C hairul Tanjung is a prominent Indonesian self-made billionaire and the founder and chairman of CT Corp, a major Indonesian conglomerate. His story is a classic rags-to-riches tale; he came from a modest background and started his first business while studying dentistry to pay for his education. After graduating, he decided to focus on business full-time.

He founded CT Corp (formerly Para Group) and built it into a diversified empire with three main business arms: financial services, media, and retail. His holdings include Bank Mega, the television networks Trans TV and Trans7, the news portal Detik.com, and the operation of high-end retail franchises like Versace and Jimmy Choo. He also controls Carrefour and Transmart, a major hypermarket chain in Indonesia. Known as 'anak singkong' (the cassava kid), a term for someone from a humble background, his success has made him one of Indonesia's most influential and respected business figures.