APAC CEO of the Year 2025 | 10 Melvi Tan is the woman at the helm of Medan Pustaka Mas, one of the most well-known distributors of books and other such educational materials across Indonesia. Established nearly 20 years ago, the company today serves as a comprehensive partner in the realm of K-12 education, with Melvi remaining as committed as ever to enhancing the experiences of students and empowering the abilities of teachers through the tools her company provides. We had the opportunity to catch up with this CEO, with her unique insights and career journey discussed below. Born in Rantau Prapat, a small city on the outskirts of Medan, Melvi Tan grew up more than 600 miles away from Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital city. Despite her distance from the country’s bustling cultural epicentre, Melvi wasted no time in setting the gold standard for educationbased practice, starting out as a tutor and lecturer and sharing her knowledge with students at various education levels. This period highlighted to Melvi the discrepancies when it came to accessing English-language learning (ELL) materials. Keen to do something about bridging this gap, Melvi made the decision to travel to nearby Singapore in search of better educational resources, which could be brought back to Indonesia to improve children’s quality of learning. Stumbling across the education books by UKbased publishing company Pearson, a name likely familiar to those who have done GCSEs or their international equivalencies, Melvi began networking with the company and demonstrating her teaching skills, leading to a partnership with the company. With Pearson agreeing to distribute its books in Melvi’s home city, her work stepped up a level, leading to her setting up Medan Pustaka Mas to reach even more people with the educational resources they need for a shot at a better future. As Melvi told us: “As CEO, I am passionate about shaping the future of Indonesia’s education and contributing to its growth. What sets me apart is my ability to blend global education standards with local learning needs, ensuring schools have access to worldclass resources through my many strategic collaborations with internationally renowned publishers.” Thus, Melvi and her team today boast strong relationships with many global providers of education materials, helping schools to implement curriculums based on the likes of Pearson Edexcel and Cambridge Assessment International Education. This is simply the beginning of the tremendous work they do however, with teachers and other educators being offered the chance to carry out professional development programmes enlightening them on all the best ways to teach in today’s modern, digitalfocused world. Of course, tying all of this together is Melvi herself, who, having the made the transition from educator to entrepreneur, possesses a keen understanding of what it is that both students and her fellow teachers need to thrive. Leveraging this expertise as the basis for her approach to clients, Melvi strives to focus on what is relevant and will actually help those working in this environment in Indonesia to improve the quality of education they provide. Alongside the materials and training discussed above, this is seen further through the academic consultations the team carry out either online or at a location. Melvi and co. deliver these either by appointment or on a three-month basis, and, focusing on the areas of English learning and literacy, maths, science, and Mandarin, ensure that every institution across the country is delivering high-calibre, growth-oriented learning. “We conduct over 250 in-house and onsite teacher training sessions annually, working closely with schools to develop their educators, strengthen their curricula, and enhance their overall learning environments.” Despite today being able to offer an encompassing service spanning every avenue of education development in Indonesia, things have not always been easy for Melvi and her staff at Medan Pustaka Mas. From having to pay heavy import fees on the books they sourced from abroad to navigating the trials and tribulations brought about by COVID-19, which hit not long after the company opened its office in Jakarta, what has seen the company through is its dedication to the cause – something Melvi embodies on a daily basis. In closing, Melvi said: “As an educator at heart, my vision has always been to create positive change.” Through Medan Pustaka Mas, she has certainly achieved this, combining hard work and persistence to today offer everything from Englishlanguage proficiency programmes for teachers and students to international curriculum implementation support for schools. Given these tremendous efforts, it is our pleasure to recognise Melvi Tan with this award. Company: Medan Pustaka Mas Web Address: https:// medanpustakamas.com/ Most Innovative Education CEO 2025 – Indonesia AIS-Feb25040
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