JAKARTA. The government appointed on Friday PT Semen Indonesia president director Dwi Soetjipto to head state oil and gas company PT Pertamina, replacing Karen Agustiawan, who resigned for unknown reasons in October.

"As of Nov. 28, Dwi Soetjitpto is heading Pertamina," said State Enterprises Minister Rini Soemarno.

Dwi has spent his entire career in the cement industry within publicly listed state-run Semen Indonesia, the nation's biggest cement producer.

Prior to achieving the top job in Semen Indonesia in 2005, Dwi led the company's troubled subsidiary PT Semen Padang between 2003 and 2005.

During his term in Semen Padang, Dwi successfully brought order to the company after widespread violent opposition from its workers to the government's plan to sell the controlling stake in Semen Indonesia to Mexico's cement giant Cemex S.A.

His success in reforming Semen Padang earned him the top job in Semen Indonesia in 2005.

Dwi earned his bachelor degree in engineering from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology in Surabaya, East Java, his masters in management from the Andalas University in West Sumatra, and his PhD in management from the University of Indonesia in Depok, West Java.

Rini said that the government had also appointed Yenni Andayani from PV Gas & Power Pertamina, Ahmad Bambang from PT Trans Continental and Arif Budimanta from Mackenzie Stuart Oil & Gas as members of the board of directors.

"The exact positions of the three new directors in Pertamina will be decided later," said Rini (Raras Cahyafitri)

Editor: Yudho Winarto