities.

“I want someone joining Sampoerna to look around and think, ‘If I keep learning, contribute and deliver, I have a real opportunity here,’” he said.

To create those opportunities, Sampoerna invests in continuous learning, assignments across functions and international experience within PMI’s global network. These initiatives help employees acquire new skills, understand different aspects of the business and gain experience in other markets.

“The real value comes when people can apply what they have learned. They return with fresh ideas, greater confidence and experience they can share with their teams. That is how an opportunity for one person helps strengthen the wider organization,” Ivan said.

This commitment goes beyond preparing Sampoerna’s future leaders. Human resource development also extends across the company’s value chain as part of its broader approach to strengthening its business ecosystem.

The company highlights its integrated efforts, from partnerships with farmers and the creation of 90,000 jobs across operational activities to empowering micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through SRC, SKB and SETC. Its commitment to inclusive economic empowerment also includes empowering women in its hand-rolled kretek cigarette (SKT) operations.

The impact is evident in the journey of Nining, who joined Sampoerna in 1994 with a high school diploma as a cigarette rolling worker. Continuing her education while developing her career, she completed higher education in 2016 and went on to become a regional manager for the company’s Mitra Produksi Sigaret (Third Party Operators) in East Java.

Her achievement demonstrates how personal determination, combined with professional opportunities to learn and grow, can open new career paths.

The same principle extends to opportunities beyond the company’s employees. Purwanto, a tobacco farmer partner, returned from Jakarta to Wonogiri in Central Java to care for his elderly parents. Through farming tobacco and Sampoerna’s partnership program, he established a livelihood close to his family while creating opportunities for fellow farmers.

“For me, these stories make human development tangible,” Ivan said.

“A new skill can lead to greater responsibility, a stronger livelihood and more choices for a family. And when people share their knowledge or create opportunities for others, the benefit reaches further.”

Others’ journeys to success also reflect Ivan’s hopes for the next generation of Indonesian talent: that local knowledge, combined with a global perspective and a commitment to continuous learning, can grow into strong leadership.

“Being the first carries meaning. What I hope will matter even more is seeing many more Indonesians ready and trusted to take on leadership roles, here and internationally,” he said.

Contributing to a more prosperous Indonesia

Ivan’s commitment to developing people also reflects his view of Sampoerna’s role in Indonesia’s progress. He believes the company’s contributions should extend beyond its own operations to creating opportunities for the people and communities connected to its business.

This perspective resonates with the theme of Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day celebrations, “Indonesia Berdaulat, Adil, dan Makmur” (A sovereign, just and prosperous Indonesia).

For Ivan, sovereignty means developing Indonesian talent, strengthening local businesses and building expertise that can compete internationally. Justice means ensuring that opportunities are accessible to people across different regions and communities, while prosperity means translating economic progress into better livelihoods and greater possibilities for families.

“Our responsibility is to help more people participate in economic growth through employment, development and partnerships that help their businesses become stronger,” he said.

Support provided through the Sampoerna Retail Community (SRC), for example, helps neighborhood retailers develop their businesses and adopt digital tools. The same principle guides its relationships with farmers, suppliers and manufacturing partners: building capabilities that enable them to grow with the company.

The economic impact extends beyond individual partnerships. A 2025 study by Kompas Research & Development has found that Sampoerna generates a multiplier economic impact of an estimated Rp 204 trillion (US$ 11.3 billion) annually, or around 1 percent of Indonesia’s gross domestic product.

“Behind that number are the farmers, retailers, suppliers, employees and families whose livelihoods are part of our shared journey,” Ivan said.

He sees these connections as evidence that business growth and wider social progress reinforce each other. A more capable business can create employment; a stronger small retailer can sustain a family; a more secure livelihood can help parents invest in their children’s education.

For Ivan, the challenge is to ensure that these opportunities continue to expand across generations.

“After 30 years with Sampoerna, I feel a personal responsibility to help make that happen. I have grown because people invested in me and trusted me with opportunities. I want that experience to be possible for many more people,” he said.

As he leads Sampoerna into its next chapter, Ivan is guided by his principle of respecting the past while embracing the future. Preserving the company’s legacy, in his view, requires more than honoring its history. It also means preparing people to meet changing expectations, take on greater responsibilities and create new opportunities for others.

“If there is one legacy I hope Sampoerna will leave behind, it is that we helped people grow and enabled them to create opportunities for others,” he said.

“That is an impact that can continue from one generation to the next.”

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