Story by Caleb Yeoh
Pix by Alissala Thian
PENANG Institute recently announced the appointment of Dr. Lim Kim Hwa as its new chief executive officer replacing Zairil Khir Johari who is now its executive director. Buletin Mutiara’s Caleb Yeoh met Dr Lim for an exclusive one-on-one.
Q: What were your feelings on being appointed to the post?
A: I’m deeply honoured to be given this new appointment and will do my best to uphold the principles of the Penang Institute. I am truly thankful for this and will not let Penang down.
Being a true blue Penang boy, this new appointment is a way for me to give back to the place I affectionately calls home.
Q: Tell us something about yourself.
A: I graduated from Chung Ling high school in 1993 and then went on to the University of Kent Canterbury where I obtained a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance in 1997. Previously, I worked as an assistant professor at the University of Cambridge and a portfolio manager at a Singapore hedge fund and was also a proprietary trader at Credit Suisse in London.
Q: What are your plans for Penang Institute?
A: Just one – make it the best think-tank in Malaysia by creating concepts from ideas and generating them into visible realities.
Q: Would your aims and approaches differ much from your predecessor, Zairil Khir Johari?
A: Zairil paved the way for Penang Institute and I would not aim to do things differently. I will uphold the long-standing level of excellence at the institute and push the envelope further to the best of my abilities.