The Ironman Maketh The C-Suite Man

“We ask participants to swim 3.8 kilometer along the Pantai Kok beach, then proceed to the two-loop 180 kilometer bike course through Langkawi island, before completing a full-marathon, a 42.2 kilometer run,” explains CG Lim, Ironman Regional Director of Ironman Malaysia.

“Ironman is a registered global brand that has been around for many decades. Besides just attracting athletes to compete, this year’s event will see the local economy of Langkawi see a major boom in tourist growth and spend,” he says.

When asked what kind of participants such an endurance race would attract, CG Lim presents a very unique perspective.

“When you look at the participants, you tend to realise that these are the same kinds of people that would do well in the corporate and entrepreneurial sectors,” he says. “To complete the ironman race, one has to train for months, sometimes years."

The diet regimen has to be well curated and the teamwork needed to meet such challenges also need to be strong. These are the same traits and behavioral necessities common needed for life in the C-suite, or leaders of the corporate sectors."

"You start to make connections and understand that if you are C-something, either a CEO, CFO, CTO or the likes, you need to have these same qualities – endurance, teamwork, adherence to a certain, regimen high will power, strong collaborative teamwork skills, and more,” he says.

Watch the full interview with CG Lim below: