Obituary: Colin Morley

Colin Morley, a 52-year-old father from north London, was described as a genius in the world of advertising and marketing.

He used his communication skills to try to help charities and businesses understand their brand, but also tried to change the world of media and marketing into a force for social good.

His latest project, called Be The Change, encouraged people and organisations to find ways to improve ethically, socially, environmentally and personally.

Bringing joy to other people was his aim, he once said.

A glimpse at the Be The Change website, where 25,000 words of tributes have been posted, shows how Mr Morley's work and philosophy touched the lives of so many.

Evidence given at the 7 July inquests suggested Mr Morley was killed immediately in the explosion at Edgware Road.

His wife Ros Morley wrote on the Be The Change website: "Colin was a wonderful husband and father. No words could ever express our great love for him and his love for us, his family.

"He was a rare shining star in all ways, and he touched the hearts and souls of so many.

"He leaves a huge gap in our lives. He gave his time to so many people and interests, and wherever he went he left a most magical beautiful light.

"Our lives are forever changed, but we carry his positive spirit in us and will continue to spread his desire for peace and love in the world, and his wish to make the world a better place."

Despite his considerable talents and vision, he was a humble man who instantly made a deep impression on those he met, of whom there were thousands.

Mr Morley's brother Brian wrote: "Colin was my brother and my best friend. He was also my mentor, as he clearly was for so many people.

"I will miss him more than words can say, but I am also immensely proud of him, of what he was doing, and of the impact that he has had on so many peoples' lives."

Colin Morley was born in Coulsdon, Surrey on 5 March 1953.

When he was 11 he moved with his family, parents Hilary and Bill, sister Gillian and brother Brian, to Leeds, due to his father's work in the Civil Service. They relocated to Liverpool when he was 15, where he took his A-Levels a year early.

He studied politics, philosophy and economics at the London School of Economics and was described as "exceptionally bright" throughout his academic career.

His progressive and ethical approach to advertising took him around the globe, working for a series of companies which included Spillers, Quaker Oats, Weetabix, One 2 One and Vodafone.

There he spent three years, partly as their interim UK marketing director, having worked in their global team and in Ireland for the preceding two years.

The award-winning One 2 One campaign which asked, "Who would you like to have a one-to-one with?" was created by Mr Morley.

He spent the last couple of years of his life working as a business marketing consultant for companies such as Gazeley, part of Walmart, working with them to make their business systems more sustainable.

He was a much-loved boss and after his death his family received deeply-touching messages from his team in Dublin, which his wife said showed what he had meant to them.

His first-class mind meant he was extremely well regarded in his professional sphere, she said.

Frank Dixon, Mr Morley's business partner, described him as "a spiritual brother and soulmate as well as my business partner".

"He cares very deeply for the future of this planet. He committed his life to working for the good of all people present and future," he said.

Mr Morley is survived by his wife and three sons, Gavin, Oliver and Jake.

The couple met when he was just 19, introduced by a mutual friend while they were both students and married in 1977.

His wife said one of Mr Morley's greatest achievements was to be such a great, much-loved husband and father.

"A wonderful living testament to him is shown in the broad success of his three sons," she said.

The couple had been planning to move to St Albans in spring 2006. Mrs Morley they had been looking forward to spending time together and developing plans which had developed since their sons had finished university.

In recent years he had followed more spiritual path, including meditating and an interest in Buddhism.

But his main future plan had been to give time to help make the world a better place.

"Having worked so very hard all his life, providing well for his family, he was looking forward to building on his recent achievements and developing these further," Mrs Morley said.

"He was so excited and positive about how he might contribute to helping improve the ways we are living in a broad strategic sense.

"He was becoming more and more aware of the precious quality of what we often take for granted in our lives."