From the Editor
  • With brothers Burhan and Bahari, Bachtiar Karim runs Musim Mas, an integrated palm oil firm with $8.9 billion in 2023 revenue.
  • His late father Anwar founded Nam Cheong Soap Factory in 1932; the family-run operation still makes soaps and margarine.
  • The family opened the first palm oil refinery in Indonesia in 1970. Musim Mas was formally set up two years later.
  • Karim, who bought Royal Darby Park Executive Suites for $117 million from Singapore billionaire Asok Hiranandani's Royal Group in 2019, is building a Standard hotel on the site.
  • Son Chayadi Karim is building a property group through Singapore-based Invictus Developments. It includes hotel properties in Singapore, Sydney and Brisbane.
Wealth History
HOVER TO REVEAL NET WORTH BY YEAR
Personal Stats
Age
67
Source of Wealth
Palm oil
Residence
Medan, Indonesia
Citizenship
Indonesia
Marital Status
Married
Children
2
Did you know
The family has set up an entrepreneur center at the University of North Sumatra in Medan.
Karim has donated $2 million to the National University of Singapore, his alma mater, to establish a professorship on sustainability in its business school.
In 2020, he donated $3.7 million to various causes in Singapore, including the Singapore General Hospital and the Alzheimer's Disease Association.
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