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Tan Sri Professor Lim Kok Wing is a dangerous man!

But only in the T E Lawrence sense; when he said “Men who dream by night, wake to find the dream has vanished. But the men who dream by day work to make their dreams come true”. They are the dangerous ones.

Tan Sri Lim is the very antithesis of Mat Jenin, the proverbial day dreamer. We have seen a prodigious output in terms of the scope and versatility of his activities born of enthusiasm and enterprise both commercial and artistic. These owe much to a rare combination, that of artist and entrepreneur.

First, Kok Wing was always our finest graphic artist. Creative design was his defining talent. Who has not heard of the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology? And before that of Wings Creative? In his advertising days he won more than 100 national and international awards. He is still quite simply, the best in the business.

But he has gone beyond that, a man to watch out for – ideas driven, and a serial innovator. It has been said of him that if opportunity does not knock he is prepared to break down the door. Tan Sri Lim was recently voted Entrepreneur of the Year in Malaysia, recognised for having balanced business success with social consciousness.

We are here today to laud his contribution in the field of education which in recent years has become the chief focus of his activities with the mission to give back to the community in the field he knows best. His multifaceted experience and development of creative technology come together with his entrepreneurship and above all his innovative approach to inspire an education initiative ahead of its time and apt for a globalised world.

The Limkokwing University of Creative Technology he has set up here brings together the most advanced disciplines in multimedia, virtual reality, mobile computing and creative design. In this country there are 18,000 unemployed graduates every year whose education is incompatible with contemporary demands. Kok Wing’s students get immediate employment, are snapped up before graduating. The campus here is a microcosm of the global world with students from 90 countries from Europe, the US and especially the developing world.

Tan Sri Professor Lim has exported his model. In London where the more traditional universities have to re-invent themselves to become more relevant, the Limkokwing University breaks new ground, with a New Vision. Education is no longer a paper chase but a 21st Century quest for more pragmatic renewal. A degree of exuberant experimentation is already attracting attention, which at the same time helps to promote Malaysia whilst this is for originality, he has also been careful to preserve a dual identity British and Malaysia benefiting from the former’s legacy in the field.

The Lim Kok Wing vision is also a Global vision. His most recent foray was into Botswana. Only last week when registration opened 5000 signed up for 1500 places, including from several countries. The President of Botswana has invited Tan Sri to address their Parliament in July on the subject of resource and talent building for today’s world. With the entry into Africa and London, the one Limkokwing University now spans 3 Continents.

Nor does it stop there. He is going to Africa targeting 300,000 students across the sub-continent in 5 years and within 10 years 1 million. Amongst his expanding learning centres nearer home a university in China is already in place. Vietnam and Cambodia will follow whilst the existent Indonesian campus is to be up graded.

Coming from the other side of the world Tan Sri Professor Lim Kok Wing is giving the lead in education to transformational leadership. He more than qualifies for our original specification of a dangerous man – with vision he makes come true – both a new Vision and a Global Vision. Today we have a very tangible token of the latter – in that a United Kingdom University seeks to recognise and do honour to their Malaysian educational colleague.

It is my pleasure to give this Citation to honour our distinguished recipient today of an Honorary Professorship of Thames Valley University.