Lim Kim Choon is a Singaporean civil servant and former

major-general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

who served as Chief of Air Force between 2001 and 2006. After leaving the Air Force in 2006, Lim served as the chief executive officer and director-general of the

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is Singapore's civil aviation authority and a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. Its head office is located on the fourth storey of Singapore Chan ...

(CAAS) between 2007 and 2009.

Education

Lim was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Overseas Scholarship in 1977 and graduated from

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

(Second Upper Class Honours). He also holds a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in management from the

MIT Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (MIT Sloan or Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, ...

. He attended the Air Command and Staff Course in the United States. He attended the six-week Advanced Management Program in

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

in 2009.

Military career

Lim enlisted in the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MINDE ...

(SAF) in 1976 and served in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

as an

F-16 The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it ...

pilot. Throughout his military career, he held various appointments, including: Head, Air Intelligence Department; Head, Air Operations Department; Commander,

Tengah Air Base The Tengah Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) located in the Western Water Catchment, in the western part of Singapore. The air base is the most important airfield of the RSAF as it houses the majo ...

; Chief of Staff, Air Staff (1998–2001). He was appointed as the Chief of Air Force on 1 April 2001. During his tenure as Chief, the Air Force acquired many new systems, such as the

F-15SG The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high-speed interdiction without rel ...

AH-64 Apache The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vis ...

and

SH-60 Seahawk The Sikorsky SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk (or Sea Hawk) is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission United States Navy helicopter based on the United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk and a member of the Sikorsky S-70 family. The most significant modificatio ...

. Lim also directed the Air Force's involvement in humanitarian assistance operations, including: Operation Flying Eagle in Aceh, Indonesia in 2005; Singapore's response in the aftermath of

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

in the U.S. in 2005. Lim retired from the SAF on 24 March 2006 and was succeeded by

Ng Chee Khern Ng Chee Khern (born 18 October 1965) is a Singaporean civil servant and former major-general who served as Chief of Air Force between 2006 and 2009. He is currently serving as Permanent Secretary (Smart Nation and Digital Government) under t ...

as the Chief of Air Force.

Post-military career

Lim joined the

as its Senior Deputy Director-General from May 2006 to July 2007 before serving as Director-General and Chief Executive Officer from July 2007 to 2009. Lim was appointed as a Non-Executive and Non-Independent Director of Stratech Systems on 19 May 2011. He is also a member of the boards of various governmental organisations, including: Changi Airports International; Singapore Technologies Aerospace; Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing; Ascott Group.

Awards

* Public Administration Medal (Military) (Gold) * Long Service Medal (Military)

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Lim, Kim Choon Living people Singaporean civil servants Singaporean military leaders Chiefs of the Republic of Singapore Air Force Alumni of Loughborough University Singaporean chief executives MIT Sloan School of Management alumni 1958 births