Seow Sieu Jin
Encyclopedia
Seow Sieu Jin was a prominent and successful Singaporean banker brought up in a banking family, trained in China and England and was an important contributor to the growth and development of the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
(OCBC) during its early years.
Seow Sieu Jin's great-grandfather was from Jinjiang, China and his grandparents from Malacca but his father, Seow Poh Leng
and mother Lilian Tan Lark Neo (also spelt Tan Luck Neo), great-granddaughter of philanthropist Tan Tock Seng
, were both brought up in Singapore.
and then the Raffles Institution
, graduating in 1923. He made some good friends at Raffles. Raffles Institution's history records that on the 1924 Armistice Day, Seow Siew Jin, Wee Seong Kang and David Saul Marshall
laid a wreath at the Singapore Cenotaph. In 1925 he was made head prefect.
His father then took him to Shanghai, there to be rigorously trained at the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank
under his father's friend, K. P. Chen
, the founder of that bank, into whose care he was entrusted.
After three years of training and a short visit with his family in Singapore, his father took him to London where he simultaneously joined the Midland Bank as one of its staff and took up the banking course at the Institute of Bankers.
Anyone who had passed all the banking courses offered by the English Institute of Bankers had the best qualifications in the banking profession and Seow Sieu Jin was one of the first in Singapore and Malaysia to have acquired these qualifications.
He also received training at the most modern commercial bank in China at that time, the Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank, and he received the guidance of his banker father.
which had been founded by his father, Seow Poh Leng, together with Lim Peng Siang
, Dr Lim Boon Keng
and others.
After its amalgamation with the Chinese Commercial Bank and the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd (OCBC), Seow Sieu Jin continued to work at the new bank. He was manager of the Seremban branch (1935 to 1936), manager of the Ipoh branch (1937 to 1941), manager of the Penang branch (1946 to 1954). He is credited with bringing back the "premier branch" status to the Penang branch, outstripping the performance of the Shanghai and Hong Kong branches.
From 1954 to 1958 he was made Regional Manager of the Hong Kong Branch with K.C. Chen, Lo Sek-Tean and Chew Chin-Bee to assist him.
He then returned to the head office in Singapore in 1958. Upon his return to Singapore he collapsed during lunch, was operated on for colon cancer, but died ten days later, at the age of fifty-one, due to post-operative pneumonia.
Seow Sieu Jin achieved his ambition, the highest goal in the banking profession at that time, general managership, when he was young, but he was a modest and unassuming man. He referred to himself as "third-class" when lamenting the loss of "first-class" talented people who had left Singapore, creating a brain drain
at the time.
He was popular everywhere and was remembered after his death as being co-operative with his colleagues and kind and generous towards his subordinates.
and for many years both these gifts were interconnected. His game skills had improved greatly by the time he took charge of the Seremban
and Ipoh
branches. He even represented and held his own at Negri Sembilan and Perak
inter-state matches.
In 1938 and 1939, he won the Perak Open Doubles Championship partnering Leong Choon Kheam and Lim Thiam Tet respectively and the Perak Singles Open Championship in 1940. After the war, he turned to golf with a relish, making rapid progress and reducing his handicap to 9. He was captain of the Penang Golf Club.
At the Peace Celebrations held on 11 November 1918, Seow Sieu Jin and his younger sister, Betty Seow Guat Beng (later Mrs Lim Koon Teck
), sang "If you were the only girl in the world and I was the only boy!" then a popular song, at the "Victoria Theatre". Their beautiful voices and excellent performance won the applause of the audience.
Seow Sieu Jin was a member of the Rotary Club in Ipoh and Penang and was very active in social work.
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
The Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited , abbreviated as OCBC Bank , is a publicly listed financial services organisation with its head office in Singapore. OCBC Bank is one of Singapore's leading local banks, with group assets of more than 224 billion SGD. It has one of the highest bank...
(OCBC) during its early years.
Seow Sieu Jin's great-grandfather was from Jinjiang, China and his grandparents from Malacca but his father, Seow Poh Leng
Seow poh leng
Seow Poh Leng , one of the first few Peranakan Babas at Emerald Hill, was a prominent and successful Singaporean banker, founding member of the Ho Hong Bank, member of the committee of the Straits Settlement , philanthropist and benefactor of public development works...
and mother Lilian Tan Lark Neo (also spelt Tan Luck Neo), great-granddaughter of philanthropist Tan Tock Seng
Tan Tock Seng
Tan Tock Seng was a Singaporean merchant and philanthropist. Born in Malacca in 1798 to an immigrant Fukien father and Hokkien Peranakan mother, Tan rose from humble origins. In 1819, Tan moved to Singapore to sell fruit, vegetable and fowl...
, were both brought up in Singapore.
Early years
He was born in 1907 and in his early years, was educated at home. He went on to study at the Anglo-Chinese SchoolAnglo-Chinese School
The Anglo-Chinese School ; is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore, and Indonesia.The name is usually abbreviated as "ACS", with the junior college as "ACJC", and its students and alumni referred to as "ACSians" , or "ACS boys" .ACS was the first school...
and then the Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution
Raffles Institution , founded in 1823, is the oldest centre for pre-tertiary learning in Singapore. It is an independent school in Singapore providing secondary and pre-university education. RI consists of a boys-only secondary section , and a coeducational pre-university section...
, graduating in 1923. He made some good friends at Raffles. Raffles Institution's history records that on the 1924 Armistice Day, Seow Siew Jin, Wee Seong Kang and David Saul Marshall
David Saul Marshall
David Saul Marshall was the leader of the Singapore Labour Front and became the first Chief Minister of Singapore in 1955....
laid a wreath at the Singapore Cenotaph. In 1925 he was made head prefect.
