But the outstanding characteristic of Subianto's career has been his closeness with other tycoons who were to rise strikingly in Indonesia's recently robust recovery from the troubled days after Asia's 1997-98 financial crisis.
Whatever the circumstances, the man long known by his nickname--Subianto is his only formal name--is credited with keeping a cool head. "I have known Benny over 30 years, and I've never seen him get angry," says Djojo Boentoro, president director of an affiliated palm oil firm, Dharma Satya Nusantara, who met him when they worked together at Astra.
Last year he enjoyed $26 million in dividends from some 17 different companies in which he has a stake--more than his total net worth back in 1998, when he figures it was a mere $20 million. (So he's got good at compounding, obviously.) "He prefers to become an investor in an established company," notes Johannes Suriadjaja, president director of property firm Surya Semesta Internusa, who did his first business deal with Subianto 21 years ago.
He was a salesman for its heavy equipment division, and Astra in 1969 was on the cusp of fast growth, soon to become a distributor for Toyota, followed a few years later with distributorships for Honda and Xerox. Today Toyota is the bestselling brand in the country, and selling them is a core business for Astra, now controlled by Hong Kong's Jardine Group.
Two other key holdings are in palm oil producer and rubber processor Triputra Agro Persada and crumb rubber producer Kirana Megatara, both leading companies of the Triputra Group. Subianto founded the Triputra Group with his pal Rachmat in 2002. Subianto serves as president commissioner of both and holds stakes that, combined, are worth $280 million (it shifts along with the price for crude palm oil and rubber). Rachmat's stakes in Adaro, Triputra and other firms has made him worth $1.9 billion.
Subianto's success in Indonesia's cozy business culture doesn't end there. Note the ties with Johannes Suriadjaja of Surya Semesta: That connection originated when Johannes' father, Benyamin Suriadjaya, the brother of William Soeryadjaya, wanted to sell back his shares in the Astra Group.
I am a senior reporter based in London and New York City covering breaking news, with a focus on legal issues including the Supreme Court and litigation against Donald Trump. I previously covered politics and news for Vanity Fair and Mic, and as a theater critic I served as a member of the New York Outer Critics Circle. Follow me on Twitter @alisond64 or get in touch at adu...@forbes.com.
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Any TRICARE-authorized providerAn authorized provider is any individual, institution/organization, or supplier that is licensed by a state, accredited by national organization, or meets other standards of the medical community, and is certified to provide benefits under TRICARE. There are two types of TRICARE-authorized providers: Network and Non-Network. DS that has signed a contract with your regional contractor is a network provider. Network providers will:
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