The Hartonos run the Djarum Group on sound principles

THE cigarette lighted by Victor Hartono looks like a sparkling flambeau, all the more so because of the kretek, the crackling sound it makes. The Djarum brand, like most Indonesian cigarettes, crackles when puffed. Victor wears the Djarum Group’s uniform with the Djarum logo, just like any other employee, even though he is the chief operating officer and the empire was founded by his grandfather.

His perfect English is a rarity in a country where English is a second language. That’s because his father Budi Hartono studied in a Dutch school where English was mandatory and wanted his children to master the language, which was hardly taught in local schools those days. Budi would make his children read English books and magazines aloud to give them a good grounding.