Former POSB CEO Died Due to COVID-19; Was Unvaccinated Due to Fear of Side Effects

There’s a reason why the gahmen kept asking us to get vaccinated – because the virus does not discriminate, regardless of your mark in life.

Former POSB CEO Died Due to COVID-19; Was Unvaccinated Due to Fear of Side Effects

Known as “Mr POSB” by some, the former chief executive officer of POSB, Mr Bertie Cheng Shao Siong, succumbed to COVID-19 on 22 Oct. He was 84 years old.

He tested positive in late September after getting a sore throat and cough, and was warded at the National University Hospital for three weeks.

On Friday (22 Oct), 1.45am, he passed away.

Mr Cheng had high blood pressure and diabetes. He was also not vaccinated against the virus.

According to his elder son, Mr Melvin Cheng, Mr Bertie Cheng wanted the vaccine technology to “stabilise” before going for the jab. He was worried about the potential side effects of the vaccine.

My Bertie Cheng was also waiting for a potential “version two” of the vaccines to emerge – a version where the kinks of the first version were ironed out.

Both of Mr Bertie Cheng’s sons urged him multiple times to get the vaccine but they also understand his worries and did not want to force him to do so.

Mr POSB

Mr Bertie Cheng was supposed to be either a teacher or a policeman, instead, he chose the path of the postal service and rose to be the CEO of POSBank.

He joined the Postal Services Department in 1961 after he graduated with an Honours degree in economics from the then University of Singapore.

He rose to the bank’s general manager and CEO in 1976. That year he also pushed for the introduction of automated teller machines (ATMs). Ever since the number of ATMs around Singapore has been growing.

Thanks to his leadership, POSB is the first bank to go digital in 1974. He also adopted the trademark key logo for the bank.

In July 1997, Mr Bertie Cheng retired as the CEO of POSBank after working there for more than three decades.

In June 2010, he was appointed as adviser to POSB.

Family Man

Despite being the CEO of POSB, Mr Bertie Cheng was a humble family man. Although he often OT’ed till late on the weekdays, he devoted himself to the role of a father on weekends.

When his sons were little, Mr Bertie Cheng often brought them swimming and golfing. He also believed in motivating his children through his stories and not putting pressure on his kids.

After his grandkids were born, Mr Bertie Cheng doted on them, never forgetting a birthday.

In spite of being in his 80s, he was still active and mentally sharp as well. As Mr Bertie Cheng was unvaccinated, he cut back on going out during the pandemic.

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Featured Image: Facebook (POSB)