[1] Herman started his career in the Pekanbaru City government as Chairman of Bappeda, then became Regional Secretary and mayor.

Among other things, in the field of cleanliness and urban planning, where during his reign, Pekanbaru managed to win the Piala Adipura seven times in a row.

Apart from that, Herman also won the Piala Wahana Tata Nugraha (WTN) several times.

After the end of his term as mayor of Pekanbaru, Herman ran as a candidate for governor of Riau with the deputy mayor of Dumai, Agus Hidayat in 2013, but lost to the pair of Annas Maamun and Arsyadjuliandi Rachman.

Herman died in Awal Bros Hospital Pekanbaru on 27 February 2022, at the age of 71 and was buried in the Kusuma Dharma Heroes' Cemetery, Pekanbaru City.