Dr. AKP Mochtan becomes 12th APO Secretary-General

TOKYO, JAPAN�- Media OutReach - 30 September 2019 - The Asian Productivity Organization (APO) announced
that Dr. AKP Mochtan had assumed the post of APO Secretary-General on 16
September 2019 after being elected at
the 61st Session of the Governing Body in April 2019 in Manila, the
Philippines.

APO Secretary-General Dr. AKP Mochtan

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for photo data.

 

Dr.
Mochtan served as Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN, from August 2013 until
August 2019, where he oversaw the key organizational functions of finance and
budget, human resources, administration, information technology, security and
protocol, legal affairs, as well as community relations and outreach functions.
Prior to that, he was Director of the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund Management
Team headquartered in Jakarta, November 2011-August 2013.

 

Secretary-General
Mochtan has had a long association with the APO. He held several positions in
the Secretariat, including: Information & Public Relations Officer; Program
Officer, Research & Planning Department; Senior Program Officer, Industry
Department; and Director, Administration & Finance Department. He has also
worked under the UN Development Programme, Jakarta Office; UN University,
Tokyo; and UN Transitional Authority, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

 

 ”I am pleased to come back to the APO to
serve member economies as the 12th Secretary-General. The APO has an
illustrious history of 58 years and 2021 is going to be its 60th anniversary.
However, productivity gaps in the region remain visible, and new issues are
emerging. It is imperative that we prioritize and renew the productivity
movement so that the APO remains relevant,” commented the new
Secretary-General.

 

Secretary-General Dr. Mochtan said that
his focus was the “centrality of productivity,” and listed six key points:
strengthening of partnerships; elevating the standards of the APO; attaining
higher visibility and raising the profile of the APO; upgrading national
productivity organizations; inviting more strategic partners to join
collaborative efforts; and spreading the productivity movement beyond existing
members. He added that reform of the APO Secretariat was also necessary to
reinforce the renewal of the productivity movement.

 

After
receiving an MA in International Relations from the International University of
Japan, Urasa, the Secretary-General was conferred a PhD in Philosophy from
International Christian University Graduate School of Public Administration,
Tokyo. His undergraduate degree was in Sociology from the Faculty of Social and
Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, Jakarta.

 

During
his education, Dr. Mochtan was the recipient of a PhD dissertation fellowship
from the Japan Foundation and a scholarship from the Ministry of Education,
Science & Culture of Japan. He completed an executive management training
course offered by Rights Management Japan in Tokyo; a Global War Games course
at the US Naval War College in Rhode Island; and the Peacekeeping Training
Course of the Joint Warfare Center, Royal Australian Airforce, New South Wales.
He also filled academic appointments at the Centre for Strategic and
International Studies and the Graduate School of International Relations,
University of Indonesia, Jakarta.

About the APO

The Asian
Productivity Organization (APO) is an intergovernmental organization committed
to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region. Established in 1961, the
APO contributes to the sustainable socioeconomic development of the region
through policy advisory services, acting as a think tank, and undertaking smart
initiatives in the industry, agriculture, service, and public sectors. The APO
is shaping the future of the region by assisting member economies in
formulating national strategies for enhanced productivity and through a range
of institutional capacity-building efforts, including research and centers of
excellence in member countries.

 

The current APO
members are: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Republic of China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India,
Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, and Vietnam.