Murdaya Poo, founder of Indonesia’s palm oil-to-property conglomerate Central Cipta Murdaya.
Indonesian billionaire Murdaya Poo, founder of palm oil-to-property conglomerate Central Cipta Murdaya, has died at age 84.
Poo’s death was confirmed by the Representative Council of Indonesian Buddhist Communities (Walubi), where he served as the head of the supervisory board.
“He (Poo) is a great businessman since the Soeharto era, a pioneer,” Tahir, who goes only by one name, founder of the Mayapada Group, also confirmed his close friend passed away. “He and his wife are great people, worthy to be remembered,” Tahir said in a text message to Forbes Asia. Mayapada has interests in banking, healthcare, media and real estate.
With a real-time net worth of $1.2 billion, Poo’s family is the controlling shareholder of Central Cipta Murdaya, which has investments in engineering, IT, palm oil and plywood, according to Forbes.
The tycoon died Monday afternoon due to complications related to cancer, after battling the disease for two years, according to Indonesian media reports. A vegetarian and avid golfed, Poo was also the chairman of Indonesia Golf Association.
He started out selling newspapers at a young age before becoming a successful businessman. His family’s main source of wealth is their stake in listed property company Metropolitan Kentjana. The company developed high-end residential complex Pondok Indah in South Jakarta and other projects in Jakarta and Batam. Poo is also known to own Jakarta International Expo, one of the city’s biggest convention centers.
Poo is survived by his wife Siti Hartati Murdaya and their four children. The entire family is involved in the business.
—With reporting from Gloria Haraito
