Robert William Collymore (usually Bob; 13 January 1958 – 1 July 2019) was a Guyanese-born Kenyan businessman who served as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Safaricom Safaricom PLC is a listed Kenyan mobile network operator headquartered at Safaricom House in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the largest telecommunications provider in Kenya, and one of the most profitable companies in the East and Central Africa region. Th ...

, a multi-national

telecommunication Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that fe ...

s company based in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Early life and education

Collymore was born in

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

and raised by his grandparents there. At the age of 16, he moved to join his mother in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, attending

Selhurst High School Selhurst High School for Boys is a name that has been given to two separate schools in England that existed at different times, but occupied the same site. The former school had been a grammar school that closed in 1988, the latter was the relaun ...

Upon leaving school, he was offered a place at

Warwick University , mottoeng = Mind moves matter , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £7.0 million (2021) , budget = £698.2 million (2020� ...

, but had to turn this down as he was ineligible for funding.

Career

From 1993, Collymore worked in various positions in the telecommunications industry in the UK, including work for

Cellnet O₂ UK (legally incorporated as Telefonica UK Limited, stylized as O₂) is a British telecommunications services provider, headquartered in Slough, England. It operates under the O2 brand. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 joint ventu ...

Dixons Retail Dixons Retail plc was one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the company operated Currys, Currys Digital, PC World (with stores increasingly dual branded 'Currys PC World'), Dixons Travel and its ser ...

and

Vodafone UK Vodafone UK is a British telecommunications services provider, and a part of Vodafone Group Plc, the world's second-largest mobile phone company. Vodafone is the third-largest mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, with 16.9 million s ...

. In 2003 he moved to Japan to manage the integration of J-Phone into the

Vodafone Group Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vodafon ...

. In 2006 he became the Governance Director for Africa at Vodafone and subsidiary Safaricom. In 2010 he was appointed

of Safaricom.

Personal life

Collymore married his third wife, Wambui Kamiru, on 1 April 2016 in an invitation-only wedding at an upmarket residence in Kitisuru, Nairobi. Collymore met Kamiru in Nairobi during a fundraiser for survivors of the Loreto Convent Msongari school bus crash that occurred in July 2011. Wambui was part of the event in her capacity as an alumnus and Collymore was there representing Safaricom Foundation with fundraising. Collymore had two children during his second marriage, and became stepfather to his wife's children from her first marriage to Joseph Kinyua.

Illness and death

Collymore travelled to the

in October 2017 to receive treatment for

acute myeloid leukemia Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal cells that build up in the bone marrow and blood and interfere with normal blood cell production. Symptoms may includ ...

. He returned to Kenya in July 2018 to resume his duties as CEO of Safaricom while undergoing treatment at a number of hospitals. His condition worsened in June 2019, and he died at his home on the morning of 1 July 2019.

Awards

Bob Collymore was in 2012 awarded a Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collymore, Bob 2019 deaths 1958 births British expatriates in Kenya Afro-Guyanese people Guyanese emigrants to the United Kingdom Kenyan chief executives Morans of the Order of the Burning Spear Deaths from acute myeloid leukemia Safaricom