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Robert (Bob) Johnson
September 25, 1957 - January 17, 2016
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2016-02-03 14:37:22 View / Comment (0)
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2016-01-31 14:13:45 View / Comment (0)
David Clark
Bob was a friend and inspiration for over 20 years. He gave me my first major career break which I’ll always be grateful for. He gave me the confidence to believe I could achieve anything I took on as he did with all of the Retail Team at Orange. My lasting memory of Bob is of us racing around the UK for the first four years opening shops at a rate of one a week, then a year working on studio and then visiting many varied countries as we carried out international rebrands. Bob’s unlimited confidence, just do it attitude and slight air of arrogance meant that we succeeded with every challenge we undertook. Bob’s sense of humour was legendary and came with the ability to lighten the mood no matter how much pressure we were under. He was well known and respected for the way he didn’t suffer fools, especially those with “Marketing” in their job title. More specific memories are sitting in the bar at the Cheshunt Marriott reviewing and planning the store rollout and the staff promotions which we ran every month. Going to the Indian and the Chinese in Hatfield, the Indian in Hagley. His love of Star Wars and James Bond. The excellent staff Christmas parties we had at Orange, especially those in Harrogate and at the Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. The visionary planning meetings for Studio, and refusal to compromise, as the building plans grew and became more ambitious. In summary he was a major influence on both my working and personal life, a great man who I’ll always remember with affection and admiration.
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2016-01-30 15:29:35 View / Comment (0)
Mark Sercombe
Bob was probably the most inspirational boss and mentor I've ever had. He was a pioneer in the early days of mobile retailing and allowed freedom of thinking and achieving your goals without boundaries. I'll always remember his openness with advice and his unparalleled support for me. I remember speaking to him a few years ago after maybe 10 years without talking and he was still as encouraging and supportive. He shaped my career and I'll be forever grateful. Rest in peace Bob and thank you.
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2016-01-29 11:51:54 View / Comment (0)
Darren Williams
Very sad to have been told this news by a former colleague. I was just starting out back in the wonderful beginnings of Orange and remember bob clearly as an inspirational and respected leader who we all looked up to. I remember him opening one conference as Keanu Reeves in the matrix. A massive leader with a huge Sense of fun. RIP and much respect.
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2016-01-29 06:57:32 View / Comment (0)
Jonathan Holland
I had the privilege to work with Bob, who, like with so many others, took me under his wing, mentored and guided me and kept me on the straight and narrow (on more than a few occasions). I once asked him why he took such an interest in seeing people do well and he replied that it was quite simple, he just wanted to help people to do their best. In many ways this simple ethos sums up Bob, he cared deeply for the people around him and had a genuine, selfless desire to see them all do well. I will always cherish this. He was, at times, hilarious, and many an evening we complained of side splitting pain as tears of laughter ran down our cheeks, many of those jokes have stood the test of time and still make me laugh today. My lasting image of Bob will be him sitting in an arm chair, drink in hand, holding court with a relentless barrage of hilarious stories, making us all laugh and wearing that inimitable wry grin on his face knowing he had just made us all a little happier. Farewell to a truly great and inspirational man who really cared, long may his kindness and generosity of spirit live on through us all.
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2016-01-28 21:43:34 View / Comment (0)
Janet Seward
My memories of Bob from Motorola days remain vivid. Those were exciting times and Bob was a major factor with his infectious enthusiasm. We worked often as a team pitching to potential partners and he was always there with bold statements blazing a trail whilst the rest of us ran round nodding a lot and tidying up after him - Sarah and Keith especially! One of the highlights for me was going on tour with Bob on a UK 'road trip' on which we visited a number of retailers and presented our sales and marketing pincer movement. We laughed a lot as well as achieving a lot from a business point of view. A genuine inspiration I know that Bob was key in opening up mobile phones as a consumer concept not just for Motorola but consequently the whole UK market. I look back on those times with great fondness and Bob's influence was a major factor. Bob's wife Sandra, Sarah and myself gave birth spookily to the Motorola triplets on 14th August 1995 and many years later my husband Alan and I remembering Bob's white dinner jacket a la James Bond encouraged our Bob (our son Robert) to wear a white dinner jacket and he caused the same positive stir at his school ball! I always thought we'd catch up once juggling children and careers was over to compare notes and I'm gutted that that now won't happen. My sincere best wishes to his family - a truly special person and someone who had a big & totally positive influence on myself and many others who knew him. Janet x (Marketing Manager at Motorola)
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2016-01-28 20:30:54 View / Comment (1)
Murray Draycon
Over my long working experiences i can count the number of bosses I have had that earned my respect and eventually my friendship, Bob was without a doubt in the very special category. He was a true people person who always thought about those working with him and around him, any decision he made he would always reflect on the effect/impact on the individual or individuals and would always temper his decisions based on that. He was a funny kind hearted person who had a clear vision on what he wanted and how he wanted to achieve that vision and with his personality he took people along with him on that journey A very under used phase " HE WAS A TRUE GENTLEMEN " and will be sadly missed by those people who had the rare luck of being around him Orange was the better for having him on board and he made the day pass with a laugh and joke and time flew by, a great mentor and someone you could look up to and hopefully get his magic to rub off on you I had 10 years of great times and great people at Orange and made I was all the better for knowing Bob My sincere condolences to his family and friends, you in my thoughts We lost a very special man, bye Bob total respect to you
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2016-01-28 14:06:20 View / Comment (1)Gabrielle Neumann
I was shocked and saddened by the passing of Bob. Bob is such a fine man who will be deeply missed. It has been a pleasure and privilege to know him and work with him at Orange Retail NL. I have the utmost respect for him. He was knowledgeable, fair, innovative with an unique sense of humor. Because of him I met a lot of other great people and will never forget Bob. Gabrielle Neumann
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2016-01-28 12:21:01 View / Comment (0)
Phil Roberson
I had the pleasure of working with Bob from the late 90's at Orange. On paper he was my boss but in reality he was much more - a great coach, mentor and friend. I learnt a huge amount from my time with him and without his confidence and support I doubt I'd be doing what I'm doing today - the lessons I learnt from him were of greater value than any management book. Working with Bob and the team to build Orange Retail was the best of times. He will be sadly missed.
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2016-01-27 13:36:13 View / Comment (0)Keith Johnson
I was lucky enough to get to see Bob on 7th January and we had a good couple of hours going over everything and nothing in a nice way, He made it very easy for me given it was a final farewell and I wasn't as reconciled to it as Bob obviously was. We chatted without any sense of remorse, just dipping into Bob's encyclopaedic memory of just about everyone and any event from the Chineham days at Motorola. Of course, he remembered the precise day we met in March 1991 when he came in for an interview. I'd like to say that's because I made an big impact on him, but in reality it was because the date was the day after Samantha was born. Whatever, Bob joined Motorola as the world's best pork chop salesman and left as a high performing sales director and a prime mover on our team in setting up retail channels for newly created mobile phones aimed at the consumer market. I agree with Gareth, Bob truly was one of the guys that was integral in getting mobile phones into retail here in the UK. we were change agents in every respect and Bob was in his element. Great memories, sadly left incomplete as I got moved into the European wing with the retail project not fully completed and Bob took his know-how to Orange to help to make it happen there. We've kept in touch over the years and always sparked whenever we talked- the old chemistry was always there. Not least when I spotted Bob was having a lark out in Mongolia and he sent me the photo spoof with his sales team doing an hello magazine rip off. That's Bob for you. Will miss our chats and the chance to have him remind me just how fun and productive those days together were, making thing good things happen. A thoroughly decent human being to the very sad and far too early end. Thoughts to family at this difficult time, see you on Friday. RIP Bob
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2016-01-24 21:11:33 View / Comment (0)Daryl Coles
"a template for every time we met" with Elaine and Daryl
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2016-01-24 21:02:26 View / Comment (0)Daryl Coles
Elaine and I have known Bob since the 80’s. Elaine and Sandra met at work and together with Bob we had many a social outing while still based in London. It is almost impossible to remember all the events we went to during that time, as we grew to know Bob as a friend. I do recall one Open Air Theatre production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream was an everlasting source of amusement for us! Over the years we have shared some holidays together and as our families grew up a few hundred miles away from each other, we took it in turn to host elaborate ‘indoor camping’ at one another’s houses, as no one could drive home after a good night of catching up! One of our photo memories is entitled ‘a template for every time we met’ and has a table strewn with empty Australian imports. Bob and I spent many a late night with a bottle of port, trying to decipher the plot lines and the meaning of life to a few classic science fiction movies. We never did make sense of some of them but it never stopped us demolishing a cheese board and talking rubbish together. Good times and sore heads. As our families grew up Uncle Bob was always the dry Jack Dee comedian with our girls and he will be fondly remembered by both of them for his love, kindness and incessant one liners. Both our girls knew his patter inside out and loved it all the more for his comic delivery. His Eric Morecambe paper bag gag and disappearing nose trick held them in fascination for years! For Bob, having some of his history in Exeter meant visiting us allowed him to revisit some of his old haunts and much missed trips to the coast. We’ve been tripping down to his old favourites like Budleigh Salterton since Samantha could walk; Elaine, Evie and I went there again the day we heard the sad news of his passing. Bob achieved much in his life that others have spoken of, but it is the influence he had on those around him that holds him up as a thoroughly decent person. He has been a good friend to us over the years and our memories of him will remain constant, not lost like tears in rain.
