Michael Tene is a senior Indonesian diplomat with more than 25 years of distinguished service in diplomacy, multilateral affairs, and regional cooperation. He served as Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN in two consecutive portfolios: Community and Corporate Affairs (2019-2021) and Political-Security Community (2021-2024).
During his tenure as Deputy Secretary-General for the Political-Security Community, Tene provided strategic leadership in advancing the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Blueprint 2025, overseeing the work of the APSC Department at the ASEAN Secretariat. His responsibilities included strengthening regional peace and stability, promoting rules-based cooperation, and enhancing ASEAN’s institutional capacity in addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges. Earlier, as Deputy Secretary-General for Community and Corporate Affairs, he played a key role in organisational reform, corporate governance, and cross-pillar coordination within ASEAN.
Prior to his service at ASEAN, Tene held a wide range of senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. His overseas postings include assignments at the Embassy of Indonesia in London (1997-2001) and the Embassy of Indonesia in Washington, D.C. (2005-2009). He later served as Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2010-2014), becoming a prominent public voice on Indonesia’s foreign policy. From 2015 to 2018, he was Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative of Indonesia to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva, where he engaged extensively on multilateral diplomacy.
Following the completion of his ASEAN mandate on 14 February 2024, Tene returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a Senior Advisor. He is currently an Honorary Member of the Romanian Institute for Europe-Asia Studies (IRSEA) and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI).
Tene holds a degree in Economics from the University of Indonesia and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan.
