June 7, 2001
Contact: Jim Aisner
Harvard Business School
(617) 495-6157
Leng Lim, MBA 2001, Speaks at Harvard Commencement
BOSTON -- June 7, 2001 -- Leng L. Lim received his Harvard MBA this morning during the University's 350th graduation exercises. But that wasn't his only notable achievement. Chosen as one of three Commencement orators, he spoke as the representative of all Harvard graduate students earning their degrees today.
Eloquently addressing some 30,000 students, parents, faculty, and guests gathered in Harvard's Tercentenary Theater, between Memorial Church and Widener Library, Lim urged his fellow graduates to avoid the hubris that can plague the most accomplished human beings. "It is in those moments of supreme confidence that we build our Titanics," he said. "But if we have learnt well the life of the mind…then there is an undying curiosity of the other person's way of thinking, and a healthy skepticism of our own position."
A native of Singapore, Lim is an ordained Episcopalian priest who graduated from Harvard Divinity School in 1995. Before entering Harvard Business School two years ago, he held a variety of positions in the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, including stints as a university chaplain and as an assistant rector in an inner-city parish.
Lim will work next year as a management consultant. But his purview will continue to extend far beyond the boardroom. He also plans to "continue his ministry as a prison counselor," he recently told the HBS Bulletin, the School's alumni magazine. "Business is actually very spiritual, because it relates to who we are and why we are creative and entrepreneurial," he said. "I hope I can continue to find some wisdom for myself about a powerful subject and share it with others."