Lim Kok Wing (Chinese: 林國榮; 1945 – 1 June 2021) was a Malaysian businessman, philanthropist, educator, and illustrator. He was the founding president of the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology.
Lim Kok Wing | |
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| Born | 1945 |
| Died | 1 June 2021 (aged 75–76) |
| Occupation(s) | Business magnate, philanthropist, educator, illustrator |
| Lim Kok Wing | |||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 林國榮 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 林国荣 | ||||||||||||||
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Early life
editLim was born in 1945 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He attended Methodist Boys School and Cochrane Road Secondary School.[1]
Career
edit
In 1975, at age 29, Lim established advertising firm Wings Creative Consultants.[1] In 1992, he founded the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Cyberjaya.[2] He also served as its president. In July 2007, following the establishment of Limkokwing University Botswana, Lim addressed the country's Parliament. The same year, Limkokwing University London was founded.[1] In June 2020, the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology commissioned a billboard depicting Lim as "King of Africa," flanked by a cheetah and surrounded by African students;[3][4] it was removed after receiving negative online responses.[5]
Death
editLim died on 1 June 2021, aged 75.[6] He had been hospitalised the previous week after falling at home.[7] Local newspaper The Star described him as "one of the most prominent figures in the higher education sector",[8] while the Unesco Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE) called Lim a "great figure in education and philanthropy".[9] Mahathir Mohamad remarked that Lim was an "avid supporter of the Malaysian vision", whereas Najib Razak noted that he "transformed the lives of many".[10]
Recognition
editLim received several awards for both his entrepreneurship and philanthropy. In 2006, he was named CEO of the Year by the Malaysia Canada Business Council. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary professorship by the Moscow Academy of the State and Municipal Management.[11]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ a b c Wong 2012, p. 640.
- ^ Wong 2012, p. 639.
- ^ Tan, Mei Zi (10 June 2022). "Malaysians demand removal of 'dehumanising' billboard portraying Lim Kok Wing as 'King of Africa'". Malay Mail. Archived from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ Sukumaran, Tashny (20 June 2020). "'King of Africa' billboard sparks racism claims at university started by Chinese-Malaysian". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ Moey, Melina (12 June 2020). "Angry netizens petition to remove billboard portraying Lim Kok Wing as 'King of Africa'". AsiaOne. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ Basyir, Mohamed (1 June 2021). "Lim Kok Wing dies at 75". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Lim Kok Wing recuperating after suffering from fall". The Star. 25 May 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ Rajaendram, Rebecca; Menon, Sandhya (2 June 2021). "Tributes and condolences pour in for Lim Kok Wing". The Star. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ Menon, Sandhya (3 June 2021). "Unesco's ITTE saddened, shocked by Lim Kok Wing's death". The Star. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ "Tan Sri Dato Sri Paduka Dr. Limkokwing: Tributes from Global Leaders". Limkokwing University. 1 November 2021. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
- ^ Wong 2012, p. 642.
Bibliography
edit- Wong, Seet Leng Mei (2012). "Lim Kok Wing". In Leo Suryadinata (ed.). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary, Volume I & II. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 639–642. ISBN 9789814345217.