Alumni Leadership Series: Kent Lim, Managing Partner of KnightBridge and CEO of Chopped Group

Hustling: an opportunity in the social networking boom

I describe myself as a hustler, there’s something inside of me that wants to be extraordinary. I was involved in my first business venture when I was 15 while I was in high school in Malaysia, I always knew I’d wanted to be an entrepreneur.

My dad is an entrepreneur, so I'd been inspired early on to follow in his footsteps.

When I started HH-Underground, the likes of Facebook and X were still small companies that had just launched and a really popular way to communicate online was through forums.

I went to a big school and with the growing interest in social media, I created HH-Underground, an online community forum where my schoolmates could congregate.

It became really popular and I was able to monetise it by plugging in games, ads and creating positions you could buy or subscribe to monthly, such as being a VIP. I sold it a few years later but I’d caught the business bug.

The art of small talk and the power of the Deloitte network

Even though I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I decided to become an accountant first. I believed it would be a great asset to have a background in finance and I also knew it was a profession I could fall back on.

For my final year of university, I transferred from Curtin University, an Australian offshore campus in Malaysia to Griffith College. It was an exciting opportunity, but it was 2011 and Ireland’s economy was still struggling from the economic crash, so I didn’t expect to stay or get a job here.

Then the graduate recruitment campaigns (milkrounds) came to my college. I had done an internship in investment banking and one in Big 4 in Malaysia, so I decided to try applying.

That chance encounter led to me working in Audit & Assurance and Corporate Finance in Deloitte for nearly five years, which was an amazing experience. I got a 360-degree view of businesses from so many different industries. I meet colleagues from Deloitte all the time in my investing work now and having that network is powerful. Ireland is small and Dublin is a village.

Moving to Ireland was a culture shock. Most of my course were international students, so I didn’t get to meet a lot of Irish people initially. When I joined Deloitte, I quickly noticed how important small talk is. It’s not important in my culture and I felt awkward and introverted at first. Back home, I would have been the one leading the conversation. Meanwhile, small talk is in Ireland’s DNA.

I don’t shy away from challenges though and I viewed my first year in Deloitte as a crash course in Irish culture.

Facing challenges head on after Deloitte, I started investing in hospitality businesses. Most recently I helped set up a private equity investment firm, KnightBridge, that I run with my business partner, Bock Liang. We invest in social housing, property development and we acquire potential hospitality companies and turn them around, you might recognise some of the names: Chopped, Scrumdiddly’s.

Setting up KnightBridge wasn’t intentional. Bock and I have been friends for more than 10 years, and he has a lot of experience in hospitality. We both know people who have emigrated to Ireland and face a new financial system in Ireland.

We advised friends on how they could manage and invest their money, and then we started helping mutual friends. This is how KnightBridge was born and we officially formed in May 2023.

My career so far has been an incredible experience, but it hasn’t always been easy. One of the most challenging periods for me professionally was during Covid-19. There was so much uncertainty, and I didn’t know if places I’d invested in like Chopped would be able to open their doors again. I realised life is so fragile.

But it survived and I took over as CEO in June 2024 after KnightBridge acquired it. The success of Chopped has become very personal. I was involved in the brand for a while as an investor before we bought it, I believed in it when I first got involved and I believe in it now – our success is really tied together.

If I had the choice to do this journey again, considering the stresses you go through, I think I’d do it again, but there are certain parts I wouldn’t be keen to relive – taking over companies, like Scrumdiddly’s and Chopped, that are failing, is really challenging. You have to have a clear vision and belief in the brand. Most people looking at the commercials wouldn’t have done what we’re doing.

A new motivation and learning boundaries

I’ve learnt to be good at having boundaries. Wherever I’m present, I focus on that. I wasn’t always like this. I used to find it hard to switch off and I would always think of the worst-case scenario. I was stressed before I even needed to be and it affected my mental wellbeing. When we first started KnightBridge, every month I worried about the cashflow situation and sustainability of the business. I think that’s when I realised I had to make a change. So if I’m at work, I focus on that, but when I’m home, that’s where I’m present. My son is about to turn four and he’s really chatty at the moment. He is so smart and he surprises me all the time with his observations. He’s part of my motivation now and he gives me a lot of strength. I used to always do things for myself, but now I want to build something for him, and that motivates me.

Karma, charisma and giving back

Being charismatic as an entrepreneur is really crucial. Creating a vision is one step, but getting other people to believe it is the most important part. Any good entrepreneur is a good salesperson. No one is born a strong salesperson, you need to practice. My top tip is you need to convince yourself before you do anyone else, if you don’t believe it, other people won’t.

I’m ambitious for the next few years. Franchising is a powerful growth model — it allows entrepreneurs to build on a proven concept with strong brand recognition and established systems. For investors, it offers a scalable business with mitigated risk, especially when backed by a committed support team like ours at Chopped and Scrumdiddly’s. We're seeing increasing interest across Ireland and Europe, and it's clear there's strong appetite for fresh, fast, and healthy food options. We’re gearing Scrumdiddly's up to be a 10-million-euro business in the next two years and we have so many exciting projects in the pipeline for Chopped – stay tuned! At the same time, KnightBridge has gone from strength to strength, and we’re focused on scaling even further.

I also want to give back more. Having come to this country, I’ve achieved some success, and I want to give back. We’re looking at how we can support children's charities in Ireland in particular. I believe in karma and I’ve seen how the more you give in life, the more you get back.

Kent’s leadership and career tips:

1. Don’t shy away from a challenge.
2. You need to convince yourself before you do anyone else, if you don’t believe it, other people won’t.
3. No one is born a strong salesperson, it takes practice.
4. The more you give in life, the more you get back.
5. Always say 'yes' to an opportunity and grab it first—you can figure out the how-to later.