He was one of five prominent economic advisers who became known as the Berkeley Mafia during the Soeharto era working closely with Professor Widjojo Nitisastro.

As an economic commentator, Sadli made important contributions to public policy discussion in Indonesia throughout the 1980s and 1990s and until the time of his death.

He was appointed several times, in 1981 and again in 1987, as an expert member of international panels to undertake strategic reviews of the role of the Asian Development Bank in Asia.

[5] He is survived by his wife, Professor Saparinah Sadli, who is a leading figure in Indonesia for her work in the fields of psychology and women's rights.

The Foundation was officially established on 14 June 2019 at a meeting attended by Sadli's wife, Emeritus Professor Saparinah Sadli, and senior staff from the Faculty of Economics and Business including the Dean of the Faculty, Professor Ari Kuncoro, the Dean of the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Dr Riatu Qibtiyah, and other well-known senior scholars from the University such as Emeritus Professor Mayling Oey-Gardiner and former Minister of Finance Dr M. Chatib Basri.