It takes courage to make your mark in a man’s world. Pamela Santosa has what it takes, despite her soft demeanor and stunningly good looks, to get her hands dirty running her family’s tyre and automotive services and equipment company.

Of mixed Indonesian and Colombian heritage, Pamela is the quintessential girl next door, but with brains to back her good looks.

She also has her own style and is not afraid to show it. Her taste in clothes is sophisticated, yet adventurous. The white off-the-shoulder top matched with the Valentino black-and-white layered and laced skirt would be the perfect outfit for her, really embracing her Latino blood.

Being a woman in a man's world doesn't stop Pamela from caring about fashion and high heels. During working hours, Pamela prefers to wear flat shoes from Tod's and comfortable clothes like the cream silky top and high-waist black trousers from the Hugo Boss collection but still indulges in lavish clothing like a black Valentino dress matched with a pair of lace high heels.

“For me, fashion is something simple and elegant but it should be comfortable to wear and fit the person. I don't follow fashion just for the sake of following what's in, but it has to be something that I'm comfortable with,” she says with a smile.

When it comes to modern style and luxury that are backed by rich tradition, Bernard Suwanto, managing director of Montblanc’s Indonesian agent Sumaco Wahana Utama, has the “write” stuff – and more.

“Montblanc (now owned by Swiss luxury brand company Richemont) was brought into Indonesia in 1986, at a time where there weren’t many international brands here,” explains the 38-year-old.

“Then, Montblanc was not yet a fully diversified brand. We identified its potential and the opportunities for the brand to grow, especially here with Asians’ taste for luxury goods, and decided to bring it in.”

Today, five boutiques in Jakarta bear the brand’s name and signature white star logo, alongside another store in Surabaya and numerous other points of sale across the country.

Recent years have seen unprecedented expansion in the brand traditionally known for best-quality writing instruments. The Montblanc stable now includes leather goods, fashion and fine jewellery ranges, as well as watches, a unique star-cut diamond and more.

However, as Bernard points out, this does not mean that Montblanc has abandoned its roots. “Today, Montblanc has much more to offer, yet it is consistently timeless and not affected by trends.”

India's diversity is certainly a match for Indonesia's: It a land with more than one billion people spread across a landscape where it can reach 50 degrees Celsius in the shade along the plains of the Thar dessert and below freezing in the Himalayas along the country's northern border.

As India’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Biren Nanda is determined to share with the people of his host country the arts, culture and traditions that characterise his homeland, as well as the many common threads that bind the two countries together.

As the highest representative of a government abroad, any ambassador carries a weight of responsibility on his shoulders: It is a job only for the passionate, committed and kind-hearted.

After completing bachelor and masters degrees in economics Nanda took part in the competitive examinations to become a civil servant and won a position along with only a few dozen others against 100,000 candidates.

“I think my role is to facilitate and push all aspects of interaction so that we can move forward. We have signed many strategic agreements with Indonesia, and we aim for cultural cooperation,” says Nanda.