David Lim

Leader of the 1st Singapore Everest Expedition
David Lim
  • Led more than 15 mountain climbing expeditions despite being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare nerve disorder
  • Presented in front of groups of more than 12,000 attendees in more than 25 countries
  • Inspires audiences with his personal stories of pushing boundaries, getting the most from teams, and overcoming adversity

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David Lim is best known for leading the first Singapore Everest Expedition in 1998. From the flat tropical island nation to the top of the world’s highest mountain, he understands pushing boundaries, getting the most from teams, and overcoming adversity. A week after his return and unrelated to the climb, Lim was stricken with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare nerve disorder where the immune system attacks the peripheral nerves. Paralyzed from eyes down, he spent six months in hospitals and emerged partially disabled in both legs. Despite it all, he returned to mountaineering and since 1999 has led more than 15 expeditions, including the first all-Singapore ascent of Argentina’s Aconcagua and the world’s third solo of Ojos del Salado, the highest volcano in the world.

David Lim delivers unforgettable presentations on leadership, creative teambuilding, and bouncing back from setbacks. He is also a sought-after leadership coach, with expertise in negotiation skills, facilitating change, building high performing teams, and creating experiential learning programs. Lim and his team have presented in front of groups of more than 12,000 attendees in more than 25 countries. Some of his clients include Citibank, AIA, Novartis. Pfizer, Nomura, and SingTel.

Lim is the author of three books: Mountain to Climb: The Quest for Everest and Beyond, Against Giants: The Life and Climbs of a Disabled Mountaineer, and his latest, How Leaders Lead: 71 Lessons in Leading Yourself and Others. In his first books, he outlines how to overcome life’s greatest challenges, from team conflicts to life-threatening diseases. Lim teaches how to achieve goals by pushing one’s limits beyond the conventional definition of what is possible. In How Leaders Lead, he shares leadership techniques and discusses redefining failure and creating a winning culture.

For over a decade, Lim has been on the adjunct faculty for INSEAD business school’s programs, engaging leaders on self and team leadership. Lim excels in helping people believe they can be more than just ordinary. He holds a BA in Law from Cambridge University and is the first and only Singaporean to be conferred the highest designation for professionalism and consistent quality by the National Speakers Association and the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).

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Speaker Video

David Lim and Everest Motivation Team Preview

Lessons from Everest. David will use the lessons from the 1st Singapore Mt Everest expedition as an example of how people and teams on mountains work best together, and the kind of self and team leadership needed to succeed. He shares the kinds of successful mindsets and attributes that helped the Singapore expedition’s 4-year project – to put a group of tropical island climbers on top of the world- succeed. Some lessons covered include:

  • Finding purpose in your work and goals
  • Leading change, to succeed
  • Ambitious goal setting- and goal getting
  • Reaching the top as one team
  • Creating the right set of beliefs to succeed
  • Overcoming obstacles and adapting to change
  • Doing More with Less
  • Good is the enemy of great

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