Meet the finalists

Maulana Fariduddin Abdullah is a social innovation practitioner working at the intersection of sustainable value chains, rural development, and education. Through Studio Dapur Nusantara, he has spent the past nine years supporting bamboo artisans and weavers in West Java, helping strengthen production capacity, improve circular value chain practices, and enhance the economic resilience of 25–30 bamboo weaver families. His work has also empowered more than 1,400 young professionals through entrepreneurship and sustainability programmes. 

Maulana completed the International Management and Design Innovation programme jointly delivered by University of Glasgow and Glasgow School of Art in 2023. The programme provided him with a strong foundation in service design, social innovation, and impact methodology. Glasgow’s research-driven academic environment sharpened his analytical abilities, while the Glasgow School of Art’s emphasis on community engagement and participatory design equipped him with practical tools that he now applies to sustainable enterprise and rural development initiatives in Indonesia. 

Looking ahead, Maulana aims to expand community-centred innovation across Indonesia by strengthening sustainable value chains and supporting more artisan groups in building resilient rural livelihoods. 

Mega Saffira is an educator whose work spans fashion business education, textile heritage research, and academic collaboration. As a lecturer and Quality Assurance Lead at ESMOD Jakarta (Creative Polytechnic Indonesia), she supports academic development, research initiatives, and institutional growth. Through her initiative, The Textile Map, Mega aims to bring Indonesian textile knowledge to a wider audience and promote appreciation of the country’s rich textile heritage. 

Studying at the University of Leeds shaped Mega’s research mindset and strengthened her global academic perspective. The university’s reflective learning environment continues to influence her teaching while enabling her to build meaningful scholarly connections with academics around the world. 

Looking ahead, Mega aims to advance her research, expand textile knowledge initiatives in Indonesia, and pursue doctoral studies at the University of Leeds. She also plans to further develop The Textile Map as a platform to support long-term cultural preservation and knowledge exchange.

Teguh Wicaksono is a marketer, media practitioner, and music entrepreneur with more than a decade of experience working with global companies at the intersection of media, culture, and technology. 

Teguh earned his MA in Digital Journalism from Goldsmiths, University of London through an international scholarship. Throughout his career, he has worked with leading global organisations including Amazon, Netflix, TikTok, Twitter, National Geographic, The Jakarta Post, Rolling Stone, and BBC. 

He currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer at one of Indonesia’s largest OTT streaming platforms, where he leads marketing strategy and audience growth in the country’s rapidly evolving digital media landscape. 

Alongside his professional career, Teguh has founded several music initiatives, including an online music archiving project with more than one million subscribers, a music festival supporting emerging artists, and a multidisciplinary cultural venue, reflecting his commitment to supporting Indonesia’s creative ecosystem. 

Bayu Yoga Prawira is an expert in sustainable cooling whose work focuses on advancing climate-friendly refrigeration solutions. He made a significant contribution to the development of a solar-powered refrigeration facility in Maluku, supporting more than 200 small-scale fishers by improving cold-chain access and reducing post-harvest losses. The project received international recognition as an Outstanding Project at the The Smarter E Award 2025. 

Inspired by the legacy of William Cullen, a pioneer in refrigeration, Bayu pursued his studies at the University of Glasgow, where he explored cooling technologies through the Sustainable Energy programme. His studies also provided broader insights into sustainability, economics, environmental balance, and ethics. 

Today, Bayu applies his expertise in his work with a development agency, delivering technical guidance on climate-friendly cooling systems, improving cold-chain market access, and enhancing socio-economic impact for communities reliant on sustainable food systems. 

Kirana Agustina is a marine scientist and ocean governance practitioner who founded Perempuan Laut Indonesia, an initiative advancing women’s leadership in ocean conservation. 

With more than a decade of experience, she has contributed to Indonesia’s transition towards a circular economy. Kirana has supported over 20 innovation ventures through the CSIRO Indo-Pacific Plastics Innovation Network and previously coordinated the secretariat of the National Plastic Action Partnership, convening more than 150 institutions to strengthen national strategies addressing marine debris. 

A Chevening Scholar and graduate of University College London, Kirana also participated in the UN-Nippon Fellowship. Her work bridges science, policy, and community action, and she joined eXXpedition’s all-women North Atlantic research voyage to study ocean plastic pollution. 

Looking ahead, Kirana aims to scale women-led ocean and blue-food solutions that strengthen climate resilience, nutrition security, and coastal stewardship across Indonesia. 

Marthella Sirait is a disability inclusion practitioner who works to strengthen policies, build institutional capacity, and empower communities through her platform, KONEKIN, which she founded in 2018. Through her work, she drives tangible progress in advancing equal opportunities and greater inclusion for persons with disabilities in Indonesia. 

Her studies in the UK were transformative, offering an interdisciplinary and practice-oriented learning experience. Marthella was supervised by renowned Disability Studies scholar Harriet Clarke for her thesis on employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, deepening her expertise in inclusive policy and advocacy. 

Through the Scale and Empower MSME Inclusively (SEMI) programme, funded by the British Council, Marthella aims to expand a newly launched digital catalogue featuring 100 inclusive MSMEs. She plans to further collaborate with government institutions and private sector partners to strengthen inclusive economic opportunities across Indonesia. 

Putri Dwi Christanti is a Maternal and Child Health Analyst at the Health Office of Lumajang, where she leads district-wide interventions to reduce maternal mortality. Her work focuses on strengthening preeclampsia screening, improving maternal death surveillance, and building the capacity of midwives across 25 primary health centres. These efforts have contributed to preventing further maternal deaths in high-risk areas in 2025 and improving access to care for low-income pregnant women. 

Putri completed her studies at King’s College London, where she developed strong scientific rigour and gained global perspectives on women’s health research. Her education equipped her with the ability to translate evidence-based research into practical public health interventions. 

Through her initiatives, Putri’s work impacts thousands of mothers each year, shaping district health policies and strengthening the readiness of the healthcare system across Lumajang.