Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia — Great journeys do not always begin in grand spaces. For Ir. Thasrin Belenehu, S.ST., IPM., ASEAN Eng., his journey grew from the courage to dream, build trust, and take strategic steps in developing a business group that now operates across multiple sectors.

The Founder and CEO of Thaka Group, also known as PT Thaka Buana Group, was honored with the 2026 SEA–Iconic CEO Award during the Grand Honors 2026 – Malaysia Chapter, held on July 25, 2026, at M World Hotel Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

The Malaysia edition of Grand Honors formed part of Star Iconic Media’s series of recognition events celebrating leaders, entrepreneurs, professionals, companies, and institutions with distinguished track records of leadership and meaningful contributions within their respective fields.

Ir. Thasrin received the award in the category: “Southeast Asia Iconic CEO in Strategic Business Leadership, Multi-Sector Growth & National Development Contribution Award.”

The category recognizes an outstanding Southeast Asian CEO for strategic business leadership, multi-sector business growth, and contributions to national development.

The award highlights not only Ir. Thasrin’s position as Founder and CEO, but also the leadership direction he has established in developing Thaka Group. From property development, construction, project management, and villa management to mineral mining and the culinary industry, each business division requires a distinct approach, risk-management strategy, operational system, and understanding of its respective market.

His ability to guide these diverse sectors under a unified corporate vision represents one of the key considerations behind the recognition he received.

From a Personal Vision to a Corporate Direction

In his public profile, Ir. Thasrin is known through the personal narrative, “A Village Boy with a Dream.” The phrase reflects an identity closely connected to the roots of his life journey, while also conveying the belief that one’s background should not limit the ability to build a greater future.

This narrative did not remain merely a personal identity. Throughout Ir. Thasrin’s journey, that dream evolved into the courage to establish a company, mobilize resources, manage teams, enter strategic sectors, and create broader opportunities for collaboration.

As an entrepreneur, he applies a leadership approach that combines business vision with the courage to take decisive action. His journey demonstrates that corporate growth is determined not only by the scale of available capital or opportunities, but also by a leader’s ability to remain consistent, build credibility, and transform ideas into viable business activities.

This is where the meaning of “A Village Boy with a Dream” takes on a broader dimension. The dream is not solely about personal achievement, but also about building an organization, developing a business ecosystem, and creating value across multiple industries.

Building Thaka Group on a Foundation of Trust

PT Thaka Buana Group was established in 2016 by Thasrin Belenehu. According to the company’s official profile, Thaka Group is a continuously growing and innovative business group overseeing a range of activities in property development, villa management, construction, gold mining, and the culinary or food and beverage industry.

The company places integrity and trust at the core of its development. Thaka Group’s vision is to become one of Indonesia’s leading and most trusted corporate groups. Its mission includes maintaining the trust of partners and customers, promoting sustainable growth, developing innovative and competitive businesses, and contributing to national development and public welfare.

This direction indicates that Thaka Group’s growth is not driven solely by the expansion of its business portfolio. It also requires the company to protect its reputation, strengthen organizational capabilities, establish professional working systems, and ensure that every business division continues to move toward the same strategic objective.

For a corporate group, trust holds significant value. It forms the basis of relationships with customers, business partners, investors, professionals, suppliers, and communities surrounding the company’s areas of operation.

For this reason, Thaka Buana Group’s slogan, “Your Trust, Our Mission,” is directly relevant to the company’s business model. Trust is not positioned merely as a communications message, but as an essential element that must be upheld in project execution, service delivery, partnership relations, and business development processes.

Strategic Leadership in a Multi-Sector Business

Managing a single company requires the ability to set priorities, understand market dynamics, and maintain organizational effectiveness. This complexity increases significantly when a CEO leads a business group operating across several industries at once.

Each sector presents its own set of challenges.

The property and construction sectors require careful planning, cost control, quality supervision, technical compliance, and the ability to complete projects on schedule. Villa management and hospitality demand high service standards, effective asset maintenance, strong marketing capabilities, and a clear understanding of changing traveler behavior.

The mining sector requires a different approach to operations, regulatory compliance, occupational safety, and environmental management. Meanwhile, the food and beverage industry operates in a fast-moving competitive environment that demands a strong concept, consistent product quality, a compelling customer experience, and the ability to maintain operational efficiency.

In this context, strategic leadership means more than simply expanding a business. A leader must determine which sectors are relevant, understand their respective risk levels, allocate resources effectively, build competent teams, and ensure that each business unit remains aligned with the company’s broader vision.

Ir. Thasrin’s leadership model reflects an effort to drive growth through diversification. This strategy allows the company to pursue opportunities across multiple industries while developing a portfolio that does not depend on a single line of business.

However, diversification also requires discipline. It demands the ability to maintain focus, assess project feasibility, manage organizational complexity, and ensure that expansion does not outpace the company’s readiness.

The recognition in the category of Strategic Business Leadership and Multi-Sector Growth is therefore highly relevant, as it highlights this responsibility: the ability not only to identify opportunities, but also to establish direction, structure, and continuity in the company’s growth.

