Dr. Ir. Musdhalifah Machmud, M.T.
Deputy Secretary General
Dr. Ir. Musdhalifah Machmud, M.T. is a retired senior Indonesian civil servant and expert in economic, environmental, and agricultural policy with over three decades of experience in national and international policy coordination. She currently serves as the Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries (CPOPC), leading strategic initiatives to promote sustainability and cooperation among palm oil-producing nations.
Throughout her distinguished public service career, Dr. Musdhalifah has held numerous key leadership positions in the Indonesian government, including Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food and Agribusiness (2015–2023), Senior Advisor on Connectivity, Service Sector, and Natural Resources (2023–2024), and Acting Deputy for Digital Economy, Manpower, and SMEs (2024). She is currently part of the Expert Team to the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs.
From 2016 to 2023, she also served as a Member of the Supervisory Board of the Food Logistics Agency (BULOG), actively contributing to national food security efforts through inter-agency coordination and policy support.
Dr. Musdhalifah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry Management from Bogor Agricultural University (IPB), a Diploma in Environmental Monitoring from the International Institute for Aerospace Survey and Earth Sciences (ITC), The Netherlands, a Master’s in Development Studies from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), and a Doctorate in Business Management from IPB University.
Internationally recognized for her leadership in sustainability and multilateral collaboration, Dr. Musdhalifah was recently honored with the Ambassadors’ 75 Award under the Planet pillar—presented by British Ambassador Dominic Jermey and Indonesian Ambassador to the UK Desra Percaya—for her outstanding contribution to climate action and sustainability in celebration of 75 years of UK–Indonesia relations.
In 2024, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Sawit Indonesia Magazine, acknowledging her exceptional lifelong contributions to the palm oil sector and her enduring commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. She was also named among the Top 110 Palm Oil Figures in 2021 by the same publication.
She has served as Co-Chair of the Forest, Agriculture, and Commodity Trade (FACT) Dialogue, chaired the Steering Committee Secretariat for the Palm Oil Fund (BPDP), and continues to actively publish and speak on key issues related to agriculture, renewable energy, and sustainable supply chains.