When Leon Lim finished a computer engineering undergraduate degree at the National University of Singapore, his career path seemed set.
In 2020, he joined a government tech agency, specializing in cybersecurity. Within four years, he was earning a six-figure salary and on track for a managerial role.
But in 2024, he left to join his wife’s family-run funeral business as an operations development manager.
“It was a very difficult decision,” the 30-year-old told Business Insider.
Watching his wife, Rachael Tay, up close — meeting families, managing operations, and modernizing the business — made him rethink the kind of impact he wanted to make. While he spent his days behind a screen, she was helping people through loss and running a company rooted in purpose and tradition.
“You don’t really interact much with people,” Lim said of his former job. “It’s hard to define what’s meaningful.”
The switch came with financial trade-offs. Lim said he took a 20% pay cut, but he sees the work as far more rewarding.
“Fulfillment isn’t just about income,” he said. “It is also about the difference I make and the professional growth I gain from tackling meaningful challenges.”
Different hours and a much different customer
The shift from cybersecurity engineer to funeral operator wasn’t just a career change — it was a mindset reset, Lim said.
In tech, everything is structured and predictable. But in the funeral business, “nothing is expected,” he said.
Instead of lines of code, he now works with grieving families. There’s no textbook for handling loss: Some arrive composed and ready to plan, others break down at the mortuary door.
“We have to stay calm, stay collected, stay composed, be there for them,” Lim said. The hardest part is striking a balance — showing compassion while moving quickly to get things done.
“This industry is not just about the logistics, it’s also the human touch,” he added.
It’s been a steep learning curve, but Lim credits Tay and her family for guiding him from the ground up — from speaking to grieving clients to coordinating a wake.
He also said the hours are “definitely longer and more irregular” compared to a typical office job.
There isn’t a fixed time to “clock out,” he said. “Death is unpredictable, so we are always ready.”
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“That’s what makes the work energizing, as every day is different,” he added.
Despite the longer hours, emotional toll, and pay cut, Lim said he has no regrets. He now sees funerals as a tech opportunity hiding in plain sight.
The funeral industry is “like an untapped market,” he said. “It’s traditional, it’s slow to modernize, and then that is where that gets me very interested and really makes me wonder, like, what possibilities are there?”
Casket Fairprice
Using AI to bridge the gap
Tay, now the corporate development manager, joined her family’s multigenerational business, Casket Fairprice, at 19. Tay’s grandfather founded the business in 1993.
Tay said she and Lim complement each other.
“He brings in his expertise in the tech domain,” the 25-year-old said. While she is “more on the creative side,” Lim is very “logical” and “structured.”
Lim said their working dynamic mirrors how he used to approach building software: breaking down complex problems into smaller, manageable ones and solving them step by step.
In the past, families just knew what to do when a loved one passed, Tay said. But younger generations, those in their 20s to 40s, often don’t know where to start.
The couple said technology could make the funeral planning process more accessible to younger clients.
Their company has launched two AI tools: a chatbot that answers common questions about funeral customs and an AI-powered planner that guides families through arrangements virtually. Lim spearheaded both, drawing on his tech background to design and run the projects.
The couple also said they’re exploring how AI can help preserve legacies — compiling memories, tributes, and photos into digital memorials that can be passed down for generations.
Do you have a story to share about an unconventional career pivot in Asia? Contact this reporter at cmlee@businessinsider.com.
