Deji Adeleke

(To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return)

It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we mourn the loss of our dear one Prince Adeleke Surajudeen Adedeji who passed away during this blessed time of heightened spiritual activity and divine month of Ramadan 2025. Your paradise is through a special gate called Ar-Rayyan.


You are one of the shining star in our family , known for your bright smile, curious mind, and kind heart. Your presence will be deeply missed by everyone and entire family.

As we struggle to come to terms with this immense loss, we take comfort in the knowledge that you are now in the care of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

My sincerest condolences to all my family and the loved ones / London base team.

May Allah grant us the strength and patience to bear this immense loss, and may He reward all our dead one too with the highest place in Paradise.

Dear son rest in peace, Prince Adeleke Adedeji Surajudeen

There isn't many people you meet that you instantly connect with. Deji was one of those people. We just clicked I got him, he got me.

An infectious encyclopedia of knowledge; I'd send him links - he'd say every time "I'm aware of the works'. Passionate, driven and a hugely talented strategic storyteller.

Our work life was cut far too soon Deji, much love to your family, We all miss you, your effortless cool and huge smile.

Thank you for bringing so much warmth, positivity and good energy into all of our lives. Your absence is felt daily. Love and strength to your family. We miss you. May you rest in peace X

We didn't work together directly, but we'd often end up sitting opposite on the same table. Always with a smile, and with a kind, easy-going manner, Deji was a joy to be around. May he rest in peace.

Despite being in a hot-desked office, Deji and I sat across from each other at one of the long tables on a regular basis. His absence from that seat serves as a regular reminder of how much his presence, personality and contribution is missed.

Along with many others in our business, I will miss his signature fist bump greeting - always accompanied with a grin and often rounded off with a handshake twist to seal the deal.

On the occasions I worked with Deji on projects (sadly too few), he always brought a fresh angle. His delivery was quietly confident and considered - almost always with a smile. He had a great intellect and body of knowledge to call upon, but was always keen to expand that through conversation and questioning.

I appreciate this is just a flavour who Deji was and what he meant to those of us who worked with him. However, our experience of Deji gives a sense of what he means to his family and friends and how much he must be missed.

We are thinking of you all and will continue to do so, as we are reminded of him in our work.

May he rest in peace.

Deji warmed everyone around him, his smile, his easy manner, his positivity for everything. He wasn't with us for a long time, but he was liked and respected by everyone. He had this amazing ability to relax everyone around him. He was a pleasure to be around and he had a huge impact in a short space of time. It was a hugely sad loss to lose him so soon and one we all still feel. Deji we miss you.

Deji made more of an impact on me the first time I met him than most people do in a year. Within ten minutes, he'd nearly influenced me to upgrade my glasses and buy one of those digital notepads he always used. Talk about an expensive first encounter.

His genuine warmth and kindness filled the room. He was always the first to greet you with a smile and a fist bump. He made you feel like an old friend even when you were just a work acquaintance.

In the too-few times we met, he schemed up at least three pro bono projects for us to work on together. That's just how proactive and passionate he was about what he did. His love for life and for people shone through in everything he touched.

Deji, I miss you man. Sending love to your family.

x

I remember the first time we had a brief from Deji. "He's good, isn't he?" I said to Mark. How right I was. Supremely talented and a kind soul. He'll be missed.

Deji always brought passion, integrity, and warmth to everything he did. Whether it was tackling client briefs or simply chatting in the hallway, his presences lifted those around him. He had a wonderful sense of humour and a care a curiosity about what he worked on that shone through, not just in the way he explored ideas, but always looking for ways to make things better.
It is such a sad loss and he is deeply missed xx

At work, Deji had a sage-like manner. He would sit quietly listening to others' points of view, contemplating before asking politely, "May I add something?..." His observations were smart and delivered eloquently, seemingly living inline with the old proverb, "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak". Wise beyond his years. And sorely missed.

I didn't get the chance to work with Deji enough in his time at krow, but I'm so glad of the times I did. His calming and warm approach to work for me personally, as well as evidently the wider team and clients, just instantly reassured everyone on a project that they were in safe hands.

It was lovely watching him work. He was smart, but never arrogant, and just genuinely inquisitive and curious about what would make the best work and I was lucky enough to see clients light up as he talked through ideas.

Aside from work, I'll miss him sitting next to me and exchanging stories and photos of toddler parenting - his role as a father clearly his biggest joy and pride. He brought a beautiful presence to our day to day life that just made people smile and he is, and will carry on being, just so very missed.

And I can't write this without mentioning his style - Deji you literally brightened up the office and inspired every day with your fashion. I miss it and you.

