Sim Wong Hoo
Encyclopedia
Sim Wong Hoo is the CEO and Chairman of Creative Technology
, a designer and manufacturer of products for personal computers and personal digital entertainment devices.
and graduated from Bukit Panjang Government High School
and then the Electrical & Electronic Engineering faculty of Ngee Ann Polytechnic
in Singapore. In 1 July 1981, Sim Wong Hoo, with his school friend Ng Kai Wa, began a business in Pearl Centre in Singapore. He got his start running Creative
as a computer repair shop. While doing this he developed and sold an add-on memory board for the Apple II
computer. Later, Creative began creating customized PCs adapted for the Chinese language that included enhanced audio capabilities so that the device could produce speech and melodies. The success of this audio interface led to the development of a stand-alone sound card
named Sound Blaster
that Creative marketed.
Sim Wong Hoo helped guide Creative to success with the landmark Sound Blaster line of audio card products. It was among the first dedicated audio processing card to be made widely available to the general consumer. Creative dominated the PC audio market and remains unchallenged by a major competitor since the late 1990s.
in Singapore. He was also the first person to be named the Businessman of the Year twice, in 1992 and 1997. In 2002, he was named Person of the Year by the Singapore Computer Society in recognition of his contribution to the IT industry. Sim is widely considered to be the star entrepreneur of Singapore and he currently chairs Singapore's Technopreneurship 21 Private Sector Committee.
In 1999, Sim Wong Hoo released a book entitled Chaotic Thoughts From The Old Millennium. He also coined and made famous the term "No U-turn syndrome
" to describe the social behaviour of Singaporeans having a mindset of conformity to higher authorities before taking any action.
Creative Technology
Creative Technology Ltd. is a Singapore-based global company headquartered in Jurong East, Singapore. The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries consist of the design, manufacture and distribution of digitized sound and video boards, computers and related multimedia, and personal...
, a designer and manufacturer of products for personal computers and personal digital entertainment devices.
Early life and career
Sim Wong Hoo was born in SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and graduated from Bukit Panjang Government High School
Bukit Panjang Government High School
Bukit Panjang Government High School is a secondary school in Choa Chu Kang, a residential town in the western part of Singapore...
and then the Electrical & Electronic Engineering faculty of Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Ngee Ann Polytechnic , is an institute of higher learning in Singapore, founded in 1963 as Ngee Ann College with 116 students...
in Singapore. In 1 July 1981, Sim Wong Hoo, with his school friend Ng Kai Wa, began a business in Pearl Centre in Singapore. He got his start running Creative
Creative Technology
Creative Technology Ltd. is a Singapore-based global company headquartered in Jurong East, Singapore. The principal activities of the company and its subsidiaries consist of the design, manufacture and distribution of digitized sound and video boards, computers and related multimedia, and personal...
as a computer repair shop. While doing this he developed and sold an add-on memory board for the Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
computer. Later, Creative began creating customized PCs adapted for the Chinese language that included enhanced audio capabilities so that the device could produce speech and melodies. The success of this audio interface led to the development of a stand-alone sound card
Sound card
A sound card is an internal computer expansion card that facilitates the input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs. The term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces that use software to generate sound, as opposed to using hardware...
named Sound Blaster
Sound Blaster
The Sound Blaster family of sound cards was the de facto standard for consumer audio on the IBM PC compatible system platform, until the widespread transition to Microsoft Windows 95, which standardized the programming interface at application level , and the evolution in PC design led to onboard...
that Creative marketed.
Sim Wong Hoo helped guide Creative to success with the landmark Sound Blaster line of audio card products. It was among the first dedicated audio processing card to be made widely available to the general consumer. Creative dominated the PC audio market and remains unchallenged by a major competitor since the late 1990s.
Achievements and recognition
At age of 45, Sim Wong Hoo became the youngest billionaireBillionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
in Singapore. He was also the first person to be named the Businessman of the Year twice, in 1992 and 1997. In 2002, he was named Person of the Year by the Singapore Computer Society in recognition of his contribution to the IT industry. Sim is widely considered to be the star entrepreneur of Singapore and he currently chairs Singapore's Technopreneurship 21 Private Sector Committee.
In 1999, Sim Wong Hoo released a book entitled Chaotic Thoughts From The Old Millennium. He also coined and made famous the term "No U-turn syndrome
No U-turn syndrome
No U-Turn Syndrome is a term first coined by Singaporean entrepreneur Sim Wong Hoo, to prominently describe the social behaviour of Singaporeans having a mindset of compliance to higher authorities before proceeding with any action....
" to describe the social behaviour of Singaporeans having a mindset of conformity to higher authorities before taking any action.