In a recent LinkedIn post, Crystal Lim discusses NovaAir Southeast Asia Managing Director Quek Charlene’s career path and the role of industrial gases in Malaysia’s growing industries. Lim is reporting on a conversation she had with Charlene at the launch of a 300-tonne-per-day liquid air separation unit in Serendah; the article below covers Lim’s account and analysis of that encounter.
“It’s really about the willingness to learn, take on new challenges and step outside your comfort zone.”
A career built across functions
Lim describes Charlene as a mechanical engineer who began her career as a product manager at an industrial gas company. Charlene later led a programme focused on operational efficiency and linking production with customers, before moving into commercial work and then a regional role. As Lim’s account suggests, those moves offered experience across technical, operational and customer-facing parts of the business.
According to Lim, Charlene’s progression illustrates how accepting unfamiliar responsibilities can broaden a leader’s perspective. The post does not present a prescribed career formula; instead, Lim highlights the sequence of opportunities Charlene took on and the learning that came with them.
Growing people alongside the industry
Lim connects Charlene’s leadership role to NovaAir’s efforts to create opportunities for young talent. She frames workforce development as part of a wider industrial ecosystem, arguing that Malaysia’s expanding industries need the capabilities and supporting businesses to grow with them.
“As more industries continue to grow in Malaysia, the ecosystem that supports them must grow too.”
Lim points to industrial gases as one part of that support system and says NovaAir is proud to contribute. Her post links the company’s work to industrial growth while also emphasizing the development of people entering the sector.
Business storytelling as a way to learn
New conversations, new perspectives
Lim also reflects on her own work telling business stories. She writes that meeting people from different industries exposes her to perspectives and knowledge she had not encountered before. In Lim’s view, sharing Charlene’s journey is both a way to introduce readers to an executive’s career and an opportunity to draw attention to the industrial gas sector.
“Every time I meet new people from different industries, my mind opens up to new perspectives.”
That curiosity shapes the post’s closing association: Lim says that, after meeting Charlene and learning about NovaAir’s role, she will think of the company when she thinks of industrial gases. It is a personal reflection from Lim, grounded in the encounter she describes, rather than a claim about the market as a whole.
Through her LinkedIn post, Lim brings together Charlene’s cross-functional career, NovaAir’s stated focus on young talent and the broader role of industrial gases in Malaysia’s industrial growth. The account presents leadership as a process of continued learning while showing how business storytelling can connect an individual career to a larger industry.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Crystal Lim on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on November 3, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →