Funeral rites for the former Managing Director and Chief Executive of Lowe Lintas, Mr. Kevin Amaechi, would commence on May 17 with a service of songs at his Surulere residence following his passage on April 27 at the age of 66 years, his family has announced..

Amaechi passed on at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital Lagos, as was reported by News Express last Thursday, May 2 .

Kevin Onyeali Ndukwu Amaechi (KONA) rendered distinguished service in broadcasting and advertising in a career spanning more than four decades.

Amaechi was an alumnus of the School of Journalism and Television, University of Reading, England and the Lagos Business School, Pan African University Lagos. He was the illustrious son of the popular and enterprising late Mr. Boniface Anyanwu Amaechi who worked in the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

A statement by his family signed by his eldest daughter Mrs. Tessy Amaechi-Adebayo, said that Kevin grew up in Minna, Niger state with his siblings and schooled at Enitonna High School, Port Harcourt. He started his career as a young broadcaster trained by the BBC London as a presenter and Specialist newsreader. Mr Amaechi was honoured as the Best Broadcaster of the year in 1978 by the former Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) now FRCN, Lagos. He then moved on to become an advertising and media expert and was decorated as a Fellow of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) after his retirement in 2002 as the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Lowe Lintas Ltd, Nigeria’s foremost advertising firm founded in 1928.

During his career in advertising, Mr. Amaechi was Client Service Group Head and held top management positions as Media Director, Deputy Managing Director, as well as chaired several Operational Committees on Finance, Computerisation, Career Pattern/Performance Appraisal, Lintas 70^th Anniversary(1998) etc. His professional experience in brand development and management includes such market leaders as Star Beer, Guinness Stout, UBA PLC, UACN, Omo Blue Detergent, Pears Baby, Rock Beer, Lipton Tea, Close up Toothpaste, NUGA Games, Business Equipment and Systems, Pan-Electric (Home Appliances), etc.

At the industry level, Mr Amaechi was at various times the Publicity Secretary, Executive Secretary and Ex- Officio Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN). He also served in Education and Media Committees of AAAN as well as in the governing council of APCON and its disciplinary Advertising Standards Panel.

Upon leaving Lintas in 2002, Mr. Amaechi set up Greymata Associates Ltd, where he was Chairman /CEO. He consulted for companies and was frequently invited to seminars and workshops to give lectures on advertising, marketing and management issues. Mr Amaechi was undoubtedly an Advertising & Broadcasting Professional, Media & Marketing Consultant and Learning and Development expert. He continued to practise his flair for advertising and media professionalism and was a Staunch Christian/Catholic. He was Chairman of the 2012 Children/Youth Harvest as well as a member of the 2013 Harvest Planning committee of the St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Gbaja, Surulere, until his passing. He created, trained and moulded many advertising, telecommunications and media chieftains still the industry till date.

Kevin Amaechi is survived by his wife Imelda Ebere Amaechi, his daughters Tessy Amaechi-Adebayo and Franca Nwamaka Amaechi and a son Ikechi Kevin Amaechi Jnr. He also left two grandchildren and brothers and sisters.

•Photo shows late Kevin Amaechi.

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