Page 62 - NYAA GAHA 30th Anniversary "Service Beyond Gold"

Lim En

Senior Lieutenant Colonel

Singapore Armed Forces
NYAA Council Member
NYAA Gold Award Holder (2007 Cohort)

Lim En is a trailblazer in the military, a humanitarian expanding opportunities for women in the military,
at heart, and a community leader in action. With and building supportive networks to empower
over 14 years in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), them.
her distinguished career embodies resilience,
integrity, and a steadfast commitment to service. Her contributions extend beyond the Army. As
These values define the spirit of the NYAA Gold Deputy Director of Policy-Operations Planning at
Award and its ethos of ‘Service Beyond Gold.’ the Ministry of Defence, she helped coordinate
Singapore’s COVID-19 relief efforts, oversaw critical
As Commanding Officer of the 24th Battalion policy reviews, and strengthened supply chain
Singapore Artillery from 2020 to 2021, Lim En made resilience. She also contributed to the successful
history as the first female officer to lead the unit. organisation of the Shangri-La Dialogue, one
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, she led over 300 of Asia’s most significant defence and security
soldiers with distinction, steering the battalion summits.
to clinch the Best Artillery Unit Award for two
consecutive years, a testament to her ability to Internationally, Lim En has led humanitarian
inspire excellence and cohesion in times of crisis. missions across Myanmar, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and
Under her command, the unit inaugurated the TPQ- China, helping to rebuild homes, improve literacy,
53 Weapon Locating Radar, a significant milestone and uplift underserved communities. At home, her
in strengthening Singapore’s early threat detection commitment to social impact has seen her take on
and operational readiness. numerous leadership roles. A passionate volunteer,
she has chaired the Bukit Merah Youth Network
Subsequently, in her role as Head of Army and the GAHA Executive Committee. Currently,
Training Plans in G6-Army, she spearheaded she serves as Assistant Secretary of the Radin Mas
an organisation-wide transformation of the Citizens’ Consultative Committee, spearheading
Army’s training ecosystem. Through the training more than 50 community projects to support low-
masterplan, her work significantly shaped a culture income families, seniors, and youth development.
of safety, professionalism, and innovation. She has
also forged partnerships with Institutes of Higher Lim En’s outstanding leadership has been
Learning to upskill Army trainers, ensuring that recognised with numerous accolades, including the
future generations of soldiers benefit from cutting- HSBC Youth Excellence Award for Leadership and
edge and practical training. Community Service (2012), the JCI Ten Outstanding
Young Persons Award (2022), the Commendation
A strong advocate for inclusive leadership, Lim Medal (COVID-19) (2023), and recognition as one
En’s commitment to advancing gender equity in of the Women of the Future: 50 Rising Stars in ESG
the SAF is equally groundbreaking. In 2022, she (2022).
was appointed Lead Army Servicewomen Mentor
and played a pivotal role in establishing the Army Through her pioneering spirit, humanitarian service,
Servicewomen Office. As a mother of three children and mentorship, Lim En has inspired a generation of
herself, she understood the challenges that women youth and servicewomen to rise above challenges,
face in the military and drove initiatives such as serve with integrity, and create meaningful change
advocating for family-friendly workplace policies, in society.

60 30 Years of Service and Leadership