Siti Hartati Murdaya, also known as SHM was born in 1946 in the heart of Jakarta, Indonesia. A city girl her whole life, Hartati was the eldest of 7 siblings, all sisters with only one son as the youngest brother. Responsible and hard working, she was known to be the jack of all trades in the family – she could bake cakes, sew clothes, cut hair, and help her mother take care of all her younger siblings. Hartati went to school at Tri Sakti University where she studied economics, and after she worked in her father’s saw mill company as the general manager.