John Lim is joining Choco Up as Senior Advisor as the SME financing platform pursues new partnerships and regional growth.

Lim will advise the company’s leadership on fundraising, strategic partnerships and regional expansion.

He will also help strengthen ties with venture capital firms, family offices and financial institutions.

He co-founded ARA Asset Management in 2002 and served as Group CEO for 18 years.

The company was acquired by ESR Group in 2022 in a US$5.2 billion transaction.

Lim currently chairs JL Family Office, which has invested more than US$1 billion across private equity, venture capital, real estate and financial markets.

He is also Chairman of the Asia Pacific Real Assets Association (APREA).

“Throughout my career, I’ve learned that access to capital is only one part of building a successful business. The right relationships, trusted advice, and long-term thinking often make the biggest difference.

Those qualities were evident in Choco Up from my earliest conversations with Percy and the leadership team.”

“Mr Lim has spent decades building businesses, earning the trust of institutional investors, and creating long-term value across Asia. That experience is incredibly rare, and it comes at an important time in Choco Up’s journey.

As we expand our impact and make growth funding more accessible to SMEs across the Asia‑Pacific region, we are also establishing new strategic partnerships to strengthen our ecosystem.”

Choco Up is seeking to expand its SME financing services across Asia while building partnerships that connect businesses with capital and industry networks.

Featured image: [From left] Alan Wong, Chief Business Officer; Percy Hung, Founder and Chief Executive Officer; John Lim, Senior Advisor; and Heng Tam, Vice President

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