Riding the waves of technology growth: Dr Lim Huat Seng’s first encounter with a computer was at the University of Queensland in Australia in the 1960s. And he went on to head the largest computer center among universities in South East Asia a decade later. The Colombo Plan scholar not only helped revolutionize the technology scene in Asia , but also showed that change is the only constant in this fast- evolving world. Dr Lim (second from left) his wife (third from left) Khoo Keow Gin visited King’s College, University of Queensland in 2014, 50 years after his enrolment at the residential college. With them were Master of King’s College and his wife. Photos: Courtesy of Dr Lim Huat Seng.
By Foong Pek Yee
foongpekyee@gmail.com
Sept 15, 2024
Young, married and holding stable jobs was the dream of many people in the old days.
Electrical engineer Dr Lim Huat Seng and his teacher wife Khoo Keow Gin who were high school sweethearts was no different.
But Dr Lim who was a maintenance engineer with Anglo Oriental Mining Corporation found life boring in the little tin mining town called Tanjung Tualang about 40 km from Ipoh, Perak.
It was in the late 1960s.
His dream was a career in the computer industry but computer was something hardly heard of in Malaysia then.
It was only in 1971 when Dr Lim got a major breakthrough.
In Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) vice chancellor Professor Tan Sri Hamzah Sendut and its School of Physics and Mathematics Dean Professor Dr Chatar Singh Beriam Singh had plans to set up a computer center and a computer science programme.
During the job interview, Dr Lim’s vision of the USM computer center – a very sophisticated and advanced computer system that not only caters to the needs of teaching and research, but also supports the industry in the private and public sector- won him the job.
He took the offer though the pay was 40% lower than that of his maintenance engineer job.
USM sent him to do his PhD in computer science in London University in 1971,
On track to a better future : Dr Lim as a PhD student in his computer laboratory in London in 1971.
He obtained his PhD in 1974, promoted to associate professor and made the founding head of USM’s computer center the following year.
As a leading innovation and research computer center, Dr Lim says its focus was on teaching, research, sell computer time and provide computer advisory and consultancy services to the private and public sectors.
“The then Penang Chief Minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu ( 1919 -2010) was so intrigued by what the computer could do that he came to the center to personally test it. And he was impressed,” recalls Dr Lim.
By 1977, USM’s computer center was the largest computer center among those in universities in South East Asia.
In 1979, Dr Lim left USM for Sime Darby Systems, Singapore.
By then, the computer was gaining traction in Asia; and countries including Singapore started to adopt the new technology in earnest in sectors like banking.
Dr Lim was riding the waves of this technology development and went on to make his mark in several large organizations over the next three decades – Keppel, Compaq Computer, Packard Bell Nec, Wearnes Technology, Multi Fineline Inc.
In 1989 , Compaq sent him to China as the managing director of North Asia, covering Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South Korea – his first overseas posting out of Singapore.
Compaq – the world’s top personal computer manufacturer then – saw the huge business potential in China, and Dr Lim was tasked to set up a network of local dealers there.
Making history: Dr Lim (second from left) at the Compaq China World opening ceremony in Beijing in 1994.
While he is not fluent in Chinese, Dr Lim managed to build a close rapport with the dealers in China, and Compaq’s entry into China was a huge success.
Friendship conquers all : In Beijing 1990, Dr Lim (right) who spoke no Mandarin with his first China contact who spoke no English when they first met in 1989.
He recalls his first China contact who met him at the Beijing airport in 1989 holding a placard with his Chinese name.
“Language was no barrier. In fact he taught me almost anything I need to know about China.”
China in the early 1990s was undergoing rapid transformation in its economy.
Officials at all levels in the government and the business sector were navigating the newly -opened market economy, and to deal with them effectively required a good understanding of the Chinese culture, notes Dr Lim.
“Never confront ministers or senior government officials especially in public. Always be respectful and sensitive to people’s needs and situations ,” says Dr Lim of the dos and don’ts in doing business in China.
