Jakarta – Destry Damayanti officially took office as Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) for the 2026-2031 term. She was sworn in on September 2, 2026, after previously serving as Acting Governor of BI.
Destry was appointed Governor of BI based on Presidential Decree of the Republic of Indonesia Number 92/P of 2026, dated September 1, 2026. Her term of office will run for five years.
The woman born in Jakarta in 1963 is no stranger to the central bank. Before becoming Governor of BI, Destry served as Senior Deputy Governor of BI from 2019 to 2026.
Destry Damayanti’s Education
Destry pursued her undergraduate education at the University of Indonesia. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Indonesia in 1989.
Before entering university, Destry had a background as a national tennis athlete. She competed in the National Sports Week (PON) and the SEA Games.
As she approached university, Destry faced a choice between continuing her career as an athlete or pursuing higher education. She ultimately chose to attend university.
In an interview cited by detikEdu, Destry said that being an athlete was not an easy path to pursue.
“I felt comfortable playing tennis. But in high school, as I was approaching university, I started thinking about whether I should continue in this world (tennis) or not. Because being an athlete is difficult,” Destry said.
After graduating from high school, she still participated in several tennis tournaments. However, around three months before the university entrance selection, which at the time was known as Sipenmaru, Destry decided to focus on preparing for university admission.
She then chose the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia.
“I chose the social sciences because I liked quantitative subjects. At least my English wasn’t too bad at the time. If I chose science, I would have had to study again. In the end, I was accepted into the Faculty of Economics at UI,” Destry said.
After completing her studies at UI in 1989, Destry continued her education in the United States. She earned a Master of Science degree in Regional Science from Cornell University in New York, United States, on a scholarship.
Destry’s Career Journey
Destry’s career in economics subsequently developed through a number of positions in the financial sector, government, and central banking.
According to her official profile at Bank Indonesia, Destry began her career as a Senior Economic Adviser to the British Ambassador to Indonesia from 2000 to 2003.
She later worked as a researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Indonesia from 2005 to 2006, while also serving as Chief Economist at Mandiri Sekuritas from 2005 to 2011.
Her career continued as Chief Economist of Bank Mandiri from 2011 to 2015. From 2014 to 2015, she also served as Chair of the Economic Task Force at the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises.
Destry subsequently became a Member of the Board of Commissioners of the Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) from 2015 to 2019. She then joined Bank Indonesia and was appointed Senior Deputy Governor for the 2019-2026 period.
From Senior Deputy Governor to BI Governor
Destry was first appointed Senior Deputy Governor of BI based on Presidential Decree Number 74/P of 2019. She was later entrusted with the position again for the subsequent term.
After the previous BI Governor, Perry Warjiyo, resigned on July 25, 2026, Destry assumed the duties of Acting Governor of Bank Indonesia starting on the same date.
The President subsequently nominated Destry as a candidate for Governor of BI. Commission XI of the House of Representatives (DPR) approved Destry as a candidate for Governor of BI for the 2026-2031 term after she underwent a fit-and-proper test on August 26, 2026. The decision was subsequently approved by a plenary session of the DPR on September 1, 2026.
One day after the decision, Destry was officially sworn in as Governor of BI by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on September 2, 2026.
Thus, the journey of the Jakarta-born economist has continued from being a national tennis athlete, economist, academic, and financial-sector professional to serving as an LPS commissioner and ultimately leading Indonesia’s central bank for the 2026-2031 term.
