Kun Kurnely: CEO for Pertamina EP

State-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina yesterday announced its new subsidiary called PT Pertamina Eksplorasi & Produksi or Pertamina EP. The company is a new sub-holding controlling and managing the whole assets of Pertamina’s upstream business, exploration and production of oil and gas.

Kun Kurnely, deputy director upstream operation at Pertamina, had been appointed and sworn in as president director of the new and powerful subsidiary. Apart from the wild and months of discussion on Pertamina reshuffle, the ceremony was conducted silently.

Minister of State Owned Enterprises Sugiharto who always at odd with Pertamina’s board of directors in the last few months, had approved both the establishment of the sub-holding and appointment of its executives including Mustiko Saleh (Pertamina’s deputy president director) as chairman of commissioner at Pertamina EP.

Born in Bandung, West Java August 30, 1953 (what a nice birthday gift!), Kurnely is a Pertamina professional graduated from Bandung Institute of Technology in 1981. He got his master degree in business and management from IPWI in 1998.

Started his career as an engineer for exploration and production in Pertamina, he was appointed senior vice president upstream operation of the company in March 2004 by President Megawati Soekarnoputri. Before that, he was general manager upstream for Pertamina’s South Sumatra operation.

Kurnely is also listed as director at Petral (http://www.pntrade.com), Pertamina’s subsidiary, which handles most of Indonesia’s crude oil. It is not clear whether he remains at the company after yesterday’s appointment.

His new job put him as one of the most important executives in Indonesia even though the rich oil and gas Cepu block (to be operated and jointly owned with ExxonMobil Oil) is not under Pertamina EP.

As an oil and gas engineer, Kurnely is one of the influential figures in Indonesian Association of Oil and Gas Expert (IATMI, www.iatminet.org). He has a lot of social activities in Pertamina including his position as chairman of BAZMA (an organization established to collect donation deliberated by the holly book Al’Quran).

Father of three, Kurnely is also active in Yayasan Baitul Hikmah (Islamic foundation) that has plan to build Islamic Center in Aceh. Aries Mufti, expert staff of MSOE Sugiharto, is also active in the foundation.

Kurnely is also a member of the board of Koperasi Energi (http://www.koperasienergi.com/), a cooperative established by Pertamina’s workers along with other executives like Hestu Bagiyo (appointed as president director of Pertamina EP Cepu that will take care Pertamina’s interests in Cepu block).

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