Aw Cheng Chye

Early life

Aw Cheng Chye was born in Rangoon, British Burma of Hakka Chinese descent. At young age, Aw Cheng Chye inherited part of the wealth of his father, who died in 1944.

Business career

Aw Cheng Chye became a deputy to his uncle Aw Boon Haw to manage family business in Singapore in the 1950s, which saw Aw Cheng Chye was a director of an insurance company Public Insurance (Chinese: 大衆保險) in 1951, while Aw Boon Haw was the chairman. Aw Cheng Chye remained as a shareholder and a director at least until circa 1960s. He also served as a director of the sister company Public Life Assurance (Chinese: 大眾人壽保險). When the incorporation of Sin Poh Amalgamated (Hong Kong) in 1951, he also received 60 shares out of 1500, and Aw Cheng Chye's son Aw Toke Soon, 30 shares. His brother Aw Cheng Taik was a director, along with Aw Boon Haw and his sons and daughter Aw Swan, Sally Aw and Aw It Haw, who resides in Hong Kong at that time.

After the death of Aw Boon Haw in 1954, Aw Cheng Chye became the chairman of Haw Par Brothers (Private) which owned the majority of family assets and business, (except Hong Kong newspapers). The shareholder of the holding company including his relatives, such as Sally Aw who inherited the Hong Kong newspapers and based in Hong Kong. According to Aw Boon Haw's will, Sally Aw was responsible for the sale of the assets under Boon Haw name, and requested (but not legally binding) her to use part or whole in charity. The lawsuit of the heritage of Aw Boon Haw was settled in 1967, which Haw Par Brothers (Private) reclaimed assets based in Hong Kong which were mistaken to be the private heritage of Boon Haw. Sally Aw paid the company S$1.7 million as compensation.

Aw Cheng Chye was also the mastermind of the offer to sell the Haw Par Mansion and its gardens of Hong Kong in 1961. The mansion was owned by the holding company, but lived by Sally Aw until 1998.

Aw Cheng Chye took most of the assets of Haw Par Brothers (Private) public by incorporating a new holding company Haw Par Brothers International Limited in July 1969, but not including the Haw Par Mansions, only leasing them to the company; not all the stake of Chung Khiaw Bank was injected to the listed company either. He also privatized Sin Poh (Star News) Amalgamated, a subsidiary of Haw Par Brothers International in June 1971. Both companies were chaired by Aw Cheng Chye. In the same month Slater Walker acquired the controlling stake of the listed company. In the same month, 49.8% stake of Chung Khiaw Bank was sold by Haw Par Brothers International to United Overseas Bank, just few days after the staff of the bank opposed the takeover of a foreign firm. The president of the bank Lee Chee Shan, sister-in-law of Aw Cheng Chye, retired in July 1971.

Shortly after the takeover of Haw Par Brothers International, Cheng Chye was found dead during a vacation trip in Santiago de Chile on 22 August 1971. Lee Kuan Yew, Prime Minister of Singapore also wrote a public pleading to Aw family.

Upon his death, he chaired Haw Par Brothers International and as a director of Chung Khiaw Bank. He also served as a director of many companies and in public organizations such as Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

He was a director of Robinson & Co. in 1963, and chairman of Rothmans Singapore in 1966 and Life Record Industries in 1969. Under the chairmanship of Aw Cheng Chye, Rothmans donated S$100,000 to the Singapore Sports Council (Chinese: 新加坡全國體育協會).

Aw Cheng Chye married to Tay Chwee Sian (Chinese: 鄭水仙) also known as Datin Aw Cheng Chye. Aw Toke Soon (Chinese: 胡督信), Toke Ghee (Chinese: 胡督义) and Toke Ho are their son, as well daughter Aw Ai Sim.

After Sin Poh (Star News) Amalgamated selling the publishing rights of Sin Chew Jit Poh (Singapore) in 1975 to the company of the same name, Tay Chwee Sian and Aw Toke Soon retained management shares of the company until 1978. They gave up the management shares (converted to ordinary shares) as well as the chance to be elected as the directors of Sin Chew Jit Poh (Singapore) Limited in 1978.

His daughter, Aw Ai Sim, is a veterinarian.

Aw Cheng Chye's mother, Daw Saw, widow of Aw Boon Par, died in 1983.

Like his late father, Aw Cheng Chye was a Buddhist and a Buddhist funeral was conducted for him. He was also one of the honorary director of Singapore Buddhist Lodge in the 1960s.