Four Decades of Carving Out a Digital Nation: ITS Informatics Engineering Holds Digital Leaders Summit, Strengthening the Digital Talent Ecosystem from Campus to Industry

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – [October 4, 2025] – To commemorate its 40th anniversary, the Informatics Engineering Department of the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya, together with the ITS Informatics Engineering Alumni Association (IKA COMITS), successfully held the Digital Leaders Summit with the theme “4 Decades of Developing a Digital Nation.” This prestigious event brought together more than 300 alumni, industry leaders, academics, and young digital talents to formulate strategic steps in building an end-to-end digital ecosystem in Indonesia.

The solemn event was opened by the Head of the ITS Informatics Engineering Department, Prof. Ir. Ary Mazharuddin Shiddiqi, S.Kom, M.Comp.Sc., Ph.D., IPM., as the committee chair. The series of remarks continued with representatives from IKA COMITS, the IKA ITS Central Board, and the ITS Rectorate, represented by Vice Rector IV Prof. Agus Muhamad Hatta, S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., as well as a keynote address from the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Digital (KOMDIGI), Head of the Komdigi Human Resources Development Agency, Bonifasius Wahyu Pudjianto, Ph.D. All speakers emphasized the same message: the urgency of synergy between academia and industry, close collaboration between campuses and alumni, and the vital role of ITS in producing high-quality digital talent to meet the needs of the rapidly growing national industry.

In fact, Indonesia is projected to need at least 9 million digital talents by 2030 to compete on the global stage. This Digital Leaders Summit is a concrete response to this challenge. “For 40 years, ITS Informatics Engineering has produced not only engineers, but also leaders and innovators who are now the backbone of Indonesia’s digital transformation across various sectors,” said Prof. Ary. “This event is a momentum to unite these strengths, ensure that the curriculum and research on campus are aligned with industry needs, and create a smooth pathway for students to become work-ready professionals.”

Insights from Digital Leaders Across Generations

The event featured two inspiring talkshow sessions featuring prominent alumni. The first session, “Building Tomorrow Indonesia,” moderated by Ir. Ari Novan Setiono, S.Kom, MBA (SVP IT Pupuk Indonesia), showcased the impressive digital work of alumni such as Prof. Dr. Diana Purwitasari, S.Kom., M.Sc. (Dean of FT-EIC ITS), Seno Hardijanto, S.Kom (Business Development Director ASEAN Cohesive – Bentley Systems), Roy Nugroho, S.Kom (Commercial Director Grab Indonesia), and Yetty Endarwati, S.Kom (SVP Digitalization and Data Science Pupuk Indonesia).

The second, equally engaging session, “From Code to Leadership,” explored the career journeys of alumni from technicians to strategic leaders. Warmly moderated by Billtraviano Ferian Harda, S.Kom, MBIS (Group CEO of DOT Indonesia Group), this session featured Sugianto Halim, S.Kom (Founder & CEO of SEVIMA), Prof. Dr. Ir. Richardus Eko Indrajit, M.Sc., M.B.A. (Rector of Pradita University), Ir. Dwi Kurniawan, MBA (Executive Director of the Application Development Department of the Financial Services Authority), Roy Hendy Perdana, S.Kom (Executive Director – Digital and Data Strategy, DBS Bank Singapore), and Ir. Lucky Esa, S.Kom, MBA (Knowledge Management Expert & Startup Mentor).

Real Actions for Sustainable Collaboration

As a concrete result, this event successfully established four alumni collaboration forums called “Collaboration Clubs” to accelerate contributions to the alma mater and the nation:

Elite Club: A forum for professors, doctors, academics, and practitioners to encourage applied research between universities and industry.

Digital/Business Leaders Club: A forum for digital/business leaders to build networks and expand shared value among alumni.
Business Club: A platform for business synergy, coaching, and investment opportunities among alumni-owned companies.
AI Club: A center for development and research in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
Cyber ​​Security Club: A platform for research and development of cybersecurity solutions.
Newcomers Club: A platform for recent graduates to actualize themselves with regular coaching and mentoring from Digital Leaders, IT professionals, or business professionals.

All these clubs will be driven and managed by COMITS, the ITS Computer Informatics Alumni Association.

The composition of attendees, consisting of 60% IT professionals, 12% digital leaders, 10% business owners, 9% fresh graduates, and 4% academics, demonstrated the high enthusiasm and relevance of this event for the entire digital ecosystem.

As a token of appreciation, the event also presented Lifetime Achievement Awards to the founders of the ITS Informatics Engineering Department, Prof. Ir. Supeno Djanali, M.Sc., Ph.D., and Prof. Ir. Handayani Tjandrasa, M.Sc., Ph.D., as well as Special Awards to Amadeo Yesa, an outstanding student who has brought honor to his alma mater on the national stage. The Informatics Engineering alumni also recognized Mr. Yudi Mulyono, an employee of the Informatics Engineering Department, who has been a constant companion for students for 40 years.

The success of this event was due to the generous support of sponsors from alumni-led companies – TRASPAC, Pupuk Indonesia, OJK, Pupuk Kaltim, SEVIMA, DOT Indonesia, Cohesive Bentley Systems, Halodoc, Kalayudha Foundation, IMP Studio, and Cuddle Me – demonstrating the alumni’s success in building and leading technology companies of national and international caliber.