Protecting the Primates
Indonesia Tatler has an exclusive chat with one of the country’s most successful young businessmen, Jerry Borneo Putra, about his latest collaboration with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation
“My company was established with belief in the three
P’s: profit, people, and planet,” says Jerry Borneo of PT Sawit Sumbermas Sarana. The company has just recently purchased Salat Island as a safe haven for the rehabilitation and pre-release of orangutans within the archipelago. The company, a palm oil plantation reserve in Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan, has joined hands with the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation for the initiative.
Jerry believes that a business can sustain itself only if the environment and its surrounding communities are well taken care of. So since the industry his business operates in has a direct effect on the lives of orangutans and their environment, Jerry has extended his own company’s efforts and purchased Salat Island to save and provide the primates with better living conditions.
With rising concerns about the welfare of orangutans, Jerry hopes that this initiative will set an example to
NGOS as well as profit-oriented companies as to how they can make a difference to the country’s environment. His recently married wife dr Natasha Cinta Vinski, CEO of Vinski Tower, the renowned anti-ageing rejuvenation centre, as well as an entrepreneur in the helicopter business and the founder of the NGO Love Humanity, has also been contributing to the Salat Island project in terms of preparing the island for tourism, promoting cleanliness, and making it a zero-waste facility.
“Natasha has also been appointed as the Salat ‘orangutan’ Island’s brand ambassador because of her compassion towards these lovely creatures and her vision of preventing and managing forest fires effectively and protecting their natural habitats,” says Jerry.
For this initiative, Jerry’s responsibilities include surveying the conservation areas, the development of these areas, and the funding of operations. He hopes that Salat Island will not only be a safe space for orangutans but will also provide the local communities on the island the opportunity for growth and development. He also hopes that encouraging tourists to visit the island will, in return, help bolster the local and even national economy.
Natasha and Jerry are each other’s greatest supporters. Both individuals are career-oriented but are fond of taking time to spend with each other away from their daily routine.
“We believe in love and, most importantly, commitment,” Jerry tells us. “I believe that if we can hold these values close to our hearts and pass them onto our future generations, I could proudly say that we have a good marriage and family life. I am very lucky that my wife and I share the same visions and goals for the future. I can proudly say that I have found my soulmate.”
Within the next 10 years, Jerry is determined that he will still be leading the family business, which has been publicly listed via an IPO, and hopes to continue taking the company forward, making it one of Indonesia’s—if not the world’s— leading palm oil companies. On a more personal note, he looks forward to creating a big family with his beloved wife.
Jerry’s responsibilites include surveying the conservation areas, the development of these areas, and the funding of operations. He hopes that Salat Island will not only be a safe space for orangutans but will also provide local communities the opportunity for growth and development