The media community is mourning the death of Gordon Patterson, who was shot and killed during a botched hijacking. At the time of his death he was a business director at the Omnicom Group, having previously founded the company Starcom Mediavest. He was also the president and a board member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations and vice-chairman of the Advertising Media Association of SA (Amasa).
The association said Patterson had been one of the leading lights in the media industry and his passion had been mirrored in his unstinting and selfless service over three decades.
Amasa chairman Wayne Bischoff said Patterson had been uncompromising in his business principles and unmatched in his desire to share his knowledge with newcomers, without thought of personal reward.
Publisher Sandra Gordon described him as a “forthright, kind and selfless person”, while media writer Peta Krost Maunder spoke of his incisive opinions and sound strategic thinking.
Most recently he had spoken out strongly about the SABC censorship and governance crisis, calling for more constructive engagement and fewer cheap shots.
Patterson was a regular speaker at TMG media events, a behind-the-scenes adviser over the years to the Financial Mail’s AdFocus publication and, as one colleague said, “a king in the media jungle”.