From Darkness To Light

Desmond Sim's journey from the football pitch to the boardroom is fraught with challenges, but his perseverance led him to be the Chief Operations Officer of Evergreen Group Holdings today.

- Asaph Low

Hi Desmond, let’s start with something more casual. What are some of your interests or hobbies? I enjoy doing sports, especially soccer. I was blown away and aspired to be a professional soccer player when my dad and aunt brought me to watch the Malaysia Cup when I was just four. This dream of mine has kind of come to pass. But with a very short shelf life to it due to my injuries. More recently, I took part in the 2022 white-collar boxing show, held at Marquee, which is quite a crazy move. Given that I was just introduced to this combat sport five weeks prior to the contest. Many of my friends and even my personal coach label me as a crazy gutsy guy. But I got to say I do enjoy this new combat sport.

Growing up, who were some of your childhood heroes? From a soccer point of view, it would be Fandi Ahmad; he’s a very humble national hero. As I grew up, there were more people I looked up to. One being our late leader Lee Kuan Yew. He’s a good role model in how he led Singapore and his life. I think he was a phenomenal person. I recently attended the LKY Musical and was even more intrigued after. On a personal level, I look up to my mother. She played a very important role in my life when I was going through depression in my early 20s. She is always there for me unconditionally. Believing in me when no one else does. She never once doubted me and was always there to support me, even when I was at my lowest.