IDEAS 3.0Desi Anwar

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Desi Anwar is Senior Anchor, TV Journalist and Producer, Writer, Photographer, Media & Communications Specialist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. A veteran TV anchor, Desi Anwar’s career serves as a road map for all aspiring journalists. Currently Metro TV’s senior anchor, Desi hosts the network’s major economic talk shows and special programs, along with heading Metro TV’s Marketing and Business Development.

Desi began her career as an anchor/reporter with Indonesia’s first commercial television station RCTI in 1990. Among other programs, she hosted daily news bulletins ‘Seputar Indonesia,’ ‘Nuansa Pagi,’ ‘Buletin Siang’ and ‘Buletin Malam.’ RCTI Desi also served as executive producer and anchor of RCTI’s daily English-language news program “Indonesia Today’ and the weekly current affairs documentary ‘Liputan Khusus.’

A member of the presidential press corp, Desi travelled extensively on foreign state visits as well as international summits during her years in RCTI and has interviewed many prominent statesmen and public figures including PM Benazir Bhutto, PM Tony Blair, Lady Margaret Thatcher, Bill Gates, Muhamad Yunus, President Jiang Zemin, French Diva Catherine Deneuve and many others.

Desi joined Metro TV as consultant and trainer in 1999 as it prepared to air as the country’s first national news and information channel and proceeded to become Metro TV’s senior anchor, Talent manager and founded the station’s Media Services department as well as becoming General Manager of Marketing and Business Development.  Prior to that Desi was co-founder of the online portal Astaga.com and columnist and editorial member of Indonesia’s English language daily The Indonesian Observer.

Desi Anwar was voted “Best News Presenter” by Citra Tabloid for three consecutive years (1994 – 1997). She also won the Panasonic Award for “Best News Presenter” in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, she was nominated as “Best Anchor/Presenter” by the Asian Television Awards.  Born in Bandung, 11 December 1962, Desi Anwar holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sussex, England, and a Master of Arts degree from S.O.A.S, University of London. She speaks Bahasa Indonesia, English and French.  A keen Video Journalist and amateur photographer Desi continues to travel extensively, both domestically and abroad, finding inspiration from her many trips. Countries Desi has visited include Europe (Western and Eastern), the US, North and Central America, Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan), west and east europe, Africa (Namibia, south Africa, Tunisia, Morocco), Middle east (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey), Australia, New Zealand, India, China, Japan and all Asean countries including Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.  Desi Anwar is also a regular columnist for the news magazine Tempo and the English daily The Jakarta Globe.