“I've Done Everything In My Life Except Sail Around The World”

Veteran financier and philanthropist Dr Eric Lim longs to sail to Micronesia. But the entrepreneur in him still relishes spearheading projects across the world.

- Zara Zhuang

He once concurrently operated more than 30 business entities worldwide and has managed funds for his BLCG Global Group of Companies amounting to “reasonable mid-billions”, but he can’t state a more precise figure — “Let's say five [billion], five is good enough,” he relents with a laugh. He is working towards eradicating cancer — but, due to the sensitive nature of the industry, he can’t reveal how a proposed treatment might work, who his partners are or where the treatment facility will be located.

Some details of what Dr Eric Lim has achieved, he isn’t at liberty to disclose in full, but the sheer volume of what we are able to piece together demonstrates his ambitions for myriad projects and ventures.

Lim is polite, meticulous, and well-prepared. When we finally meet for the interview, not only has he crafted his profile for us, he has also answered in detail the preliminary questions sent to him three days prior. In fact, he has printed out his replies, and from across the table he distributes copies of the 10-page document, already sorted and slotted into individual clear plastic pockets. “I found some typos in the morning, so I redid this and sent it back to you,” he says. “I made the latest copy for you as well, and I made the text very big so it’s easier to see — it’s font size 16.”