Bob Collymore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert William 'Bob' Collymore
Collymore at the Tokyo International Conference of African Development
Born	13 January 1958 Guyana
Died	1 July 2019(2019-07-01) (aged 61)
Occupation	Chief Executive Officer at Safaricom
Years active	2010–2019
Predecessor	Michael Joseph
Successor	Peter Ndegwa
Spouse(s)	Wambui Kamiru
Children	2

Robert William Collymore, known as Bob, was a successful businessman. He was born in Guyana and later became a Kenyan citizen. Bob was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Safaricom. Safaricom is a very large phone and internet company in Kenya. He lived from January 13, 1958, to July 1, 2019.

Early Life and School

Bob Collymore was born in Guyana. His grandparents raised him there. When he was 16, he moved to the United Kingdom. He joined his mother and went to Selhurst High School. After school, he got a chance to go to Warwick University. However, he could not go because he could not get money to pay for it.

His Career Journey

From 1993, Bob Collymore worked in the phone industry. He worked for different companies in the UK. These included Cellnet, Dixons Retail, and Vodafone UK. In 2003, he moved to Japan. There, he helped bring J-Phone into the Vodafone Group.

In 2006, he became a director for Vodafone's work in Africa. This included their partner company, Safaricom. In 2010, he was chosen to be the chief executive officer of Safaricom. He led the company for many years.

Personal Life

Bob Collymore married Wambui Kamiru on April 1, 2016. Their wedding was a private event in Nairobi, Kenya. Bob met Wambui at an event to help people. This event was for survivors of a school bus crash. Wambui was an old student of the school. Bob was there representing the Safaricom Foundation. Bob had two children from his second marriage. He also became a stepfather to Wambui's children.

Illness and Passing

In October 2017, Bob Collymore traveled to the United Kingdom. He went there for treatment. He had a serious illness called acute myeloid leukemia. He came back to Kenya in July 2018. He continued his work as CEO of Safaricom. He also kept getting treatment at hospitals. Sadly, his health got worse in June 2019. He passed away at his home on the morning of July 1, 2019.

Awards and Recognition

Bob Collymore received several important awards. In 2012, he was given the Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear. This is a special award from the President of Kenya.