The third child of Indonesia-based entrepreneur and philanthropist Sukanto Tanoto and his wife, Tinah Bingei Tanoto, Belinda Tanoto manages the Tanoto Foundation. The foundation was established with the goal of bringing much-needed social services and infrastructure to people in need in Indonesia and other countries in which Mr. Tanoto does business. This significant investment in corporate philanthropy demonstrates Sukanto Tanoto’s dedication to education, poverty relief, and the provision of medical care in his home country and beyond. The founder and CEO of the RGE Group, Mr. Tanoto holds business concerns in a number of energy-related and natural resources manufacturing companies.
Belinda Tanoto has absorbed her parents’ work ethic and concern for improving the lives of others. And as a modern Indonesian woman, she also understands the challenges faced by women around the world, ranging from female executives to those struggling to obtain an education and enter the workforce. With her own mother as her role model, she strives to share some of the advantages she has enjoyed in life.
Numerous international studies show that when girls and women are educated, the overall civic and economic life of countries improves, as well. Yet in too many parts of the world, educational opportunities for women lag far behind those available to their male counterparts. Belinda Tanoto is working to change these statistics by focusing on extensive support for education in the Tanoto Foundation’s mission.
The foundation supports a wide range of scholarship programs for both undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, it focuses extensively on medical research, and recently contributed S$3 million to the efforts of the National Heart Research Institute Singapore. Her family’s foundation has become a vital force in empowering female university and medical students, due in large part to Belinda Tanoto’s own sense of drive and purpose. She believes that through education, individuals can become better able to express new ideas and achieve their personal goals and dreams. Through her dedication, the foundation continues to make positive contributions that open up increased opportunities for both men and women.