PT Ganesha Aggies Jaya (PTG) was founded in 1990 by MIke McGowan and Sigit Mursidi who were classmates during their quest for Ph. D.’s at Texas A&M University from 1987 to 1990. PTG began as a coffee-shop conversation between Mike and Sigit (see below) at the Rudder Tower MSC, Texas A&M University. It developed into an intense two-decade personal and business partnership between two men whose backgrounds were poles apart. When Mike McGowan passed away on December 30, 2006, the partnership continued after the baton was handed over to Mike’s children, Tamara Williams and Matt McGowan.

Mike was born in Malone, NY in 1949 and raised on a dairy farm. His father was known throughout the region for honesty and integrity in the cattle business, and the message that his father’s success was due to an impeccable reputation was pounded home in Mike from an early age. Mike never forgot the lesson and his reputation for honesty and integrity has survived his passing in 2006.

Mike was unforgettable. He was a hardworking man, an honest-to-goodness character, and an enthusiastic businessman. He earned his Bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1973, his Master’s degree from Murray State University, Kentucky in 1979, and his Ph. D. from Texas A&M University in 1990.

In the years between gaining his Master’s degree and the inception of PTG, Mike  built strong relationships by orchestrating full-scale training and development programs for the Southeast Asian portion of several companies  (Asamera Inc., Unocal Geothermal, Conoco, Resources Management International, Gray International Corporation, General Motors, Jakarta International School, and Devon Energy Jabung Ltd.).

He was able to see massive efficiency shortfalls in several companies seeking Foreign Direct Investment in Indonesia and knew that there was an opportunity in helping them to help themselves. So he returned to Jakarta with a doctorate and a vision of establishing a one-stop HR consulting company.

During the business vacuum in the post-Suharto era of 1998 - 1999, Mike saw the need for corporations to have easy access to Indonesian Labor Law. In his relentless quest to find new ventures, by 2000 Mike had established PTG as one of the pioneering firms to put Indonesian Laws on a CD ROM. He was very active in the American Chamber of Commerce between 1990 -2005, serving two terms as a Governor and several other terms as a committee chairman.

Mike was a man with a big heart and sympathy for the suffering of others  (this link is from the Former Students’ Association of Texas A&M University, January 2005). His involvement in the relief efforts for the survivors of the devastating tsunami in Aceh are a testament to his character and make a fitting legacy.

Sigit was born in Yogyakarta in 1959, and raised in Ponjong Gunungkidul an area which nobody seems to care about and whose beauty is a well-kept secret until recently.  His parents’ home had no electricity until the late 1980s.  His past experiences are quite rare.

After graduating from high school, Sigit attended the Polytechnic of Fisheries in Jakarta, one of the government-sponsored, higher education institutions which were set up to address the lack of interest among the younger generation to work in the fisheries sector. This great institution is the very few of the all-paid educational institution (tuition, meals, and lodgings). For unknown reason, Sigit graduated with distinction in 1980 and was immediately assigned as Instructor on board its research and training vessel. He won a full scholarship in Italy from 1983 to 1984 for an advanced course in marine power plants. This program, which was conducted in the beautiful resort of San Benedetto del Tronto, was sponsored by the government of Italy.  His six-year stint as a marine engineer earned him the grand title of Chief Engineer in 1986. In the same year he inexplicably won another scholarship offered by the World Bank and left for the USA to pursue his education at the Sam Houston State University and was eventually awarded a Ph. D. degree in Agricultural Development at Texas A&M University in 1990.

Other than co-founding PTG, Sigit has held various positions in the corporate world in the fields of Training & Development, Human Resources Management, Expatriate Management, and Compliance. He has served as the head of the HR Department at several multinational corporations in Indonesia (General Motors, Mercedes-Benz) and in Stuttgart, Germany.  His international experience covers Italy, the USA, and Germany, and this has abundantly enriched him.  Other than his native Javanese, he could now communicate in Indonesian, English, Italian, German, Spanish, and French.

In his position as the President Director of PTG, Sigit has consistently demonstrated his unwavering demand for integrity in the workplace. He always has and always will consider the interests of his clients before his personal benefit, an attitude that has had a top-down effect pervading the whole company.