{"id":4814,"date":"2024-09-16T04:16:42","date_gmt":"2024-09-16T04:16:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/?p=4814"},"modified":"2025-11-05T06:43:44","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T06:43:44","slug":"pioneering-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/pioneering-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Pioneering change"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Riding the waves of technology growth:<\/strong>\u00a0 Dr Lim Huat Seng’s first encounter with a computer was at the University of\u00a0 Queensland in Australia in the 1960s.\u00a0 And he went on to head the largest computer center\u00a0 among universities in South East Asia a decade later.\u00a0 The Colombo Plan scholar\u00a0 not\u00a0 only helped\u00a0 revolutionize the technology scene in Asia , but also showed that change is the only constant in this fast- evolving world.\u00a0 Dr\u00a0 Lim (second from left) his wife (third from left) Khoo Keow Gin visited King’s\u00a0 College, University of Queensland in 2014,\u00a0 50 years after his enrolment\u00a0 at the residential college. With them\u00a0 were Master of King’s College and his wife.\u00a0 Photos:\u00a0 Courtesy of Dr Lim Huat Seng.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Foong Pek Yee<\/p>\n

foongpekyee@gmail.com<\/p>\n

Sept 15, 2024<\/p>\n

Young, married and holding stable jobs was\u00a0 the dream of many people\u00a0 in the old days.<\/p>\n

Electrical engineer\u00a0 Dr Lim Huat Seng and his teacher wife Khoo Keow Gin who were high school sweethearts was no different.<\/p>\n

But Dr Lim who was a\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

It was in the late 1960s.<\/p>\n

His dream was a career in the computer industry but\u00a0 computer\u00a0 was something hardly heard\u00a0 of in Malaysia then.<\/p>\n

It was only\u00a0 in 1971 when Dr Lim got\u00a0 a major breakthrough.<\/p>\n

In Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia\u00a0 (USM) vice\u00a0 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\u00a0 computer center and a computer science programme.<\/p>\n

During the job interview,\u00a0 Dr Lim’s vision of\u00a0 the USM computer center –\u00a0 a\u00a0 very sophisticated and advanced\u00a0 computer system that not only caters to the needs of teaching and research,\u00a0 but also supports the industry in the private and public sector- won him the job.<\/p>\n

He took the offer though the pay was 40% lower than that of his maintenance engineer job.<\/p>\n

USM sent\u00a0 him to do his PhD in computer science in London University in 1971,<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On track to a\u00a0 better future :\u00a0 Dr Lim as a PhD student in his computer laboratory in London in 1971.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He obtained his PhD in 1974, promoted to associate professor and made the\u00a0 founding head of USM’s computer center the following year.<\/p>\n

As a leading innovation and research\u00a0 computer center,\u00a0 \u00a0Dr Lim says its focus was on\u00a0 teaching, research, sell computer time and provide\u00a0 computer advisory and consultancy services to the private and public sectors.<\/p>\n

“The then Penang Chief Minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu ( 1919 -2010) was so intrigued by what the computer could\u00a0 do that he came to the center to personally test it. And he was impressed,”\u00a0 \u00a0recalls\u00a0 Dr Lim.<\/p>\n

By 1977, USM’s computer center was the largest computer center among those in\u00a0 universities in South East Asia.<\/p>\n

In 1979,\u00a0 Dr Lim left USM for\u00a0 Sime Darby Systems, Singapore.<\/p>\n

By then, the computer was gaining traction in Asia;\u00a0 and countries including Singapore started to adopt the new technology in earnest in sectors like banking.<\/p>\n

Dr Lim was riding the waves of this technology development and went on to make his mark in several large organizations\u00a0 over the next three decades –\u00a0 Keppel, Compaq Computer, Packard Bell Nec, Wearnes Technology,\u00a0 Multi Fineline Inc.<\/p>\n

In 1989 , Compaq\u00a0 sent him to China as the\u00a0 managing\u00a0 director\u00a0 of North Asia, covering Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and South Korea – his first overseas posting out of Singapore.<\/p>\n

Compaq – the world’s top personal computer manufacturer then – saw\u00a0 the huge\u00a0 business potential in China,\u00a0 and Dr Lim was tasked to set up a network of local dealers there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Making history: Dr Lim\u00a0 (second from\u00a0 left) at the Compaq China World opening ceremony in Beijing in 1994.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

While he is not fluent in Chinese,\u00a0 Dr Lim managed\u00a0 to build a close rapport with the dealers in China,\u00a0 and Compaq’s entry into China was a huge success.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Friendship\u00a0 conquers all :\u00a0 In Beijing 1990,\u00a0 Dr Lim (right) who spoke no\u00a0 Mandarin with his first China contact who spoke no English when they first met in 1989.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He recalls his first China contact who met him at the Beijing airport in 1989 holding a placard with his Chinese\u00a0 name.<\/p>\n

“Language was no barrier. In fact he\u00a0 taught me almost anything I need to know about China.”<\/p>\n

China in the early 1990s was undergoing rapid transformation in its economy.<\/p>\n

Officials at\u00a0 all levels in the government and the business sector were navigating the newly -opened market economy, and to deal with them\u00a0 effectively required a good understanding of the Chinese culture,\u00a0 notes Dr Lim.<\/p>\n

“Never confront\u00a0 ministers\u00a0 or senior government officials especially in\u00a0 public.\u00a0 Always be respectful and sensitive to people’s\u00a0 needs\u00a0 and situations ,” says\u00a0 Dr Lim of the dos and don’ts in doing business in China.<\/p>\n