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2016-01-23 23:59:12 View / Comment (0)
Sateesh Ramoutar
In 1998 I was lucky enough to meet Bob at Orange. Little did I know what impact he would have on my life. He became my boss, but more than that he became a teacher to me. He believed in me when no one else did, and took time not only to show me the Orange ways and teach me retailing, he taught me about people. He brought me into his home and then over many a curry in Hagley, he would take time to talk with me. Sometimes I knew what he was teaching me, other times I would only know later, sometimes years later. Everyone in Bobs team will have similar stories. It was Bob who not only shaped our careers but gave us a different outlook on life. He made work special but he also equipped us to make life special. Over the years, we became close friends but he never stopped being my mentor, and always helped guide me. I have never met anyone as close to genius as Bob was. I feel wholly privileged to have known him. I will miss my friend so much. He was some man for one man.
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2016-01-22 18:11:15 View / Comment (0)
Gareth Jones
I worked with Bob in the 1990's during our time together at Orange. I spoke to him shortly before he passed away and we spent some time recalling the old stories about the early days of the Mobile Phone industry. Like many of the people I had the privilege of working with at that time Bob was a pioneer and played his part in making Orange and mobile phones the huge success they are today.I know his family are rightly proud and will miss him deeply. Above all he was a bloody good bloke
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2016-01-22 15:22:14 View / Comment (0)Terry Brown
A dear friend that will be sadly missed by all that had the opportunity to know him
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2016-01-22 00:27:28 View / Comment (0)
Ezra Garside
I write this with tears in my eyes, but with a smile on my face remembering the impact Bob had on those he met and the many memories we will all take from our time knowing him. I feel privileged to have had the chance to see Bob a couple of weeks ago and for those who didn’t have the opportunity, I can assure you his strength of character, his philosophical outlook on life and his unique sense of humour was there till the end. Although distraught by the circumstances of what was a tragic end to a brilliant life, Bobs ability to see the positive in the face of such adversity was inspirational to witness and will be the lasting memory of him that I cherish most. Bob was a dear friend to many and will be missed by all who knew him.
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2016-01-21 23:43:33 View / Comment (0)
Sarah Melinek
Bob was my boss at Motorola from 1991 for around 5 years. He was a real inspiration to me and I learnt so much from him. We used to speak for hours on the phone and I had so much respect for him but he was also a friend. When I was pregnant with my daughter Charlotte, Sandra was pregnant with Alex and Janet (also from Motorola) was pregnant with Robert. Charlotte was born 3 weeks early, Alex was born on time and Robert was born 3 weeks late. Within 12 hours of each other, the Motorola triplets were born on 14th August 1995. I will never forget Bob and on Sunday the world lost a very special person. My thoughts are with Sandra, Samantha and Alex x
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Gordon Webber
Gordon Webber
Like many others my memories of Bob are through Orange but unlike most other posts Bob and I worked together and alongside each other. We first met in about 1990 when I was working for Hutchison Telecom and he was at Motorola. I can remember he hosted a hospitality weekend for us and some dealers of all,places to the Swiss Alps. Yes I know it was a tough call whether to go but reluctantly I dragged myself away and we had a whale of a time hot air ballooning and skiing. It was a great weekend and what turned out to a beginning of a relationship which became a lot closer when he was recruited by Gareth Jones to join Orange. I thinking our working relationship from then on can best be described as one of mutual respect for each other in our respective disciplines, he went about his tasks and goals and so did I and judging by the outcome of Orange we didn't do a bad job of it. I always said that working at Orange was an experience not a job, we were very lucky to be in the right industry at the right time and we made the most of it. It was a unique experience and equally importantly we had a whole lot of fun. We all met some great people and Bob was certainly up there with the best. When Orange was sold to France Telecom many of us moved on We met again at a reunion 18 months ago where we shared a few memories and it was only a few weeks ago I heard of his severe ill health. I have far too many memories to share and some I could not anyway but needless to say he will be remembered by me and missed in equal proportions. Gordon
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