Famous Industrialist and former Managing Director of Cadbury Nigeria Limited, Dr. Christopher Kolade, has died, aged 93.
Kolade’s family broke the sad news about the Nigerian Elder Statesman’s transition on Wednesday in a statement today Thursday.
“We are thankful for his incredible life of faith and service; and are grateful for God’s abundant blessings,” the statement read in part.
Born on December 28, 1932 in Erin-Oke, Osun State, Dr Kolade had a distinguished career as a diplomat, academic, advocate for integrity and corporate governance, among other things.
He was the son of an Anglican missionary and completed his secondary-school education at Government College, Ibadan after which he studied at Fourah Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone.
He holds honorary doctorate degrees of McPherson University (2016), University of Sierra Leone (1976) among others.
Watch our special documentary on Dr Kolade, which aired just over a year ago, on the programme Amazing Africans.
Distinguished Career
Kolade embarked on a diverse career path, becoming a veteran broadcaster and rising to the position of the Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC).
He later served as the Chief Executive and Chairman of Cadbury Nigeria Plc and held the esteemed position of Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
After his posting in London, Dr. Kolade continued to share his expertise by teaching Corporate Governance and Human Resource Management at the Lagos Business School (LBS), as well as Leadership and Conflict Management at the School of Media and Communication (SMC) — both institutions under the Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos.
He also played key roles in the university’s governance, serving as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council.
Dr. Kolade’s distinguished service extends across both national and international organisations. He has led prominent institutions including the Nigerian Institute of Management, the Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria, the International Institute for Communications, and the World Association for Christian Communication.
Notably, he was awarded the prestigious Order of the St. Augustine medal by the Archbishop of Canterbury and was appointed Chairman of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) Board by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012.
As an advocate of business integrity, Dr Kolade also chaired organizations such as Integrity Organization Ltd GTE and The Convention on Business Integrity Ltd GTE.
