ITB Alumni Muharram J. Panguriseng Appointed President Director of Pertamina Hulu Indonesia
JAKARTA — The Association of ITB Alumni (IA ITB) has congratulated Muharram J. Panguriseng on his new role as President Director of PT Pertamina Hulu Indonesia (PHI).
The information was conveyed through an official post by IA ITB. In the post, Muharram was identified as an alumnus of ITB’s Geophysical Engineering program, class of 1991.
IA ITB described Muharram’s appointment to lead PHI as a source of pride for the ITB alumni community. The presence of an ITB alumnus in a strategic leadership position within the national energy sector was described as reflecting the commitment and capabilities of Ganesha alumni in managing natural resources and supporting national energy security.
“May he provide the best dedication and integrity for the country,” IA ITB wrote in its post.
Muharram J. Panguriseng is not a new figure in Pertamina’s upstream oil and gas business. Based on several Pertamina documents and official publications, he has built a long career in exploration and the upstream oil and gas sector.
Within PT Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE), Muharram has been listed as Director of Exploration. The position was still referenced in Pertamina’s publications in 2026. In March 2026, for example, Pertamina Hulu Indonesia identified Muharram as PHE’s Director of Exploration during a Ramadan Safari and Board Greetings visit to oil and gas operations in Kalimantan.
At PHI’s Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on June 3, 2026, Muharram also attended as a representative of PHE, the company’s majority shareholder. At the time, PHI’s official publication still listed Sunaryanto as President Director of PHI, while Muharram was identified as PHE’s Director of Exploration.
Muharram also has extensive experience in Pertamina’s exploration activities. He has been involved in various drilling and resource development activities, including exploration projects in Kalimantan.
In early 2026, Muharram highlighted PHE’s success in discovering new oil and gas resources through the drilling of the Metulang Deep (MDP)-1x exploration well in the South Mahakam offshore area of East Kalimantan. The discovery was estimated to contain Original Oil in Place (OOIP) resources of around 106 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE).
If the appointment is subsequently confirmed officially by Pertamina, Muharram will lead PHI, a company within Pertamina’s Upstream Subholding’s Kalimantan Regional and one of the key entities involved in oil and gas exploration and production activities in Kalimantan.
Based on its 2025 performance presented at the June 2026 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, PHI recorded average oil production of 44.42 thousand barrels per day, equivalent to 107.29 percent of its RKAP target. Gas production reached 536.72 million standard cubic feet per day, or 101.34 percent of the target. The company said this was the first time in five years that production had exceeded its targets.
With Muharram’s extensive background in exploration, the next challenge, should the appointment be officially confirmed, will be translating that experience into corporate leadership, particularly in maintaining sustainable production, increasing reserves, and strengthening national energy security.
However, as of the publication of this report, there remains a discrepancy between the information contained in the IA ITB post and the available official PHI publications. Therefore, confirmation of the change in PHI’s President Director still awaits an official statement from Pertamina or a corporate decision document formalizing the appointment.
