HaSIM Forum - Founders

The Founders of HaSIM Forum

HaSIM Forum was born from the meeting of three worlds that rarely sit at the same table. Academia, diplomacy and policy, and industry. Its three founders each represent one of them.

Assoc. Prof. Hera Oktadiana, Ph.D, CHE brings the research. She holds a Ph.D from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and serves as Adjunct Associate Professor at the Griffith Institute for Tourism and James Cook University in Australia, Adjunct Professor at the University of Brawijaya, and Associate Professor at the Trisakti Institute of Tourism in Indonesia. Her work covers tourist behaviour, Muslim and halal tourism, sustainability, and tourism education. She is the author of Halal and Islamic Tourism, published by Channel View, and the founder of Muslim Women in Tourism & Hospitality (M.WiTH). Through her, the forum is anchored in evidence and connected to an international scholarly network.

Dr. H. Muhammad Rahmad, S.Ag, S.Par, MM, MITM brings the policy and institutional reach. He spent 17 years in diplomatic service at Indonesian embassies, chaired AMPHURI, and served as Secretary General of ASITA. He is Executive Director of the Center for Indonesian Tourism Studies and a lecturer at the Trisakti Institute of Tourism, and Special Advisory of Minister of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia. His role is to make sure the conversation in the forum reaches the people who write the rules, both in industry associations and in government.

Hj. Elyn Hastriana, BBA, M.Par brings the industry. She is Commissioner of PT Rama Investama Sejahtera and PT Rama Asia Wisata (Rama Tour), and Director of PT Indonesia Cendekia Mandiri. With more than two decades of experience spanning diplomacy, corporate leadership and tourism entrepreneurship, she keeps the discussion tied to what actually happens inside travel businesses.

What makes this combination work is that none of the three duplicates the others. A researcher, a policy figure and an operator have been in the room since the forum was designed. That is why HaSIM can credibly place spirituality, ethics and social justice at the centre of tourism development, rather than functioning as an academic seminar or an industry showcase.

Assoc. Prof. Hera Oktadiana, Ph.D, CHE

Dr. H. Muhammad Rahmad, S.Ag, S.Par, MM, MITM

Elyn Hastriana, BBA, M. Par