Doctor of Education of the University of East London (Honoris Causa)

Chancellor,Vice-Chancellor,

Graduands,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen;

I am delighted and honoured to be delivering the citation for the conferment of an Honorary Doctor of Education of the University of East London upon Tan Sri Dato Professor Dr Lim Kok Wing.

Tan Sri Professor Lim is a truly outstanding individual, and it is hard to know where to begin to describe his many achievements and talents.

He is one of Asia’s leading entrepreneurs, who has triumphed in many fields – journalism, the arts, advertising, as a pioneering creative communications consultant to government and industry and most famously as the founder and president of the university that bears his name – which has grown rapidly and has won worldwide renown for its innovative approach to higher education.

Born in 1946, Tan Sri Lim began his career as a newspaper reporter and cartoonist, before joining what was then a fledgling advertising industry as an illustrator. He rapidly rose to become the youngest -- and the first Asian -- Regional Creative Director of McCann Erikson, one of the world's leading international advertising and strategic communications groups.

In 1975, he branched out to set up Wings Creative Consultants, aiming to develop the huge potential of the industry and offer opportunities for local talent. Committed to harnessing advertising to the greater good, he has worked closely with the Malaysian Government to build cohesiveness in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multi-lingual society.

The communications campaigns masterminded by Tan Sri Lim have created great social benefit. His successes include, among many others, increasing awareness of the dangers of smoking, and generating support for the Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games. During the 1990s, his creative skills contributed to redevelopment in countries recovering from civil war and ethnic division including South Africa and Bosnia Herzegovina.

Aiming to establish Malaysia as a centre of excellence for education, Tan Sri Lim established Limkokwing Institute of Creative Technology in 1991. The Institute achieved University status in 2003, and is now Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, one of the world’s leading universities, with over fifty international partners.

We at the University of East London are immensely proud to be one of those partners and we have enjoyed a fantastically fruitful relationship that is moving from strength to strength.

Tan Sri Lim has been honoured as Malaysian Entrepreneur of the Year, Advertising Personality of the Year, CEO of the Year, and Asia's Most Creative Thinker and Personality. His reputation for energy, enterprise and philanthropy has spread far and wide, and in 1995 he was awarded a knighthood – and the honourable title of Tan Sri -- by the King of Malaysia.

Tan Sri Dato’ Professor Dr Lim Kok Wing, in recognition of your many achievements and your significant contribution to the Malaysian education system and life and culture in South East Asia, it gives me the greatest pleasure to ask the Chancellor to confer on you the award of Doctor of Education of the University of East London, honoris causa.

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