Air, land or sea, he had
a hand in it
Civil servant Sim Kee Boon, who helped raise Changi Airport, dies
at 78
Straits Times, The
(Singapore)
Home
10 November 2007
PIONEER civil servant Sim Kee Boon was a builder of institutions
global and local - from Changi Airport to a shipyard to a golf club
- and he did it with head and heart.
Plus lots of walking around, even when he became ill and had a tube
under his shirt.
Mr Sim died yesterday morning of complications arising from stomach
cancer. He was 78.
A man who bridged the public sphere and corporate world with
aplomb, he raised Changi Airport and the Tanah Merah Country Club
from barren land.
He led the Civil Service, and also Singapore's export push. He
became a shipbuilder who memorably turned around Keppel
Corporation.
The tributes streaming in yesterday celebrated him as a man full of
ideas and the joy of life.
Mr Lim Chee Onn, executive chairman of Keppel Corporation, said the
Keppel success story flows from Mr Sim's 'vision and
efforts'.
'I have learnt much from his inimitable style, particularly his
great sense of optimism and cheerfulness even during very trying
times,' he said.
Mr Sim was concurrently chairman of Keppel Corporation and the
Civil Aviation of Singapore from 1984 to 1999. While the aviation
sector would enjoy many highs, he was tempted at first to shutter
loss-making Keppel.
Instead, within five years, he diversified into engineering,
property, financial services and more. He developed shipyards
overseas. So out of troubled waters, he drew out one more Singapore
icon.
In his own words, his management philosophy was marked by 'fast
decision-making and implementation after careful weighing of
risks'.
Many remember him for his management-by-walking-about style,
too.
He would arrive early at airports elsewhere to scrutinise the
details of shopfront lighting, for instance, said Mr David Lum,
managing director of Lum Chang Holdings.
Mr Sim and his wife Jeannette, 76, were avid golfers.
Mr Edwin Khoo, committee member at the Tanah Merah Country Club,
said although Mr Sim could not play golf due to his health, he
would still putt around and join golf buddies for drinks most
weekends for two hours.
Until as recently as last month, he was at the club where he was
the founding chairman. This despite having undergone chemotherapy
and walking with a tube under his shirt, said Mr Khoo.
His passion for work was legendary, and once there was a comic
twist to it.
Mr Sim was task-oriented boss to businessman S. Chandra Das, 68, in
the 60s and 70s, at the Economic Development Board and at Intraco,
the state trading company.
Mr Das recalled taking a day off for his wedding vows at the
Registry of Marriages, only to have Mr Sim call and ask: 'Is
Chandra Das there? Tell him to come to work.'
But Mr Das and others remember Mr Sim as a teacher and mentor with
a caring touch, despite being synonymous with Singapore's
mega-projects and enjoying first-rate global connections.
In the sombre days after Lum Chang's MRT construction project at
Nicoll Highway collapsed in 2004, Mr Sim advised Mr Lum to make
voluntary compensations to workers.
In more joyful moments, if his staff sent him wedding invitations,
he would try his best to be there. He would also personally greet
new Tanah Merah Country Club members.
He loved reading, music and certainly golf, and once said his wife
played 'far better than I do'.
A 1972 profile of her in The Sunday Mail described the dynamics of
their marriage, which produced five sons: 'He is sharp, pithy,
impatient. She is calm, dependable, tactful - the perfect civil
servant's wife.'
Although Mr Sim was known for his meticulous command of details,
she affectionately drew aside the curtain on his occasional lapses.
He sometimes forgot their theatre dates, or sprang a surprise
dinner invitation when she was dripping wet from golf.
She understood. 'He can't help himself, the way he works.'
[email protected]
'Always ready to answer the
call of duty'
Civil servant Sim Kee Boon, who helped raise Changi Airport, dies
at 78
Edited condolence letter of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Mrs
Sim Kee Boon:
'My wife and I are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mr
Sim Kee Boon. Please accept our deepest condolences and
sympathies.
Mr Sim led a long and distinguished career in the public service.
He belonged to the generation of civil servants who served during
the tumultuous times of Singapore's early years, and helped to
formulate and implement the policies that created today's
Singapore.
A shrewd and resourceful man, Mr Sim knew the world and the
realities of our region. He understood our neighbours and how to
get on with them.
As Permanent Secretary and later Head of Civil Service, he guided
the civil service with his practical touch, economic expertise, and
sound instincts about people.
As Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Communications, Mr Sim
implemented the Government's decision to move the airport from Paya
Lebar to Changi, and coordinated the massive effort to complete the
project on time.
Later as chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
(CAAS), he helped Changi Airport to achieve first-class service
standards, winning praise from travellers and multiple awards from
travel magazines.
When he went on trips he would wander around the airports... always
with the thought of bringing new ideas back to his beloved Changi
Airport. He continued doing this long after he had ceased to be
directly involved with Changi.
This was how Changi became a world-class airport, and an icon that
every Singaporean is proud of.
In 1984, after retiring from the civil service, Mr Sim became the
executive chairman of the Keppel Group. Mr Sim proved that he was
not just a competent administrator but also an outstanding
businessman.
The Keppel Group was then burdened by debts amounting to nearly
$850 million. It did not help that the economy soon ran into a
severe downturn.
But within two years, he had turned Keppel around and generated a
modest profit. Over the next decade, he grew the company from a
shipyard into one of Singapore's leading conglomerates.
After Keppel, Mr Sim continued to contribute actively in diverse
roles... He was also a member and later chairman of the Council of
Presidential Advisers, and served on the boards of various
companies and government agencies.
In Temasek Holdings, he not only offered valuable perspectives and
sound advice to the senior management, but was also much sought
after by the younger officers, who vied to work with him so as to
learn how he tackled problems, and imbibe his wisdom and
insights.
An avid golfer, Mr Sim served as chairman of the Tanah Merah
Country Club since its opening in 1984.
With his keen eye for detail and uncompromising insistence on
quality, he made Tanah Merah one of the best golf clubs in
Singapore.
Even a diagnosis of cancer in 1990 sapped little of his passion for
golf. I remember meeting him in Singapore General Hospital in 1992.
His cancer had recurred, and he was about to go for a second major
abdominal operation.
Yet his main concern was whether he would be able to continue
playing golf after the operation. Indeed he did, for many more
years.
I was sorry to learn that he had fallen ill again this year. When I
met him, he explained how he was leaving the medical decisions
entirely to his doctors, in whom he had full confidence, and taking
things one day at a time.
I know he was hoping to see his first grand-daughter's wedding in
January. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
Mr Sim dedicated himself fully to serving the country, and was
always ready to answer the call of duty. He had a deep sense of
mission, and in every assignment and task, he demanded high
standards and gave his best. His passing is a deep loss to all of
us.'
Copyright, 2007, Singapore Press Holdings Limited
