Kim Lim

You could say Kim Lim is born into power and wealth, but the daughter of billionaire tycoon Peter Lim earned her way to the top of the beauty and wellness industry with good, old-fashioned hard work, an egalitarian attitude and savvy marketing.

In less than three years, the bona fide entrepreneur established hair-loss treatment centre Papilla Haircare; expanded its offerings with a namesake scalp-focused product line; launched medispa Illumia Therapeutics; opened aesthetics clinic Illumia Medical; and started anti-ageing skincare brand Illumiaskin. This year, she welcomed a new one-stop beauty destination at I12 Katong mall that houses Papilla Haircare, Illumia Medical, Illumia Therapeutics and Illumiaskin.

No task is too small for Kim when it comes to building her empire. The heiress has scrubbed toilets, worked the reception and assisted the doctors in treatments all while fronting marketing campaigns and tallying the company accounts. She credits her fierce independence and inquisitiveness to her father, who told her she needed to “learn how to do everything”.

As a lifelong philanthropist who grew up doing charity work, Kim put in place corporate social responsibility initiatives as soon as she founded her company. The KLHealth Benefactors Platform, to date, has built houses in Mongolia, worked with local programmes to provide food and home essentials for underprivileged groups, supported animal welfare organisations, and donated time and money to Covid frontliners.

“Power is having the ability to help others, influence change, and lead by example,” she says. “Paying it forward and giving back are values that have been instilled in me since I was a child. The joy I feel when I can put a smile on someone’s face is probably one of the purest kinds there is.”