M ochtar Riady is the self-made founder and patriarch of the Lippo Group, one of Indonesia's largest and most diversified conglomerates. Born in East Java to an ethnic Chinese family, he started his career in the 1950s and built a stellar reputation as a brilliant banker, playing a key role in developing several of Indonesia's largest private banks, most notably Bank Central Asia. In the 1980s, he established his own company, the Lippo Group, which he would build into a sprawling family-controlled empire.

Under his leadership, Lippo Group has become a dominant force in several key sectors of the Indonesian economy. The group is best known for its massive real estate developments, which include satellite cities, shopping malls, and office towers. It also has major interests in retail (through the Matahari department store chain), healthcare (with the Siloam Hospitals network, Indonesia's largest private hospital operator), media, and financial services. Now in his 90s, he has passed on the day-to-day management of the group to his sons, James and Stephen Riady, but he remains the chairman emeritus and the visionary founder of the dynasty.