Bahtiar Rifai is Head of Research Group for Knowledge-Based Economy at BRIN or the National Research and Innovation Agency.
Armed with a passion for digital transformation and a vision to expedite digital transformation in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Bahtiar has partnered with state-owned enterprises to develop the Digital Readiness Index on 1.000 SMEs in 12 regions across Indonesia and prepare the SMEs for Industry 4.0, one of his many innovative ideas that has been recognised by national and international organisations. His acumen is bolstered by his PhD journey at the University of Birmingham, where he studied economic geography and honed his philosophical and analytical skills to find comprehensive and practical solutions for current development issues. Bahtiar is equally passionate about human resources transformation, which he regularly promotes by writing articles for popular newspapers, speaking at national seminars and TV channels as well as collaborating local communities for SMEs training.