Property, Construction, and Project Development

Property and construction form an important part of Thaka Group’s business ecosystem. According to the company’s official information, this sector includes property and area development, construction execution, construction management, and project consultancy.

In the real estate and property sector, the company applies an approach that emphasizes quality, comfort, aesthetics, market demand, and long-term investment value. Its construction services include building development, infrastructure projects, renovation work, and project execution with close attention to quality, timelines, and budgets.

Thaka Group also provides construction management support focused on supervising and controlling project costs, quality, and implementation schedules. Its project consultancy services cover the planning stage, feasibility studies, and technical and managerial recommendations before a project enters the execution phase.

This range of services reflects a comprehensive approach. The company is not solely focused on the final outcome in the form of a completed structure, but is also involved in project planning, coordination, supervision, and management.

Ir. Thasrin’s background as an engineering professional provides relevant context for his leadership in this sector. His engineering qualification, IPM status, and recognition as an ASEAN Engineer demonstrate the connection between his technical expertise and his strategic responsibilities as a CEO.

In the construction and property industries, an engineering perspective at the leadership level can help a company assess project feasibility, improve execution efficiency, maintain work quality, manage risk, and understand the relationship between design, function, cost, and investment value.

Accordingly, Ir. Thasrin’s position represents more than that of an entrepreneur who identifies commercial opportunities. He also brings a professional identity that is closely connected to the industries in which his company continues to grow.

Supporting the Growth of Hospitality and Tourism

In addition to property and construction, Thaka Group is also active in villa management and the hospitality sector, particularly in Bali.

Villa management involves more than simply renting out a building. It encompasses property maintenance, operational management, marketing, guest services, facility supervision, and efforts to preserve the asset’s long-term value.

Within a tourism ecosystem such as Bali, the quality of management has a direct impact on guest experience and a property’s reputation. For this reason, companies require professional and responsive service systems capable of adapting to market expectations.

The portfolio presented on Thaka Group’s official website includes a number of villa, property, restaurant, café, commercial facility, and other projects. Among the names listed are Baliwood I, Baliwood II, Buduk Villa, Seis Villa, Ubud Garden Villa, Villa Estela, Aquamarine III, Oceaniq 2, Mela Restaurant, Soda Project, and Apresio Kopi.

This portfolio illustrates the connection between property, construction, hospitality, and food and beverage. A villa project, for example, involves more than physical development. It also includes design, asset management, user experience, marketing, and long-term investment potential.

This cross-sector integration is one of the strengths of the group’s business model. Capabilities in one area can support development in another, giving the company an opportunity to build a complementary and interconnected business ecosystem.

Portfolio as a Record of Growth

A company’s growth becomes easier to understand when it is reflected in the projects and portfolio that have formed part of its business journey.

Thaka Group’s official website presents a portfolio covering a diverse range of locations and project types. In addition to villa and culinary projects in Bali, it also includes sports facilities, shopping centers, hospitals, apartments, resorts, and hotels across various regions of Indonesia.

Projects such as a padel court in Probolinggo, Star Square Mall in Manado, the Central Buton Regional General Hospital in Southeast Sulawesi, an apartment project in BSD City, and Hyatt Regency in Sanur are also featured on the company’s portfolio page.

It is important to view this portfolio not merely as a list of projects, but as an indication of the company’s ability to adapt to different project requirements.

A villa development has different requirements from a hospital. A shopping center has a different character from a hospitality facility. Likewise, apartment, restaurant, and sports-facility projects each require specific planning, functional standards, coordination, and execution approaches.

This diversity highlights the importance of project management capabilities and collaboration with a wide range of professionals. In cross-sector projects, a company must be able to connect the needs of project owners, consultants, architects, engineers, contractors, suppliers, operational teams, and other stakeholders.

At the leadership level, a diverse portfolio also requires the ability to select projects that are aligned with the company’s competencies, resources, and strategic direction.

Expansion Through Jogja Icon Hotel

In its corporate profile materials, Thaka Group has also introduced Jogja Icon Hotel by Thaka Group as one of its planned developments in the hospitality sector in Yogyakarta.

The project is presented as part of the company’s expansion strategy to strengthen its presence in property, hospitality, and high-value asset development.

Yogyakarta has a strong market profile as a center of education, culture, tourism, and business activity. The development of a hospitality project in the region creates an opportunity to connect accommodation needs with experience, architectural identity, service quality, and long-term investment value.

Jogja Icon Hotel also demonstrates how Thaka Group’s business direction continues to progress from one achievement to the next stage of development. For the company, expansion does not simply mean entering a new market. It also involves translating its experience in construction, property, and hospitality into a more integrated project.

As the project is still being introduced as a development initiative, its success will depend on the accuracy of its planning, operational readiness, strength of concept, and the company’s ability to understand the needs of Yogyakarta’s hospitality market.

Minerals, Mining, and Operational Responsibility

Thaka Group also identifies minerals and mining as part of its business activities, particularly in gold mining.

This sector involves a high degree of complexity. In addition to commercial considerations, mining is closely linked to regulation, occupational safety, environmental management, community relations, technology use, and operational governance.