His father then took him to Shanghai, there to be rigorously trained at the Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank
Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank
The Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank was established in Shanghai, mainland China in 1915, by Chen Guangfu, better known as K. P. Chen. Mr. The-Chin Chuang was elected the first chairman, and the founder, Mr. Chen, was the first president....
under his father's friend, K. P. Chen
K. P. Chen
K. P. Chen was a Shanghai-based Chinese banker and State Councillor, was a great innovator, as one of China's most successful entrepreneurs in the twentieth century, and was particularly influential in the financial and business world of Shanghai.In fact, in "Banking in Modern China:...
, the founder of that bank, into whose care he was entrusted.
After three years of training and a short visit with his family in Singapore, his father took him to London where he simultaneously joined the Midland Bank as one of its staff and took up the banking course at the Institute of Bankers.
Anyone who had passed all the banking courses offered by the English Institute of Bankers had the best qualifications in the banking profession and Seow Sieu Jin was one of the first in Singapore and Malaysia to have acquired these qualifications.
He also received training at the most modern commercial bank in China at that time, the Shanghai Commercial & Savings Bank, and he received the guidance of his banker father.
Banking career
Four years later, around 1930 or 1931, he graduated and returned to Singapore and in 1931 or 1932, he joined the Ho Hong BankHo Hong Bank
The Ho Hong Bank was a Malayan bank, established to provide banking services that, until 1912, were solely delivered by European banks. The bank was founded in 1917 and in 1932 merged with two other banks in Singapore to form the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation .-Ho Hong's roots: The Chinese...
which had been founded by his father, Seow Poh Leng, together with Lim Peng Siang
Lim Peng Siang
Lim Peng Siang or Lin Bengxian together with his brother Lim Peng Mao of Lin Bingmao, through their Ho Hong Group of companies,, founded in 1904, had interests in banking, shipping, parboiled rice, oil mills, cement, coconut and other businesses. President of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce...
, Dr Lim Boon Keng
Lim Boon Keng
Lim Boon Keng, OBE was a Chinese doctor who promoted social and educational reforms in Singapore and China. Lim was of Chinese Peranakan descent, with ancestry from Hai Teng district in Fujian, China.-Early life:...
and others.
After its amalgamation with the Chinese Commercial Bank and the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Ltd (OCBC), Seow Sieu Jin continued to work at the new bank. He was manager of the Seremban branch (1935 to 1936), manager of the Ipoh branch (1937 to 1941), manager of the Penang branch (1946 to 1954). He is credited with bringing back the "premier branch" status to the Penang branch, outstripping the performance of the Shanghai and Hong Kong branches.
From 1954 to 1958 he was made Regional Manager of the Hong Kong Branch with K.C. Chen, Lo Sek-Tean and Chew Chin-Bee to assist him.
He then returned to the head office in Singapore in 1958. Upon his return to Singapore he collapsed during lunch, was operated on for colon cancer, but died ten days later, at the age of fifty-one, due to post-operative pneumonia.
Seow Sieu Jin achieved his ambition, the highest goal in the banking profession at that time, general managership, when he was young, but he was a modest and unassuming man. He referred to himself as "third-class" when lamenting the loss of "first-class" talented people who had left Singapore, creating a brain drain
Brain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
at the time.
He was popular everywhere and was remembered after his death as being co-operative with his colleagues and kind and generous towards his subordinates.
The sportsman
Seow Sieu Jin learned more than banking from his father, he also learned the game of tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and for many years both these gifts were interconnected. His game skills had improved greatly by the time he took charge of the Seremban
Seremban
Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan. The town's administration is run by the Seremban Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Seremban...
and Ipoh
Ipoh
Ipoh is the capital city of Perak state, Malaysia. It is approximately 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur on the North-South Expressway....
branches. He even represented and held his own at Negri Sembilan and Perak
Perak
Perak , one of the 13 states of Malaysia, is the second largest state in the Peninsular Malaysia bordering Kedah and Yala Province of Thailand to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, Selangor the Strait of Malacca to the south and west.Perak means silver in Malay...
inter-state matches.
In 1938 and 1939, he won the Perak Open Doubles Championship partnering Leong Choon Kheam and Lim Thiam Tet respectively and the Perak Singles Open Championship in 1940. After the war, he turned to golf with a relish, making rapid progress and reducing his handicap to 9. He was captain of the Penang Golf Club.
The performer
Both his parents, were musically accomplished, so it followed that he and his brothers and sisters were gradually influenced, and most of them were good at singing and playing musical instruments.At the Peace Celebrations held on 11 November 1918, Seow Sieu Jin and his younger sister, Betty Seow Guat Beng (later Mrs Lim Koon Teck
Lim Koon Teck
Lim Koon Teck was a lawyer and politician in Malaya and Singapore.-World War II:In 1941 Lim Koon Teck was a magistrate in Penang, a member of the "Straits Settlements Legal Service", created to satisfy local demands while preserving the purity of the Whites-only "Colonial Legal Service"...
), sang "If you were the only girl in the world and I was the only boy!" then a popular song, at the "Victoria Theatre". Their beautiful voices and excellent performance won the applause of the audience.
Family
On 5 Feb 1932 Seow Sieu Jin married an Englishwoman, Margaret Gwendoline Simkin, in Singapore, who later gave birth to three boys and a girl:- Gordon Seow Li Ming
- Rodney Seow Kok Ming
- Jacqueline Seow Mei Yuk
- Philip Seow Chung Ming
Seow Sieu Jin was a member of the Rotary Club in Ipoh and Penang and was very active in social work.