Robert Budi Hartono

Robert Budi Hartono is the richest man in Indonesia. His net worth is US$2.5bn, but he must control assets at least five times that amount.

You would not know this on meeting him.

A soft spoken, humble, conservative man in his 60s, he has spent a lifetime avoiding the limelight. The core of his business empire remains Djarum, a company his father started in the small sleepy central Javanese town of Kudus in 1951. The factory remains in Kudus and employs a disproportionate number of its working population. Djarum remains completely private. Following the Asian Financial Crisis, Djarum acquired Bank Central Asia, the largest private bank in Indonesia.

I first met Robert Budi Hartono in his modest office in the suburbs of Jakarta. Budi Hartono speaks in soft tones. He speaks fluent Indonesian and English, and has a penchant for history. He is obviously intelligent and thinks deeply about the world around him. In my first encounter with him, we engaged in many topics. He recalled events in his lifetime and strung experiences together to formulate lessons in life. We spoke about politics and about the challenges of the tobacco industry.

He never spoke about himself.

Even though I far exceeded my half an hour time slot, he never looked rushed. He was far too gracious. He was polite, totally focused and gave me his full attention. In the end, it was I who ended the conversation.

On every other occasion since, Budi Hartono has displayed the same graciousness – never distracted, always focused on the person in front of him, always polite and always low key. After one lunch, he waited patiently for me and my staff to get into our cars before proceeding to board his minibus together with his six staff. No Rolls Royce or Ferraris. At the end of the last dinner he hosted, he stood at the door to thank everyone, individually, for attending.

His example has clearly rubbed off on his children. They too turn up at functions punctually, are equally conservatively dressed and always exchange handshakes with warm smiles. They are never ever rude or showy. They appear, well – almost ordinary.

They are just so different from people who think they are rich. The ones who name drop, who cannot wait to talk about their new Lamborghini, or private jet. Who talk about their holiday plans to Sao Paolo.

I have discovered the definition of true class. It is being able to treat everyone around you with respect and graciousness, and never having the need to remind people how important you are.