Mr. Meidyatama Suryodiningrat was appointed by President Joko Widodo as head the national news agency, LKBN Antara, in January 2016. In its eighth decade of service, LKBN Antara is not only one of the main arms of government public communications with a network of over 34 bureaus across the archipelago, but also the largest content distributor of news content in the country to over 250 media and other government and private offices in Indonesia and abroad.
As president director of LKBN Antara, he also serves as chairman of the board of commissioners of PT IMQ Multimedia Utama, and PT ANPA International.
His engagement in foreign policy initially began with his role as journalist with The Jakarta Post (whom he eventually served as Chief Editor for six years) where he became a witness to the rise of multilaterism in Southeast Asia in the 1990s. This ultimately led to an active involvement in numerous regional Track II and Track III activities. Apart from continuing to be a sought out resource on foreign policy analysis, journals and seminars, Mr. Suryodiningrat has more recently contributed in various roles of government-linked initiatives both on foreign and domestic issues including as member of the Indonesia-India Eminent Persons Group; the Assessment Team for the 2016–2018 Indonesian Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR); and a Supervisory Board of the Regional Autonomy Watch (KPPOD).
Apart from his journalistic work he has contributed to numerous journals and books on foreign policy, among them: “Participatory Regionalism: Strengthening People-to-People Cooperation for an East Asia Community”, in Navigating Change: ASEAN-Japan Strategic Partnership in East Asia and in Global Governance, Japan Center for International Exchange, 2015; “Asean at the Crossroad of Regionalism”, in Emerging China – Prospects for Partnership in Asia, Routledge. 2012; “ASEAN Regional Forum 2011: China and the United States”, in Asia Pacific Bulletin, No. 127, Aug. 4. 2011; “US Rapprochement with Indonesia: From Problem State to Partner” in Contemporary Southeast Asia, Vol. 32, No. 3, Dec. 2010.
He was a former research fellow at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, in Cambridge,Massachusetts, from 2007 to 2008. He received a bachelor degree (majoring inPolitical Science and History) from Carleton University in Ottawa,and attended graduate school at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
