The woman behind top real estate firm

LILY Lim is the driving force behind one of East Malaysia’s top real estate development firms — RJ Realty Sdn Bhd.

Acumen, dedication and a burning desire to succeed have always been the catalyst behind the entrepreneurial spirit of this working mum.

The Kuching-born CEO inspires excellence. Her commitment to building the firm from the grassroots up has gained the trust of bankers, buyers and business associates.

At first glance, her bid to form RJ Realty may appear easy — looking for land in Kuching to build on, then laying a solid foundation before coming up with the end result.

The reality, however, is quite different from perception.

“The detailed planning, discipline and perseverance involved could be arduous.

No shortcuts and no entitlements on top of everything else,” Lim said.

Initially, she helped her husband with his business.

After the birth of her two children, she realised she could be doing more than what she was doing at the time. She had a burning desire to succeed. And her passion has always been to build homes.

Lim believes hard work is the key to success in life and her faith in God has been her pillar of strength in running the firm.

Ten times bigger

RJ Realty Sdn Bhd was formed in late 2005 and has blossomed to more than 10 times its initial size — with Lim at the helm.

It was the success in building her own dream home that convinced Lim she was ready to run a real estate development firm.

Taking the first step towards realising her goal as a real estate developer, she quickly learned the ropes and developed a discerning eye for design and details. She also went on to build a strong support network for the company.

In the early stages, Lim and RJ Realty got a bank loan to start the first housing project — Tabuan Avenue — comprising terraced and semi-detached houses. It sold out before land clearing even started.

After the completion of Tabuan Avenue in 2008, Lim continued to work on more projects, taking the property development rate of RJ Realty Sdn Bhd to new levels.

The firm now has a broad portfolio of at least 20 projects, including landed homes, commercial shops, industrial and showroom units and high-rise condos.

Lim’s pride and joy is her latest project — d’Ryx Residences — a low density and luxurious community of condominiums and penthouses in the heart of Kuching city.

Designed with an eye on preserving greenery in the city centre, the residential enclave is nestled amidst a lush and tranquil garden landscape.

“I hope d’Ryx Residences will be on the lips of society’s crème de la crème whenever deluxe living is the topic of discussion,” Lim said.

With d’Ryx Residences, Lim wants to create a multi-generational home within a home and provide a new paradigm of comfortable, sustainably conscious living.

Early riser

A habit that has endured since RJ Realty’s formation, Lim rises at 4am every day, saying this is when inspiration strikes her best.

She unfailingly begins each day with a prayer before getting down to business.

Crediting her high productivity to the solace of the early morning hours, she said it gives her the quiescence and equanimity to put things in perspective before a day of meetings and brainstorming sessions for upcoming homes.

“When I wake up early, I can get more things done,” she said.

Lim believes what sets her apart from her peers is her commitment and unwavering vision of a comfortable lifestyle for potential or current homeowners from all walks of life.

She advocates individuality in her design creations and capitalises heavily on the word ‘home’.

She believes in building and selling homes that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also homes she and her family would happily live in.

Lim’s goal for RJ Realty transcends all preconceptions of a development firm, taking into consideration the architectural and social implications of each development project implemented.

“There’s more to real estate development than simply building houses. Every project I take on is an effort to place Kuching on the world map. I want to bring about

development that complements the ever-changing cityscape of Kuching.

“You need to carefully consider each home built. Will it enrich the local community and the city in any way? How does the development hold up over time? Is it sustainable?,” she said.

According to her building cannot just be put up and be done with.

“It should hold up, in every sense of the word, for many years. Good design adds value to the economy. There should be no ‘trend’ in development. It’s all about creating a home for the generations to come,” she explained.

For the community

Beyond the property realm, Lim emphasised the importance of recognising social and spiritual responsibilities, constantly participating in fundraising projects, blood drives and campaigns that benefit the local community.

RJ Realty helped build the Church of the Holy Family in Betong several years ago after Lim found Roman Catholics in the predominantly Iban township needed a place to worship.

For the worthy cause, the firm pledged a house as a prize in the fundraising drive for the church.

“We had to dig into our pockets to come up with the funds because we just started our business. So thank God, we managed to raise more than we had hoped for,” she recalled.

Education is something that’s very close to Lim’s heart.

After completing secondary school, she was awarded a scholarship by the government to further her studies but had to decline because her family could not afford her living expenses abroad.

Not wanting the same to happen to other less privileged students, she now aims to set up a scholarship for them, firmly believing every student should be given the opportunity to fulfil his or her academic potential.

First winner

Lim became the first woman from Sarawak to win the Property Development Industry trophy at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award (Apea) Malaysia 2017, hosted by Enterprise Asia in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 25.

The Apea honours business leaders who demonstrate outstanding entrepreneurship, embody qualities such as exceptional performance, perseverance and tenacity in developing successful businesses in Asia Pacific.

Organised by Enterprise Asia with the support of a panel of distinguished industry and government leaders, the award serves as a bridge for leading Asia Pacific entrepreneurs.

Enterprise Asia has made its mark in over 12 markets throughout Asia Pacific, making the Apea the most prestigious award of its kind.

Lim received her award from the Enterprise Asia president Datuk William Ng, who represented Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau.

The function was attended by about 1,000 guests, including VIPs and influential Asia Pacific entrepreneurs.

Lim thanked her family and staff for their unstinting support over the past 10 years.

After she received trophy, her daughter, Ryonna Chuo, presented her with a bouquet.

“Many people assume because Ryonna graduated from university as an architect, I would be slowing down — which is far from the truth.

“In fact, this award has given me greater impetus to work even harder so that we can do more together. With her educational background and my experience, we will catapult RJ Realty to even greater heights,” Lim said of her daughter’s role in the firm.

She added that Chuo has always been involved with the designing and planning of RJ Realty development projects.

Career highlights

• Formed RJ Realty Sdn Bhd in 2005. Increased the number of employees to 10 times its initial size. Under Lim, the company has greatly improved its gross development value.
• RJ Realty Sdn Bhd has expanded its development portfolio from one residential project to include public, commercial, mixed-use residential properties, apartments, condominiums and luxury student accommodation.
• Organised fundraising for construction of the Church of the Holy Family in Betong as a personal and corporate social responsibility project.