Sim Kee Boon

Sim Kee Boon (Chinese: 沈基文; pinyin: Shěn Jīwén) was a Singaporean civil servant who played a role in the success of Changi Airport and turned the fortunes of Keppel Shipyard around.

Sim Kee Boon
沈基文
Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers
In office January 2004 – September 2005
President	S. R. Nathan
Succeeded by	J.Y. Pillay
Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
In office 1984–1999
Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Division
In office 1979–1984
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communications
In office 1975–1984
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance
In office 1968–1974
Permanent Secretary of Ministry of National Development, Ministry of Finance Deputy Chairman of the Tariff Advisory Board of Malaysia
In office 1962–1965
Personal details
Born	(1929-09-05)5 September 1929 Singapore, Straits Settlements
Died	9 November 2007(2007-11-09) (aged 78) Singapore
Spouse	Jeanette Sim
Children	5
Alma mater	Anglo Chinese School University of Malaya London School of Economics

Sim graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Economics from University of Malaya in 1953, and joined the civil service that year. By 1962, aged 33, he was made acting permanent secretary in the National Development Ministry, before taking charge of the Finance Ministry as well as Intraco, the state trading company. He was also the Chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers.

Changi Airport

As Permanent Secretary at the Communications Ministry from 1975 to 1984, he managed the then biggest civil project in Singapore - the construction and opening of Changi Airport - from land reclamation to squatter resettlement.

When Sim was given the mammoth task, he knew little about building an airport, and asked questions and consulted his officers and staff. Sim was known for his attention to detail. As Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) for 15 years from 1984, he ensured that the airport had kept up with quality standards.

He also introduced free local phone calls in the transit area and the famous '12-minute rule'. This means the first bag must be ready for retrieval 12 minutes after an aircraft grounds to a halt. And he also stressed that the different players - CAAS, immigration and customs authorities, airport retailers, eateries - must work together as a team for Changi to succeed.

Keppel Corporation

After Changi Airport, between 1984 and 1999, Sim also served as Chairmen of Keppel Corporation and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. While he initially intended to wind down Keppel as it was loss-making, he had a change of heart. Keppel renewed growth within 5 years. Sim continued the diversification of Keppel that was initiated by his predecessor George Edwin Bogaars into other fields like engineering, property, financial services as well as developing shipyards in other parts of the world.

Tanah Merah Country Club

As Sim and his wife Jeanette were avid golfers, Sim was also the founding chairman of Tanah Merah Country Club.

Death

In October 2007, his illness took a turn for the worse, and had to undergo chemotherapy. He died on 9 November 2007 at the Singapore General Hospital, after a 17-year battle with stomach cancer.