Growing Up in the Lim Family
Despite being born into a wealthy family, Kiat Lim has always maintained that his childhood was relatively “normal.” He recalls playing sports like football and basketball, just like any other kid. As he grew older, his father, Peter Lim, began sharing more about his own early struggles and offering life lessons along the way. In a professional setting, Kiat describes his relationship with his father as that of a mentor and mentee. He credits much of what he has learned to both indirect guidance and his own ventures. The two share a similar approach to risk, decisiveness, and taking action.
However, Kiat emphasizes that he has never felt pressured to follow in his father’s footsteps. “I think I have never tried to actually live up to him,” he explained, noting that he prefers to keep his head down, chart his own path, and trust the process. “I believe the pressure is only real if you let it get to you.” Still, he hopes his father would be happy and proud of him.
Taking on New Roles in Business
Kiat graduated from the University of New South Wales in Australia with a degree in psychology before starting his career as vice president of investments at advisory firm Kestrel Capital. By September 2022, he had become Thomson’s executive vice-chairman, where he now leads overall growth strategies and oversees Thomson X, the group’s digital arm that drives its transformation initiatives. His work has included major investments, corporate finance deals, and founding new ventures in fields ranging from healthcare technology to Esports.
In a recent interview, Kiat put it this way: “I respect my father too much to say I’ve taken over. But the answer is yes. My caveat, though, is I will always respect his position and his decisions, because he is my boss as well.” He added that his father would never hand over responsibility unless he believed the next generation was capable of carrying it forward. “So, hopefully, he sees something in me.”
Expanding into New Ventures
Beyond Thomson and RSP, Kiat has ventured into other projects, including the digital football platform ZujuGP and ARC, an NFT community he co-founded with Elroy Cheo of the Mewah International family in 2022. As he works across a wide range of industries, Kiat encourages employees to press their ideas even if he is not convinced and surrounds himself with industry experts better than him. This approach helps him make decisions that balance short-term profits and broader, long-term objectives.
As the son of a billionaire, Kiat is no stranger to nepotism criticisms, but he takes them in stride. “Who doesn’t want a better outcome for the company than the owner of the company? But if you do things well, you’re just lucky, you’ve got resources. If you do it badly, you’re stupid,” he says bluntly. “I’m not saying this out of self-pity. It’s factual. It’s just human nature. I’m okay with being criticized.”
Football Fan Turned Valencia CF President
For Kiat, football carries a sense of nostalgia, reminding him of his younger days. He recalled playing matches with his father at 5 a.m. as a kid and spending weekends watching games together. Even during family travels, they would squeeze in time for a match or two.
In March, Kiat was appointed president of Valencia CF, the Spanish club his father bought in 2014 to rescue it from bankruptcy. But a decade on, the team has struggled to regain its former glory, leaving frustrated fans calling for the Singaporean owner to step aside. Speculation of a sale has swirled for years, but Kiat has firmly denied it. “There have been rumors of us selling every year since we bought the club. Very clearly at this point in time, we’ve put in so much effort, we want to see the plan through,” Kiat says.
As president, he is pushing forward with the long-delayed Nou Mestalla, a 70,000-seat stadium scheduled to open in 2027. “We’re going from fewer than 500 hospitality seats to more than 6,500, from a dated venue to a modern destination that can host major events year-round,” Forbes quoted Kiat as saying. “Nou Mestalla is not just bricks and seats—it’s the engine that will drive our next era of growth.”
Life Beyond Business
Kiat has always wanted to become a father early and keep a smaller age gap with his children than the one between him and his father. Now married with a four-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son, family has become one of the most rewarding parts of his journey. “My kids are my life. But one day, they’re going to be teenagers and they’re not going to care about me anymore. When that happens, I want to still have the energy to do my own thing, travel and enjoy myself.”
Balancing work and parenting is not always easy, but Kiat makes the effort to spend time with his kids, even if it means answering emails or sending voice notes from the playground. When it comes to raising his children, Kiat says mental strength is important, but what matters most to him is that they grow up kind. “My kids keep me going, in that I want to be a better role model for them. Hopefully, they will be able to see my actions just as I did with my dad.”
