Drs. H. Thayeb Mohammad
Gobel
Gobel Group Founder
President Soekarno, Indonesia’s first president, once asked him,
Why did he choose the transistor radio business?
and Gobel answered
So that all Indonesians in every corner of the country could hear your speeches.
Hearing his answer, Soekarno tapped him on the shoulder, while giving praise this is how Indonesian young should be.
The Biography
Our story starts from one man’s sincerity
The late Drs. H. Thayeb Mohammad Gobel was born in Gorontalo, 12 September 1930, passed away in Jakarta, 21 July 1984. He is widely recognized as the pioneer of the electronic industry in Indonesia. In 1954 he started transistor radio manufacturing business with the brand trademark of “TJAWANG” and successfully marketed his product all over Indonesia.
A turning point in Gobel’s entrepreneurial life came in 1957 when he received a Colombo Plan scholarship to study in Japan. During this period, he succeeded in meeting with Mr. Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (currently–Panasonic Corporation). The meeting led to the collaboration between the two which allowed Gobel to successfully produced the first monochrome television in Indonesia enabling Indonesian people all over the country to watch 1962 Asian Games that was held in Jakarta.
In 1981, the Emperor of Japan awarded Gobel Third Class Order of the Sacred Heritage (Kun Santo Zuikoscho), for his services in strengthening Indonesian-Japanese relations in the economic field.
