Obituary: Former Kantar East Africa CEO Aggrey Maposa

Former Kantar TNS East Africa CEO Aggrey Maposa died last Tuesday, after battling a long-term illness.

Maposa (pictured) began his MR career at Gallup, before joining RMS Nigeria as Head of Quantitative Research. He was later named Managing Director RMS Ghana, and in 2006 he moved to Nigeria to take up the position of MD RMS, later becoming the firm's Chief Operating Officer for the region. In this role, he led the Digital and Technology practice across three continents, until the RMS Group was acquired by TNS in 2011. Four years later, Maposa was named CEO of Kantar TNS East Africa.

As Kantar retired its legacy brands, Maposa took on the role of Chief Growth Officer, helping brands and marketers build sustainable businesses, and leading consulting projects across a diverse range of business sectors and areas of expertise. A winner of several awards, Maposa was a Fellow of the Nigerian Market Research Association (NIMRA), and a full member of both the Southern Africa Market Research Association (SAMRA) and global research body ESOMAR.

Commenting on the news Adeola Tejumola, MD, Middle East and Africa of Kantar's Insights Division, said: 'Aggrey was much loved by staff and clients alike, and prided himself on the quality of relationships he built. A great listener, he was always attentive and really able to understand our clients' questions, tailoring the solution to their business needs. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his contribution to both our and our clients' success in the region. Working with Aggrey for more than eighteen years, he became more like family, and I will miss him dearly'.

Among the many words of condolences posted on LinkedIn by Maposa's former colleagues and friends, Dharmendra Jain, Kantar's Operations Director & Analytics Lead, noted: 'We have lost a dear friend, brother, mentor, colleague and above all a wonderful human being. He was so inspirational and supportive. He was our family. We'll miss him greatly.' Tim Pritchard, MD, Customer Experience, Kantar, added: 'Desperately sad news. Humble, super-smart, witty, and commercial. But, above all, an unbelievably nice man, with a disposition that was impossible for anyone to dislike. From our first meeting in June 2011 (as part of the global Technology client practice) to more recent exchanges. Always an absolute pleasure. Taken from us far too soon'.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.