Lim Chuan Poh

Lim Chuan Poh is a Singaporean civil servant and former army general. He was the fourth Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) from 2000–2003 and held the rank of Lieutenant-General. After retiring from active military service in 2003, Lim served in the Ministry of Education as a Permanent Secretary until 2007 before assuming the position of Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Education

Lim was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1980. He holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in mathematics from the University of Cambridge. He attended Camberley Staff College in 1988 and graduated with the Best Overseas Student Award. He also received a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University in 1993. He attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2003.

Military career

Lim enlisted in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in December 1979. Throughout his military career, he held various appointments, including: Commanding Officer, 3rd Singapore Infantry Regiment; Commander, 10th Singapore Infantry Brigade; Head, Joint Plans Department; Commander, 9th Division; Chief of Staff (General Staff); Chief of Army. On 1 April 2000, Lim succeeded Bey Soo Khiang as the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) of the SAF. He was promoted from Major-General to Lieutenant-General in June 2001.