YAN LIM 37

CEO, iOli Communications Sdn. Bhd.

Yan Lim is a woman of many talents. The outgoing mother of four is the Chief Executive Officer of iOli Communications, and the Founding CEO and Director of iOli PR Agency. As the Honorary Secretary of Women Entrepreneurs Network Association Malaysia (WENA) and an advisory board member for Girls in Tech Malaysia, Yan believes in uplifting others to succeed. She is also a board member of Great Women Malaysia and the co-founder of iOli Dialogue in support of empowering women.

Going into communications was a lifelong dream for Yan, who enjoys any form of storytelling. As a child, a formative experience play-acting as a lawyer convinced her to pursue the career. “I wanted to be a lawyer who could help people through talking. Fast forward, I studied law but realised that my calling was not as a lawyer but a PR practitioner.”

In 2015, Yan worked as a freelance PR agent to organise the biggest entrepreneurship event in Southeast Asia – the 1 ASEAN Entrepreneurship Summit. At the end of the contract, she registered as a company to receive payment, pleasantly surprised to learn that her efforts were lucrative. “After the event, people started to inquire about our services. We were working out of Starbucks and parking lots while overwhelmed by the crazy number of inquiries!”

Within a few months, iOli Communications moved into an office space, transforming from an enterprise into a private limited company. “Today, we are one of the most sought-after preferred PR agencies in the entrepreneurship ecosystem and more,” Yan enthuses. “PR consultants know A to Z because we know a little about each industry as we have different types of clients. I believe that makes us quite the intelligent bunch.”

Yan advises young entrepreneurs to take advantage of working for other people, absorbing the experience for at least a decade. “You need basic experiences and challenges to toughen up, so you’re a bit more resilient if you want to make it on your own.”