Lim Chin Beng

SIA said it was saddened by his passing and paid tribute to his immense contributions and mentorship. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Mr Lim, who sometimes joked that his career had essentially been just a long “national service”, started his own budget carrier, Valuair, in 2004 in partnership with Malaysia’s Star Cruises and Asiatravel.com. He added: “He provided outstanding leadership at a time of SIA’s rapid growth regionally and internationally. In 2007, he was conferred the Public Service Star. Born in 1932, Mr Lim studied at Raffles Institution and the then University of Singapore. It added: “Mr Lim will also be remembered for being a mentor to several generations of SIA employees, many of whom have gone on to hold senior leadership positions within the company. Mr Lim’s visionary leadership and eye for detail helped to shape much of what the SIA brand is synonymous with today.”