Draft:Derwin John Pereira

Derwin John Pereira
Derwin Pereira
Born	(1966-10-30) October 30, 1966 Singapore
Citizenship	Singaporean
Alma mater	Harvard Kennedy School and London School of Economics
Occupation(s)	Political strategist and writer
Known for	Southeast Asia expertise
Website	https://pereiraintl.com/

Derwin John Pereira (born October 30, 1966) is a Singaporean political strategist and former journalist. He is the founder and CEO of Pereira International Pte Ltd., a strategic advisory firm focused on Asia. As a journalist, he worked with The Straits Times, a Singapore newspaper, from 1992 to 2008. He has held several positions with the paper, including as its Indonesia Bureau Chief and later, United States Bureau Chief. He is known for his work on Southeast Asian political affairs and his involvement in US-based advisory boards and philanthropic initiatives.

Early life and education

Pereira was born and raised in Singapore. His father John Phillip Pereira was a banker, and mother Treesa John Pereira, a homemaker. He did his preliminary and secondary education in Singapore at the St. Gabriel's School and Catholic Junior College. History and English Literature were his areas of concentration.

He later pursued higher education at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science (Econs) in International Relations. Pereira also earned a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government in 2006 where he was a Mason Fellow.

Career

Early career in research and journalism

Pereira began his professional career in 1991 as a research officer with Singapore’s Ministry of Defence, working on regional security issues. In 1992, he transitioned to journalism and joined The Straits Times. He left the newspaper in 1995 to become a research fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, Indonesia. His area of research was the Indonesian military. He returned to The Straits Times in 1997 as a foreign correspondent, based in Jakarta between 1997 and 2001, where he reported on political developments during Indonesia’s transition from the Suharto regime. He has since conducted interviews with every Indonesian president following Suharto's downfall.

In 2001, Pereira was appointed Indonesia Bureau Chief. He oversaw the paper's coverage of political events, social movements, and security concerns in Southeast Asia. He was appointed War Correspondent in 2003 to cover the Iraq War from Baghdad, Amman, Doha, and Kuwait. Soon after his return to Jakarta after the war, he specialized on reporting on terrorism before being awarded a Singapore Press Holdings scholarship and Mason Fellowship to Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He graduated with a Master's in Public Administration in 2006. Soon after, The Straits Times appointed him as U.S. Bureau Chief in Washington D.C. During that period, he had the opportunity to interview U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, amongst others

Consulting

After his stint in the U.S., Pereira made the decision to pursue a career in the corporate sector. In 2010, he founded Pereira International Pte Ltd., a strategic advisory firm. The firm provides consulting services on political risk, business strategy, and regional affairs, working with government agencies, corporations, and non-profit organizations. The firm draws on Pereira's expertise and network in the U.S. and Asia to offer insights into the region's political and economic environment.

Board memberships and philanthropy

To promote Southeast Asia, Pereira has supported several programs to promote Southeast Asian Studies and leadership development. He established at the U.S.-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) the Derwin Pereira Indonesia Initiative in 2012 (renewed in 2015) , and the CSIS-Derwin Pereira Southeast Asia Dialogue in 2021. He also worked with the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) as the Derwin Pereira Southeast Asian Foreign Policy Roundtable.. Both these forums promote a better understanding of the region and the U.S.-Southeast Asia dialogue.

Pereira also served on the Dean's Council at Harvard University, and as an International Council Member at the at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. He currently sits on the CSIS Board of International Councilors.

Over the years, Pereira has created a graduate fellowship at Harvard University and the Derwin Pereira MBA Scholarship at Nanyang Technological University, a public research university in Singapore, to support students pursuing studies in public policy and business.

Controversies

In 2002 and 2003, Pereira’s reporting on terrorism threats in Indonesia sparked public debate. His articles on the potential for terrorist attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombing and the 2003 Marriott Hotel bombing were seen by some as prescient, while others raised questions about the accuracy of his sources and predictions

In 2015, Michael Buehler published an article alleging that Pereira International had a contract with a U.S. lobbying firm to represent the Indonesian government. Pereira and the Ministry of Defence denied these claims, stating that neither he nor his firm had received any compensation from the Indonesian government.

Awards and recognition

During his journalism career, Pereira received multiple awards from The Straits Times, including the Feature of the Year in 2001 for his reporting on terrorism in Indonesia, and the Story of the Year award in 2003 for his coverage of the Marriott Hotel bombing.

References

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Categories:

• Living people
• 1966 births
• Singaporean journalists
• Singaporean political scientists
• Alumni of the London School of Economics
• Harvard Kennedy School alumni
• Catholic Junior College alumni