Richard van der Schaar is an academically-trained Indonesia expert with a decade-plus focus on - and experience in - the Indonesian economy and business (trade and investment). With comprehensive knowledge about Indonesia's investment climate and the 'way of doing business' in Indonesia (including the cultural aspects) as well as having a wide network to rely on, he guides and assists foreign investors in achieving their investment ambitions in Indonesia. The combination of having (1) academic expertise on Indonesian cultures, societies and histories, and (2) expertise on - and experience in - Indonesia's investment climate and business culture is a very valuable and complementary combination to achieve positive results.
He has been fascinated by Indonesian cultures and history since the very first time he stepped foot on Indonesian soil in mid-1998, just one month after Indonesia's second president, Suharto, was forced to step down from office at a time when the Asian Crisis ravaged through the country. He decided to do his Bachelor and Masters degrees in Southeast Asian Studies at Leiden University (the Netherlands) with a major focus on Indonesian society, history and linguistics.
After successfully finishing his MA degree he temporarily taught Indonesian languages and cultures at the Volksuniversiteit in Rotterdam (the Netherlands), while increasingly becoming aware of the economic potential of Indonesia in a world where the economic gravity point was rapidly shifting to the East. With having had a profound training in Indonesia's macroeconomic history at university, he started to delve into the contemporary economic conditions of the country and through frequent visits to Indonesia established a network within businesses and government circles.
Since 2013 he has been permanently based in Jakarta and is frequently contacted by international media to share his views on economic, political and social developments in Indonesia. Journalists can reach him through +62(0)8 788 410 6944 (including WhatsApp). He can also act as speaker at events or give presentations to boards/workers in companies.
| Organization | Indonesia Investments |
| Business Consultancy | |
| Position | Managing Director |
| Expertise | Investment & Business Strategies | Investment & Business Environment | Macroeconomics & Politics | Cultural Studies |
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Poverty and inequality are always sensitive topics, especially in an emerging market like Indonesia where poverty and inequality (in terms of income distribution) have always been a big problem. It is something that puzzles Indonesians too. We often hear Indonesians say “our country is so rich in natural resources, so how can it be that we have so much poverty within our borders?”
As expected, Indonesia’s full-year 2019 economic growth came in well below the central government’s 5.3 percent year-on-year (y/y) growth target. Based on the data that were released by Statistics Indonesia (Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS) in early February 2020, the Indonesian economy expanded at a pace of 5.02 percent (y/y) in 2019.
E-commerce – which refers to the activity of electronically buying (or selling) products through online services or over the Internet – has been developing rapidly in Indonesia over the past decade. More and more Indonesians have started to shop online, forcing many offline retail players to adapt and innovate their business models in order to survive in this new and challenging environment where two newcomers, both tech startups and both e-commerce platforms, have developed into a unicorn (Tokopedia and Bukalapak) which is a startup that is valued above USD $1 billion.
The Indonesian government, investors and (other) market participants are optimistic that Indonesia’s tech startup company ecosystem is becoming stronger and stronger, and thus allows for the blossoming of more tech startups.
Indonesia is known for being home to the world’s largest Muslim population. More than 230 million Indonesians – which is about 88 percent of Indonesia’s total population – are categorized as Muslim. In fact, nearly 13 percent of all Muslims in the world, today, live in Indonesia. These are very impressive numbers and surely impact heavily on Indonesian society, the economy, and politics.
