S ukanto Tanoto is a self-made Indonesian billionaire and the founder and chairman of the Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) group, a global resources-based manufacturing conglomerate. He started his business career as a teenager, taking over his family's small spare parts supply business after his father suffered a stroke. He gradually expanded into other industries, founding RGE (formerly known as Raja Garuda Mas) in 1973. He has since built the company into a massive international enterprise with a primary focus on the pulp and paper, and palm oil industries.

RGE's key businesses include APRIL (Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings), one of the world's largest producers of pulp and paper, and Asian Agri and Apical, which are major players in the palm oil sector. The group has vast plantation holdings and numerous manufacturing facilities across Asia, Brazil, and Canada. Tanoto's career has been marked by both incredible success and significant controversy, with his companies often facing criticism from environmental groups over deforestation and sustainability practices. He now resides in Singapore, from where he oversees his global empire.