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Inspired by Obama

The MPA scholarship enables Mr Lim to work in the public and private sectors.
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

IN THE early days of his presidency, American president Barack Obama spoke about public service being a privilege, and that public servants are "keepers of the public trust".

His words struck a chord with Mr Lim Wei Hong, who hopes to contribute to Singapore with the same attitude.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) sponsored his scholarship in 1997, leading to a "challenging and satisfying" career in the public service.

Mr Lim says: "Public policies today are seldom confined within the domains of individual ministries. Opportunity to work on increasingly complex issues with social, economic and security dimensions makes the job challenging, and at the same time, interesting.

"Satisfaction comes from knowing that you are working to better the lives of your fellow countrymen, and are making a direct contribution to nation-building," he says.

Although it was some 12 years ago, Mr Lim can still remember his mother's excitement when she told him he received the scholarship.

He recalls that his chosen scholarship had just been launched then. On what sealed the deal for him, he says: "The scholarship provided scholars with exposure to both public and private sector work environments early in their careers, through a unique rotation mechanism. In 2007, I benefited from this unique feature of the scholarship, and was seconded to BW Maritime, a leading private tanker company."

Today, Mr Lim is the assistant director of the International Maritime Centre (IMC) Capability Development Department at the MPA, the national agency that champions Singapore as a maritime hub.

In addition to being a port authority and the national sea transport representative in international forums, MPA also develops and promotes Singapore as an international maritime centre for global shipping businesses.

Mr Lim leads a team of eight, whose role is to formulate, execute and review Singapore's manpower development policies for the maritime cluster. Some of the key tasks he oversees include identifying manpower trends within the maritime industry, and developing appropriate policies and initiatives.

He is also actively involved in engaging external partners in these endeavours, including other government agencies, universities, polytechnics, unions, and maritime employers.

Mr Lim says he owes his achievements to his university education. His degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2002, laid his strong foundation in the subject.

He then spent a year at Yale University in the United States for a master's degree in international and development economics. Useful skills he picked up included analytical and communication skills, which were essential in public policy work. He also developed his communication skills from interacting with students from diverse cultures.

Since joining the MPA in April 2004, Mr Lim has taken on various portfolios.

"I was responsible for attracting new shipping investments from the Greater China markets to Singapore", he says. "I was also responsible for the development of Singapore's shipping finance sector."

Candid about serving his six-year bond with MPA, he says: "Watching peers embark on high-flying careers in investment banking and consultancy did put me at a moral crossroad. However, since I had made that commitment, I decided to serve the bond.

"I also appreciated the trust MPA placed in me when they seconded me to the private sector. It is only right that upon completion of my secondment, I return to the organisation to finish serving my bond."