Wikipedia

Eric Sim (author)

Eric Sim (born 1969),[1] is a Singaporean author, speaker, and former investment banker. In 2021, he published his first book Small Actions: Leading Your Career to Big Success. He writes about careers and financial independence.[2] He had worked in banking for over 20 years.[3] He was an adjunct associate professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.[4][5]

Eric Sim
Sim in 2025
Born
Singapore
OccupationsAuthor, former investment banker
EmployerUBS (former)
Known forSmall Actions
Websitehttps://ericsim.com/

Early life and education

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Sim grew up in Singapore.[6] His father was a street food vendor.[6] He earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from the National University of Singapore in 1994. He later completed a Master of Science in Finance at Lancaster University Management School in 1997.[7][8]

Career

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Investment banking

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Sim worked primarily at Citi and later on at UBS where he was a managing director.[9][10]

Sim left investment banking as he did not want to continue working into his 60s at the expense of his well-being.[11]

Public speaking

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Sim became a public speaker on career development.[6] Despite suffering from stage fright earlier in life, he delivered a TEDx talk 10 years of selling noodles.[12]

He has spoken at Cambridge University, Tokyo University and Peking University on key skills to a successful career,[13][14][15] and about advancing one's professional career at CFA Institute events in Chicago, Abu Dhabi and Mumbai.[16][17][18]

Writing

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In 2021, Sim published Small Actions: Leading Your Career to Big Success through World Scientific Publishing.[19][20] The book was shortlisted in the Business Journey category at the 2022 Business Book Awards.[21]

Small Actions has been translated into simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia.[22][23][24]

Sim has also written about the financial independence, retire early (FIRE) movement, and is of the view that focusing on early retirement does not always lead to lasting personal fulfillment.[25][4]

Sim is a LinkedIn top voice on careers and leadership.[26]

Personal life

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After leaving the banking sector, Sim has worked as a writer, speaker, and coach, focusing on career development.[6][4][5]

References

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  1. ↑ "Profile | How nerd with stage fright became a TedX speaker, career coach and teacher". South China Morning Post. 13 February 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  2. ↑ Sim, Eric; Mortlock, Simon (26 November 2021). Small Actions: Leading Your Career To Big Success. World Scientific. ISBN 978-981-12-3259-6.
  3. ↑ Tan, Kwan Wei Kevin. "I was an MD at a big bank, and I retired early. Real happiness came from buying my freedom, not an expensive watch". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 January 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Former UBS director says FIRE may not be worth it". Fortune. 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Former investment bank MD says achieving FIRE wasn't worth it". Business Insider. 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Whitehead, Kate. "How an engineering nerd with stage fright became a TEDx speaker". South China Morning Post.
  7. ↑ "Alumni profile: Eric Sim". Lancaster University.
  8. ↑ "From Lancaster to the top of the corporate ladder". Lancaster University Management School.
  9. ↑ "The terrible student who made UBS MD in Hong Kong". eFinancialCareers. 2017.
  10. ↑ "If only I were a nepo baby…". The Business Times.
  11. ↑ Tan, Kwan Wei Kevin. "I made it to managing director after 17 years in banking, and then I quit. I didn't want to work myself into the ground well into my 60s". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  12. ↑ Sim, Eric (29 November 2017). 10 years of selling noodles. Retrieved 8 January 2026 – via www.ted.com.
  13. ↑ "In Conversation with Eric Sim on how the "Small Actions" you take today can put you on the path to big career success tomorrow". King's Entrepreneurship Lab. 4 July 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  14. ↑ "Key Skills for Career Success" (PDF). University of Tokyo.
  15. ↑ "第十届行业文化周|How to be a STAR Analyst in Banking and Finance?-北大光华管理学院职业发展中心". www.gsm.pku.edu.cn (in Chinese (China)). Archived from the original on 23 May 2025. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  16. ↑ "CFA Institute LIVE 2025". global.cfainstituteevents.org. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  17. ↑ "Home". CFA MENA ICON. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  18. ↑ "#5th FTS Mumbai - Unleashing the Transformative Power of "Small Actions" with Eric Sim". CFA Society India. 5 March 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  19. ↑ "Small Actions". www.worldscientific.com. doi:10.1142/12169. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  20. ↑ "Small actions : leading your career to big success | WorldCat.org". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  21. ↑ Edwards, Brad (3 March 2022). "Business Book Awards Celebrates 5th Anniversary At Shortlist Reveal Event". Business Book Awards. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  22. ↑ 沈文才; 西蒙·莫特洛克【新西兰】. 讲好你的故事. Translated by 马艳. 人民邮电出版社 出品方: 智元微库 OPEN MIND 副标题: 66个小行动改变人生剧本. ISBN 978-7-115-59049-7.
  23. ↑ "講好你的故事：大膽想、小處做、趁現在，前瑞銀董事總經理的小步驟累積故事成功法。學非所用也能走出事業高成就。". 博客來. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  24. ↑ "Small Actions - Gagasmedia". 10 June 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
  25. ↑ Tan, Kwan Wei Kevin. "I retired early after becoming managing director at a big bank. People should think twice before chasing the FIRE lifestyle". Business Insider. Retrieved 5 January 2026.
  26. ↑ "16 top voices on LinkedIn Singapore". Marketing Interactive.
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