Citing examples, he\u00a0 singles out the phrase\u00a0 ” Ni you shenme wen ti”\u00a0 ( Do you have any problem? ) which was often used at the start of meetings in\u00a0 China.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

While the concerns may be true or otherwise ,\u00a0 the Chinese see it as an insult the way it was presented to them in a demanding manner.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Networking: Dr Lim (standing, left) held hands with the Governor of Shaanxi Province, Cheng Andong during a dinner in 1997.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Humility is important for the\u00a0 Chinese.<\/p>\n

Citing a karaoke session with the dealers, Dr Lim says he sang a Chinese evergreen\u00a0 Green Island Serenade.<\/em><\/p>\n

“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.\u00a0 The China guys really liked me. ”<\/p>\n

And Compaq’s\u00a0 entry into the Chinese market was\u00a0 successful beyond expectation\u00a0 given that many were hesitant to venture into the market during that period, recalls Dr Lim,\u00a0 visibly proud of his three-year-stint in China\u00a0 that helped to shape the computer technology\u00a0 landscape there.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Technology transfer: Dr Lim (left) at the Tsinghua University Computer Education Centre which he helped set up in 1992.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u00a0 Hotel then.<\/p>\n

The hotels closed its door to visitors at 11.00pm\u00a0 sharp and the city was dimly lit and all quiet by around 9.00pm.<\/p>\n

Born and bred in Penang,\u00a0 Dr Lim who is the eldest of eight\u00a0 siblings comes across a people-centric person.<\/p>\n

His family stayed on the first floor of a prewar shophouse and his father had a crockery business on the ground floor.<\/p>\n

His father who started work at the age of 12 took over the shop selling crockery after his boss passed away.<\/p>\n

Born in 1944 in the midst of World War 2,\u00a0 Dr Lim says his family was fortunate to survive the war.<\/p>\n

Life was tough, and he nearly succumbed to typhoid at the age of five, he says, adding that he can still recalls that day\u00a0 when his parents rushed him to a doctor’s house for help.<\/p>\n

Chinese New Year was a big celebration for the family – all the kids sharing one can of lychee drink once a year.<\/p>\n

“We have to add sugar syrup so that we have enough for each of us,” says Dr Lim of his close-knitted family.<\/p>\n

He studied in Penang Free School and was\u00a0 given a Colombo Plan scholarship to do electrical\u00a0 engineering in University of\u00a0 Queensland in Australia in 1964.<\/p>\n

He was very prudent, and still is.<\/p>\n

He managed to to set aside\u00a0 between AUD 50- 100\u00a0 which was about 150 – 300 dollar in Malaysia then from the scholarship and sent home to help his family.<\/p>\n

During his first year of vacation training (three months), he got a monthly\u00a0 allowance equivalent to\u00a0 200 dollar in Malaysia and he gave all to his mother.<\/p>\n

“It was the happiest time in her life and that of mine.<\/p>\n

“Even\u00a0 a few hundred dollars made a big difference and the family\u00a0 can break out of poverty those days.”<\/p>\n

Dr Lim and his wife were high school sweethearts in Penang\u00a0 Free School.<\/p>\n

Khoo did teacher training which came with a\u00a0 40 Malaysian dollar monthly allowance.<\/p>\n

She continued to teach in Johor Baru when she and their two children followed Dr Lim to\u00a0 Singapore in 1980.<\/p>\n

She\u00a0 commuted daily until she chalked up 25 years of service that qualified her for pension.<\/p>\n

When Dr Lim was with Wearnes Technology in Singapore , he was known as the only CEO who came to work in a bus.<\/p>\n

He was given an option , either the use of a company car\u00a0 (Jaguar ) or transport allowance.<\/p>\n

He opted for the allowance as parking space was limited in his house.<\/p>\n

A brilliant career spanning\u00a0 four decades, Dr Lim says a balance between family life\u00a0 and career is important.<\/p>\n

Weekends were for the family and weekdays for work, he says, adding that he looked\u00a0 forward to both.<\/p>\n

Any career has its fair share of ups and downs,\u00a0 and\u00a0 Dr Lim was able to navigate and thrive with perseverance, confidence\u00a0 in doing the right thing and the unwavering support from his loving wife.<\/p>\n

Dr Lim who retired in 2010\u00a0 continued to do some mentoring and advisory jobs until the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020.<\/p>\n

At\u00a0 80, the\u00a0 couple have a son and a daughter who are in their early 50s now and grandchildren.<\/p>\n

Their son is an\u00a0 Interventional Radiologist\u00a0 in Singapore while their daughter, a banker in Malaysia.<\/p>\n

And Dr Lim and his wife enjoy their golden years shuttling between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to be with them.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Riding the waves of technology growth:\u00a0 Dr Lim Huat Seng’s first encounter with a computer was at the University of\u00a0 Queensland in Australia in the 1960s.\u00a0 And he went on to head the largest computer center\u00a0 among universities in South East Asia a decade later.\u00a0 The Colombo Plan scholar\u00a0 not\u00a0 only helped\u00a0 revolutionize the technology … Continue reading “Pioneering change”<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52],"tags":[448,450,451,452,447,446],"class_list":["post-4814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-people","tag-computer","tag-dr-lim-huat-seng","tag-electrical-engineer","tag-london-university","tag-universiti-sains-malaysia","tag-university-of-queensland"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4814"}],"version-history":[{"count":101,"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4923,"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4814\/revisions\/4923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thevillagemyhome.com\/zh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}