Woman with a Heart of Gold
An inspiring leader, insightful and an astute businesswoman, Datuk Lily Lim, the CEO of RJ Realty Sdn Bhd, is the driving force behind one of East Malaysia’s top real estate development firms. Kuching bred and born, and having impressive credentials, Lily’s catalyst for her entrepreneurial spirit has always been the burning desire to succeed.

Datuk Lily is in every way a woman that inspires superlatives; her character and commitment to building RJ Realty Sdn Bhd from the grassroots level has gained trust from bankers, buyers and business associates. Her journey to forming RJ Realty Sdn Bhd reads like an easy recipe to follow at first glance – scouring the length and breadth of Kuching for potential lands to build on, and then building a solid foundation designing a home from the heart and building it with a solid foundation. Executing the recipe however, is an arduous journey that details disciplined perseverance along a path devoid of shortcuts and completely devoid of entitlement.

As a working mother, Datuk Lily had always been excellent at managing both her family of four and her husband’s business. Initially resigning herself to a lifetime of assisting her husband, fate had other plans for the insightful businesswoman and professional mother after having her two children. Her mindset began to transform as she realized she could do more than what she was currently doing. Her passion had always been to build homes; to exercise her creativity and to fulfil her burning desire to succeed. Although she believes wholly in personally endeavouring towards a goal, her faith and belief in God also makes up a large part of her life.

Formed in late 2005, RJ Realty Sdn Bhd has blossomed to more than ten times its initial size. It was building her own dream home that assured Datuk Lily that she possessed the essentials required to run a real estate development firm. It was the first step taken towards realizing her ambition; during which she underwent lessons in patience and honed a discerning eye for design and details. She has built a strong support network in the process of forming RJ Realty Sdn Bhd, to which she is unsurprisingly unabashed in crediting.

Back in the early stages, it came as a surprise when the bank agreed to grant Datuk Lily and RJ Realty Sdn Bhd RM 2.3 million to kick-start their first project consisting of terrace and semidetached houses, christened Tabuan Avenue. It was fully sold before land clearing had even begun. After Tabuan Avenue’s completion in 2008, Lily kept the ball rolling, growing RJ Realty Sdn Bhd’s rate of property development by leaps and bounds. The firm boasts a broad portfolio of at least twenty projects, comprising of landed homes, commercial shops, industrial and showroom units and high-rise condominiums with an upwards GDV exceeding RM 1 billion.

A habit that has endured since RJ Realty Sdn Bhd’s inception, Datuk Lily rises at 4 am every morning, finding that this is when inspiration strikes her best. She unfailingly begins each day with a prayer – a constant in her unpredictable day, before getting down to business. She credits her high productivity to this as the early hours give her a chance to decompress before a full day of meetings. “When I wake up early, I can get more things done!” she fires off rapidly, in a commanding voice. Datuk Lily believes what sets her apart from her real estate development peers is her commitment; her unwavering and uncompromising vision for a luxurious lifestyle for potential or current homeowners from all walks of life.

A woman of impeccable taste, Datuk Lily advocates individuality in her designs and emphasizes heavily on the word ‘home.’ She believes in designing, building and selling homes that are not only aesthetically-pleasing but a home that she and her family would confidently live in.

An architecturally, socially and sustainably conscious real estate developer seems to be a paradoxical statement. However, Datuk Lily Lim’s ambition for RJ Realty Sdn Bhd transcends every preconception of a development firm, taking into considerations the architectural and social implications of each development that is built. “There is more to real estate development than simply building houses. Each project that I take on is an aim to place Kuching on the world map and my objective is to create developments that complement the everchanging cityscape of Kuching. You need to carefully consider each home that is built – will it enrich the local community and the city in any way? How does the development hold up over time?