In its service profile, the company states its commitment to conducting mining activities through a responsible and sustainable approach, including attention to environmental standards and the creation of economic opportunities for communities surrounding its areas of operation.

The inclusion of mining within the group’s portfolio reflects the broad scope of the company’s strategy. However, this sector also carries substantial responsibilities. Growth in the natural-resources industry requires a balance between productivity, compliance, risk mitigation, safety, and sustainability.

Leadership in this sector is therefore assessed not only by the ability to generate growth, but also by the quality of governance and awareness of long-term impacts.

Developing Opportunities in the Food and Beverage Industry

The food and beverage industry represents another area of diversification for Thaka Group. On its official website, the company highlights the development of culinary brands through restaurants, cafés, and various food and beverage concepts.

Several featured portfolio brands include Apresio Kopi, Mela Restaurant, and Soda Project – Cafe and Restaurant.

The culinary business has a different dynamic from property and construction. In this sector, consumer decisions are made quickly. The customer experience is influenced by taste, product quality, pricing, service, atmosphere, location, branding, and operational consistency.

Thaka Group’s entry into this sector reflects the company’s effort to develop a portfolio that is more closely connected to consumers. This move also complements its hospitality activities, as restaurants and cafés can form an important part of tourism experiences, lifestyle offerings, and area development.

At the same time, the culinary industry demands continuous innovation. An attractive concept must be supported by effective operational processes, quality control, workforce management, supply-chain reliability, and a clear understanding of changing market trends.

Leadership, Trust, and Impact

In the modern business environment, a CEO’s success is no longer measured solely by how quickly a company expands. Leadership is also evaluated through the ability to maintain trust, shape organizational culture, build an adaptive organization, and create value for stakeholders.

Through Thaka Group, Ir. Thasrin demonstrates a leadership approach founded on three important elements: leadership, trust, and impact.

Leadership relates to the ability to establish direction and make decisions amid business complexity.

Trust relates to reputation, integrity, professional relationships, and consistency in honoring commitments.

Impact, meanwhile, relates to the value generated through projects, business opportunities, economic activity, employment, professional collaboration, and contributions to the development of the sectors in which the company operates.

These three elements are closely interconnected. Growth without trust is difficult to sustain. Trust without execution capability is insufficient to drive progress. Leadership without impact, meanwhile, risks losing its relevance to both the organization and society.

For this reason, the award received by Ir. Thasrin carries meaning beyond recognition of his position as CEO. It highlights his journey in building a company, managing growth, and preserving a clear vision amid a changing business environment.

Business Contributions to National Development

The award category received by Ir. Thasrin also includes the element of National Development Contribution.

Within the business context, contributions to national development do not always take the form of large-scale programs. They can emerge through sustainable economic activity, project implementation, facility development, job creation, professional capacity building, payments across supply chains, and the creation of partnership opportunities.

The sectors in which Thaka Group operates are connected to a range of national development needs.

Construction and property contribute to the development of buildings and facilities. Hospitality and villa management support the tourism ecosystem. Food and beverage contributes to the creative, service, and consumer-economy sectors. Mining activities, meanwhile, are connected to resource management and economic opportunities in operational areas.

According to its official profile, Thaka Group aims to create added value, generate employment opportunities, and contribute to public welfare and national development.

The award can therefore be understood as recognition of the direction and potential contribution being built through the company’s multi-sector growth.

Unable to Attend Due to Professional Commitments

Ir. Thasrin Belenehu was unable to attend the Grand Honors 2026 – Malaysia Chapter in person due to prior professional commitments and a demanding schedule.

In coordination with the event organizer, symbolic award documentation was carried out by the organizing committee for the event’s official documentation on his behalf.

This documentation arrangement did not affect the designation of the award recipient. The award remained conferred upon Ir. Thasrin Belenehu in his capacity as Founder and CEO of Thaka Group, while the organizing committee only assisted with the symbolic documentation process because he was unable to attend.

Although he could not be present in Malaysia, the recognition remains an important part of his professional journey. The award marks the appreciation of a vision developed in Indonesia through a regional-scale event held in Malaysia.

Recognition of a Visionary Indonesian CEO

The presentation of the 2026 SEA–Iconic CEO Award to Ir. Thasrin Belenehu represents recognition of an Indonesian CEO who has built his company through vision, courage, professional competence, and a cross-sector growth strategy.

His journey through Thaka Group demonstrates that building a company is not merely about increasing the scale of its operations. It also involves developing teams, maintaining trust, managing risk, identifying the right opportunities, expanding a portfolio, and ensuring that the company creates value that can be sustained over the long term.

From the identity of “A Village Boy with a Dream,” Ir. Thasrin’s journey has evolved into a story of courage: the courage to build, broaden opportunities, and transform a personal vision into a larger business movement.

The award presented in Malaysia represents one of the milestones in that journey.

Through the Grand Honors 2026 – Malaysia Chapter, Star Iconic Media recognized Ir. Thasrin Belenehu as a CEO who embodies strategic leadership, multi-sector growth, trust, and meaningful contributions through his professional work and business activities.

It is a recognition that a dream built with integrity, competence, perseverance, and strategy can grow into a legacy that creates value for a wider community.