Jakarta, Indonesia-based Amol Titus is a veteran with 35 years of professional experience in teaching and writing, most of which has been related to Sustainability. A distinguished career with a unique combination spanning 18 years in finance and 17 years in strategic advisory and management counselling makes him a polymath. The CEO Views magazine recognizes this multidimensional career trajectory and the professional achievements of Amol and is proud to honor him with the “Sustainability Champion of the Year 2025” award.
What does Sustainability mean to Amol?
Amol considers sustainability to be an all-encompassing discipline, and due to his career arc and progression, he has been able to learn, work, and contribute to a variety of areas. These include sustainability regulations and policy advisory, sustainable development, sustainable finance, sustainable manufacturing, sustainable tourism, and sustainable supply chains, among others. In his words, “Due to my passion for writing, I was also able to communicate about the necessity of sustainability protocols, projects, initiatives, and best practices and help build momentum in a key emerging market like Indonesia.”
Senior experts like Amol are much needed in countries like Indonesia that face a myriad of environmental challenges such as climate change, deforestation, loss of precious flora and fauna, pollution, and the crisis of waste. However, with his sustainability projects, Amol has been successfully addressing these threats to preserve the spectacular geography of the country and its economic growth.
Prioritizing Indonesia’s Sustainability
Amol Titus believes Indonesia must endeavor to be part of the solution rather than being part of the problem. After Brazil and Congo, Indonesia has the third-largest tropical rainforest coverage. Its 17,000 islands, thousands of water bodies, and fertile volcanic soil have made it a treasure trove of biodiversity. The country supports 17 percent of global wildlife (515 species of mammals and 1,539 species of birds) and 45 percent of global fish.
In saving this rich geography of the country, Amol has been emphasizing to the government, corporate, and institutional sectors that this natural wealth is as important as national wealth, such as minerals, forestry, and agricultural commodities. Therefore, collaborative progress toward the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the country’s own environmental agenda must be prioritized.
Handling Threats to Sustainable Practices
In several countries, including recently in the West, sustainability efforts have been hampered due to a lack of coordination and differing agendas of stakeholders. With limited resources and issues of poverty and unemployment, such challenges are also likely to be experienced in developing countries.
Amol concurs, “Skepticism arises when there is a lack of awareness. Sustainability should not be seen as a Western idea.” Ancient Indonesia pioneered many sustainable practices. The sprawling Borobudur and Prambanan temple complexes in Central Java highlight a high level of eco-consciousness in design and architecture.
The Balinese philosophy of ‘Tri Hata Karana’ or Three Causes of Happiness emphasizes harmony between Man, God, and Nature. Therefore, Amol stresses the salience of embracing sustainability within the country’s specific context and applying it with local knowledge.
In Amol’s view, focusing on micro-industry-specific issues is equally important as addressing the macro ones. As adaptation to climate change is a macro issue requiring central and provincial government action, the property sector at a micro level must adopt practical solutions such as proper zoning, avoidance of construction in fragile coastal areas, proper recycling of water to minimize withdrawal from deep borewells, and usage of light construction materials.
Opportunities for Sustainability
Sustainable supply chains have been a big opportunity for Indonesia, and Amol’s work complements his initiatives in the finance and tourism sectors. In producing agricultural commodities like palm oil, timber, coffee, cacao, coconuts, spices, and others, malpractices such as deforestation will invite blacklisting and sanctions.
In order to address these challenges, Amol suggests that the correct approach is to fully, diligently, credibly, and transparently adopt commodity-specific sustainability criteria grouped under environmental, social, and governance (ESG) requirements.
Reputable multinationals are seeking out such sustainable suppliers and developing long-term partnerships. A similar trend is also seen in the textiles, garments, shoes, and bags manufacturing industry, with additional emphasis on avoiding industrial accidents, minimizing the usage of hazardous chemicals, controlling air and water effluents, and reducing the carbon footprint.
In all sectors, compliance with human rights standards must be maintained. Contemporary standards on living wages (not minimum wages), safety and empowerment of women, diversity, equity, and inclusion need to be considered and progressively adopted. Over the decades, Amol has shared his knowledge and expertise in the areas of governance standards of board independence, sustainability reporting, and disclosure.
Adopted Approaches
With an open, collaborative, and capacity-building approach in all the sustainability projects and initiatives, Amol, as a senior visiting professor, taught about sustainable and inclusive development to youth and young professionals in India, Indonesia, and other parts of Southeast Asia. He has also founded the Young Leaders for Eco Cities initiative, under which young residents of cities are inspired to adopt sustainable living practices and help make their surroundings clean and green.
He further elaborates, “I have been working with multiple stakeholders to promote sustainable tourism and development in the areas surrounding the sprawling lake. A program called ‘Pure Toba, Toba Murni’ has been launched to create awareness about the importance of documenting and protecting the unique environment, Batak culture, and communities. I have also collaborated with prominent writers and creative artists in the region to launch the Lake Toba Writers Festival, which is held each September at a venue by the shores of the inspiring lake.”
An Unstinting Commitment
Amol Titus’s unsparing commitment to sustainability, an array of impactful projects, and an ability to collaborate with various stakeholders, mentors, youth, and young professionals distinguish his achievements. By recognizing this unparalleled contribution of Amol in the realm of sustainability, The CEO Views regards him as richly deserving of this honor.
Amol Titus with North Sumatran Batak dancers of Indonesia, who are supported under his Sustainable Culture and Tourism initiatives in the Lake Toba region.