Citing examples, he singles out the phrase ” Ni you shenme wen ti” ( Do you have any problem? ) which was often used at the start of meetings in China.
Many people took it directly and started airing their concerns without any sensitivity , he adds , and that was when relationship got strained on the spot and business negotiations broke down suddenly.
While the concerns may be true or otherwise , the Chinese see it as an insult the way it was presented to them in a demanding manner.
Networking: Dr Lim (standing, left) held hands with the Governor of Shaanxi Province, Cheng Andong during a dinner in 1997.
Humility is important for the Chinese.
Citing a karaoke session with the dealers, Dr Lim says he sang a Chinese evergreen Green Island Serenade.
“I can remember the tune but I do not know nor recognize much of the lyrics . But we had a good time getting to know each other and forged a close relationship. The China guys really liked me. ”
And Compaq’s entry into the Chinese market was successful beyond expectation given that many were hesitant to venture into the market during that period, recalls Dr Lim, visibly proud of his three-year-stint in China that helped to shape the computer technology landscape there.
Technology transfer: Dr Lim (left) at the Tsinghua University Computer Education Centre which he helped set up in 1992.
China then was so different from China today, he recalls, adding that there were only two big hotels in Beijing – Shangrila Hotel and China World Hotel then.
The hotels closed its door to visitors at 11.00pm sharp and the city was dimly lit and all quiet by around 9.00pm.
Born and bred in Penang, Dr Lim who is the eldest of eight siblings comes across a people-centric person.
His family stayed on the first floor of a prewar shophouse and his father had a crockery business on the ground floor.
His father who started work at the age of 12 took over the shop selling crockery after his boss passed away.
Born in 1944 in the midst of World War 2, Dr Lim says his family was fortunate to survive the war.
Life was tough, and he nearly succumbed to typhoid at the age of five, he says, adding that he can still recalls that day when his parents rushed him to a doctor’s house for help.
Chinese New Year was a big celebration for the family – all the kids sharing one can of lychee drink once a year.
“We have to add sugar syrup so that we have enough for each of us,” says Dr Lim of his close-knitted family.
He studied in Penang Free School and was given a Colombo Plan scholarship to do electrical engineering in University of Queensland in Australia in 1964.
He was very prudent, and still is.
He managed to to set aside between AUD 50- 100 which was about 150 – 300 dollar in Malaysia then from the scholarship and sent home to help his family.
During his first year of vacation training (three months), he got a monthly allowance equivalent to 200 dollar in Malaysia and he gave all to his mother.
“It was the happiest time in her life and that of mine.
“Even a few hundred dollars made a big difference and the family can break out of poverty those days.”
Dr Lim and his wife were high school sweethearts in Penang Free School.
Khoo did teacher training which came with a 40 Malaysian dollar monthly allowance.
She continued to teach in Johor Baru when she and their two children followed Dr Lim to Singapore in 1980.
She commuted daily until she chalked up 25 years of service that qualified her for pension.
When Dr Lim was with Wearnes Technology in Singapore , he was known as the only CEO who came to work in a bus.
He was given an option , either the use of a company car (Jaguar ) or transport allowance.
He opted for the allowance as parking space was limited in his house.
A brilliant career spanning four decades, Dr Lim says a balance between family life and career is important.
Weekends were for the family and weekdays for work, he says, adding that he looked forward to both.
Any career has its fair share of ups and downs, and Dr Lim was able to navigate and thrive with perseverance, confidence in doing the right thing and the unwavering support from his loving wife.
Dr Lim who retired in 2010 continued to do some mentoring and advisory jobs until the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.
At 80, the couple have a son and a daughter who are in their early 50s now and grandchildren.
Their son is an Interventional Radiologist in Singapore while their daughter, a banker in Malaysia.
And Dr Lim and his wife enjoy their golden years shuttling between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to be with them.
