Advertising industry veteran, Gerald Miranda, dies at 72
KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — A ‘don of the industry’ are the words that best sum up Gerald Miranda, who died at the weekend at the age of 72, according to his nephew, Joel Miranda, who was a former general manager at Malay Mail.
“He passed away at 3.35am on Saturday (March 2). He was battling cancer for a short period of time.
“Gerald was a strong and meticulous person. He loved his family very much. He was the pillar for his brothers and sisters, and he educated most of his nephews and nieces. Education was a priority for him,” Joel said when contacted.
He reminisced how his uncle would gather the family at his favourite place in Port Dickson, where they fired up the barbecue, jumped into the ocean and rode jet skis, while his uncle enjoyed games of poker with his brothers.
“Whatever Gerald did, he always had class and style in his approach.
“My fond memory of him was my banter and strong discussion points about our view on certain topics, especially our favourite team Manchester United.
“I would say it was he who gave me my career path in the world of advertising. If there is one phrase to describe my uncle, it would be ‘the don of the industry’,” Joel added.
Gerald, the founder and president of Invictus Blue, was born on February 13, 1952.
He was dedicated to his work at the ad agency (formerly Zenith Media) that he founded in 1994, turning up for work almost every day before passing the reins to his only child Keith as the outfit’s group managing director.
Although he started as an articled clerk in Peat Marwick Mitchell (reconstituted as KPMG in 1987), he found his vocation in advertising and marketing later as chief operating officer of Bates — where he left his mark as the top performer in an Advanced Management Programme conducted by Bates Worldwide in France.
Subsequently, he paved Zenith’s entry into Malaysia as chief executive officer of Zenith Malaysia.
Gerald leaves behind his only child Keith, daughter-in-law Lou Murray and grandson Sebastian James Miranda.
The funeral service will be held at the St Francis Xavier’s Church in Petaling Jaya at 10.30am today.
