Cover Jan Lim, regional CEO of Lenskart, looks back on his journey in the tech industry and shares the lessons he has learnt, his biggest success and more. (Photo: courtesy of Jan Lim. Illustration: Francesca Gamboa)
Jan Lim, regional CEO of Lenskart, looks back on his journey in the tech industry and shares the lessons he has learnt, his biggest success and more. (Photo: courtesy of Jan Lim. Illustration: Francesca Gamboa)
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The chief business officer of Lenskart Southeast Asia shares the insights he has gathered navigating the ups and downs of the Asian tech industry
Chief business officer for South East Asia at Lenskart Jan Lim knows a thing or two about the tech industry. In fact, prior to joining the tech-driven international eyewear brand, Lim helped launch the American e-commerce platform Amazon in Singapore back in 2017.
Growing up, Lim found himself drawn to the products that tech companies would launch. “I was always the first to buy new tech or tinker with personal computers (PCs) at home,” he says, adding how his natural interest in computers and technology made it almost a natural segue into the industry. This led him to join the Amazon business in Singapore, becoming one of its founding team members.
His time at Amazon led him to various opportunities for growth, enabling him to receive the SG Digital Leader award by IMDA and attend the Wharton Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Lim is also a member of the XA Network, an investment network based in Singapore.
After over seven years at Amazon, Lim has moved to Lenskart where he currently leads the business in Singapore and Indonesia. He also spearheads regional expansion in Thailand.
Here, Lim speaks to Tatler Singapore as he looks back on his journey in the industry and shares the lessons he has learnt, his biggest success and more.
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Can you tell us about your biggest success, and how you got there?
The launch of Amazon in Singapore continues to be the number one highlight of my career. It stands out because Amazon is the most memorable company of my working career. I often tell people that when I joined Amazon, it felt like I found home. It also stands out because launches are very special times in a team’s life, it’s that one period where everyone is completely aligned and unified on the objective and nothing else matters. Launches also carry a level of motivation and energy which is hard to replicate outside of a launch. I’m thankful to have been part of and led other great launches in my career.
Tell us about a hurdle or setback in your life, and how you got past it.
This may sound silly but I failed a couple of exams in school. It was the only time I’d failed an exam and it left quite an impression on me as I hated the feeling. It taught me to work harder so I would never experience the feeling again but also that I probably wasn’t very good at geography and history—the two subjects I’d failed at!
Above Lenskart's Jan Lim
Lenskart's Jan Lim
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What are the most formative events of your life, and how have these set you on the path you are on now?
It would certainly be the financial crises of both 1997 and 2008, and its effect on the economy at those times. It was the driver for my family’s move to the UK and my choice of a corporate career, as the family businesses could not be sustained. Both the moving of countries and the challenges those crises brought led me to develop a high level of resilience. This has guided me through multiple challenges across my career and life.
The second aspect these events have ingrained in me is a sense of self-belief and not being a victim of circumstance. When experiencing a crisis, I think it can be the easiest thing to feel hard done by things you didn’t create or weren’t in control of. In those times, I try to focus on separating myself and my contributions from the situation. Where you are responsible, you should of course be accountable and learn, but there are times when no matter what you do, you can’t positively influence the outcome. To me the first step is recognizing that it’s ok, maintaining your self-belief and creating a plan of how you will rise and grow from there on.
Is there a habit, mindset, or practice that has helped you throughout your life? Any concrete and specific events when these led to a successful outcome?
Maintaining resilience in the face of adversity or complexity. I tend to thrive under pressure because I aim to move past the fear of the situation, its consequences or the unknown. In these situations, I guide my teams to take control and lead with action. This mindset has helped me and my teams in countless situations, most notably navigating Covid-19 lockdowns and launching Amazon Fresh within the same year.
What are your five biggest takeaways or lessons from the past ten years?
- Think in terms of scale. I apply this thought process to most things I do, which is how could I double the output, achieve the same output with half the effort or eliminate the effort entirely.
- Data, data, data. Whether quantitative or qualitative, you must speak to and use data in your decision-making
- Everybody matters, treat everyone with respect regardless of their role. I’m privileged to have many friends across the business and in different functions. Business leaders can often be guilty when engaging experts to simply cc: legal/HR etc… expecting them to pick up and interpret the situation or need. I’ve always tried to nurture and value those relationships and made some great friends along the way
- Focus on the inputs and the outputs will follow. Sometimes things don’t work out the way or when you want it, be it a job or promotion for example, and we get fixated on the outcome. I’ve found that if you focus more on what you need to do (inputs) to achieve the outcome (output), you will more often than not achieve it and have grown significantly in the process
- Negotiate with integrity. I have a reputation for being a very transparent negotiator by being open with my wants and expectations. This may seem counterintuitive to some schools of thought which is to keep your cards close to your chest and not show your hand. While it is always possible to squeeze out a few more dollars in the short term, I believe it benefits in the long term as most negotiations are not one-offs but longer-term relationships.
Above Chief business officer for South East Asia at Lenskart Jan Lim knows a thing or two about the tech industry
Chief business officer for South East Asia at Lenskart Jan Lim knows a thing or two about the tech industry
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How do you react to stress? How do you de-stress?
Probably not very well. I used to try and be like Teflon where nothing would stick and I would smile it off and think I could deal with stress well. However, during the Covid-19 lockdown, stress definitely peaked and I had stress-related eczema for the first time in my life. Since then I’ve learned to listen to my mind and body more and recognise when to switch off. My favourite activity to de-stress is going for a run or a short holiday. I find even the act of planning a holiday helps me de-stress.
What accomplishment have you been proudest of, professionally and personally?
Without a doubt, I’m most proud of my family. I have a supportive and successful wife and two great boys that bring me great joy.
Jan Lim is a member of the XA Network, an investment network that empowers the tech community in Southeast Asia.
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