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INTERVIEW
Colours talks to Wempy Dyocta Koto , entrepreneur , venture capitalist and international speaker , who wants to see more Indonesians on the global stage .
Five years ago , Wempy Dyocta Koto was living a cushy life in London . Koto was at the top of his game , running a thriving business development agency , Wardour and Oxford , of which he is chief executive . Koto had founded the agency in 2010 after 20 years of an exciting global career in advertising , dealing with some of the world ’ s most valuable brands , such as Microsoft , Samsung , HSBC , Goldman Sachs and Sony .
Despite all this , Koto decided he was going to return to his homeland : Indonesia .
“ My life had been about building and creating the career and the life that I wanted ,” says Koto . “ And I had all of that . Then , there came a stage in my life where my goals shifted . The term ‘ legacy ’ became very important to me . What appealed to me was moving back to Indonesia and , finally , doing something for my own country that I could be proud of .”
The world ’ s fourth most populous nation , Indonesia is often considered a sleeping giant . The country is brimming with potential , due to its abundant natural resources , young population , rapid urbanisation , growing middle class and one of the largest digital markets in the world ( 73 million Internet users in 2015 ). McKinsey & Company projects Indonesia will be the world ’ s seventh largest economy by 2030 , overtaking Germany and the United Kingdom . Yet , a recent article in The Guardian notes how Indonesia remains “ the biggest invisible thing on the planet ”.
Koto would like to see more Indonesians rise up and be contenders on the global stage . According to Koto , “ Entrepreneurs today need to broaden their scope beyond the borders of nations because ideas transcend borders .” Furthermore , in a globalising world , he adds , “ It is vital that Indonesia ’ s future leaders are influenced by global perspective and wisdoms .”
Through his eponymous business school , Koto has traversed the archipelago , meeting with budding entrepreneurs whose drive and motivation has hit a soft spot in the