Beyond the Mekong

The Future of Indonesia, ASEAN, and the Digital Age in Southeast Asia

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Beyond the Mekong

The Future of Indonesia, ASEAN, and the Digital Age in Southeast Asia

Risk analyst Keith Loveard talks about the past, present and future for ASEAN and in particular its powerhouse, Indonesia, amid wider trends.  

The Future of Indonesia, ASEAN, and the Digital Age in Southeast Asia
Credit: Luke Hunt

Keith Loveard is a risk analyst covering Indonesia and the broader Southeast Asian region. He began his career as a journalist at the Sydney Daily Telegraph in 1968 and held senior positions at Australian Associated Press and ABC Radio News before joining the Hong Kong-based Asiaweek magazine in 1990 as its Jakarta correspondent.

In 2002, he took up a position as public affairs adviser with the Indonesian Department of Trade and Industry, where among other duties he was speechwriter for the minister, Rini Soemarno. At the same time, he was developing an information service that became a feature of business risk startup Concord Consulting, which he joined full-time in 2004. Loveard continues to work with Concord as editor of the Concord Review website and a senior analyst for the company.

Loveard recently spoke with The Diplomat’s Luke Hunt about a range of issues across Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and its role within ASEAN in the aftermath of recent elections as well as the impact of the digital age on risk assessment.

Luke Hunt can be followed on Twitter @lukeanthonyhunt