People
Shita Laksmi
Southeast Asia Representative, Diplo
Ms Shita Laksmi has more than 17 years of hands-on experience in thematic issues such as transparency and accountability, open data, technologies, freedom of expression, Internet governance, and media development. She successfully managed a regional programme on technology and transparency from 2012 to 2017 while at Hivos Southeast Asia. From 2014 to 2017, Shita served as a member of Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) at the United Nations (UN) to advise the Secretary General on the programme of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meetings. In 2016, she was one of the Career Woman finalists, a competition held by Femina Magazine in Indonesia. She is also an expert team member at the ICT Applications Directorate General, Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies in Indonesia.
Shita holds a Master’s in Journalism from the Ateneo de Manila University and is currently taking a Post Graduate Diploma in Internet Governance at the University of Malta.
Ms Shita Laksmi is a consultant representing Diplo in Southeast Asia, bringing over two decades of experience in international development, quasi-government roles, and academia. Her expertise spans transparency and accountability, personal and open data, media development, and digital governance. From 2019 to 2022, Shita was the Executive Director of Tifa Foundation. She also served on the expert team at Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Informatics from 2017 to mid-2019 while managing Diplo’s projects across Asia.
Previously, Shita spent over a decade at Hivos Southeast Asia, focusing on transparency, accountability, and freedom of expression across Indonesia, Timor Leste, and the Philippines. She has held key advisory roles, including as a member of the UN’s Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group (2014–2017) and as an advisor at the Asia Pacific School of Internet Governance (APsIG).
Shita holds a master’s in Contemporary Diplomacy and Internet Governance (University of Malta, 2020, with distinction) and a master’s in Journalism (Ateneo de Manila University, 2004). She is also a certified Data Protection Officer from the European Center on Privacy and Cybersecurity, Maastricht University.