Sending so much love to all Deji's family xxx

From the first moment I met Deji I knew he was a special person, he immediately radiated warmth and his big smile invited you in, you wanted to be around him. I didn't know Deji very long but I knew he was a special, kind soul and he is missed. Rest in Peace xxx

It was an absolute pleasure and joy to get to know Deji during the short time we worked together. He was a fantastic storyteller, and had an admirable ability to cut through the confusion with his calming and relaxed manner. Rest in peace mate

I sat next to Deji for a number of months in the office and he was always so friendly and kind. I only worked with him briefly, but I was hugely impressed by him - and felt that he was such a talent. I really felt - like many - that we were very lucky to have him. One of the things that was so impressive, but also contagious, was his passion for the work too. Words can't express what a tragedy this is -and my thoughts are with you and your family at this awful time. x

When I think of Deji, I think of someone who was reserved yet very confident, talented and had great sense of humour.

I didn't have the opportunity to work with Deji much, until more recently where I was truly able to see him in his element, whether it was exciting clients with a creative strategy, bringing energy into workshops with hilarious icebreakers or telling me about how he constantly got confused as Davido's dad on LinkedIn!

With both of us being west African, I will miss moments where we had a certain banter in the office as well as moments where I could call him "chale" or he could finish a sentence with "abi?" and we would both be able to have an understanding.

Deji didn't have to be the loudest person in the room to have a presence in the office, as you may know by now - greeting people was his thing and I'd never experienced a moment where he didn't make sure to say hi or bye.

Recently we went live with a global campaign that we have all taken much pride in, and that was due to a strategy created by Deji though we are grateful we had the opportunity to praise his work and he was able to see the fruit of his idea, it has all been bittersweet.

Our time with Deji was way too short, the news of his passing will always be so heartbreaking.

Deji I miss your presence, we feel it here and will always remember you. Rest in peace, chale.

x

Always the most insightful person in the room, Deji was a joy to be around. You could always count on him to bring a smile to your face when you were having a tough day. I am forever grateful to have known Deji and to consider him a friend. May he rest in peace.

Deji was a kind and calm soul, he radiated warmth from the moment you met him, starting with his welcome hug and his cheerful smile. Working with him was truly a pleasure, he was a genuinely lovely person to be around and will forever be missed, it was a privilege to have known him. Rest in peace Deji x

It was such a pleasure to work with Deji. Seeing his name as the strategist on a brief was always exciting, as you knew an interesting angle from which to work was guaranteed. I loved the way he thought. There was no ego or defensiveness, just a genuine desire to find the right answer and a fantastic sense of humour. He was inspiring to work with, as well as being enthusiastic, kind and tactful in his responses to creative work. I wished I’d had the opportunity to meet him in person and not just on video calls – and get to know him properly outside of client work. Rest in peace, Deji.

Deji was one of those people who made the office feel a bit more human. I’ll miss those little moments with him - his wit, his laugh, and of course, those signature fist bumps.

Rest easy, Deji.

Deji brought such a warm, radiant energy to the Krow London office, perfectly rounding out our strategy team. I’ll cherish the laughter we shared, especially when questioning the weird and wonderful habits of Londoners, and his dedication to his daily ‘second lunch’—a ritual he took very seriously!! His gift for storytelling was unmatched, and he had a way of making strategy seem effortless.
He'll be deeply missed.

Deji your glorious smile, warmth, and inquisitive mind will never be forgotten. You were an absolute treat to have with us. You'll forever be missed xx

We didn’t get nearly enough time with Deji, but in the time we did have, he made a huge impact. From day one, he impressed everyone—intelligent, articulate, and he somehow managed this whilst also being the most relaxed man I have ever met, making everything look easy. His daily fist bumps became part of office life, and he will be sorely missed.
Thinking of his family and loved ones at this difficult time.

No fist bumps for you and me - too much like paper, scissors, stone. A firm handshake. I miss it.

Deji, our working time together was too short. Upon intro's on your first day at krow you greeted me with a hug, then always the Deji fist bump. You were a pleasure to know and work with, a great strategic mind and an all round good guy. You will be dearly missed. Sam x

Deji, we only worked together as of recent but in this time, I got to see not only how utterly brilliant you were at your job but also your caring, lovely nature (and cool fashion sense!). You’ll be so deeply missed by all at Krow and beyond. Rest in peace, Deji.

Deji has such a playful sense of humour - approaching people out of sight, and then waiting pseudo-annoyed that we hadn't bumped his fist. When we'd turn around we'd be so apologetic for leaving him hanging - but he would just laugh at how he's tricked us. He'd tap on my other shoulder so I would turn the wrong way. Our cleaner, Nene was also from Nigeria, and he would make her fall about laughing by calling her "ma". He was a delight. He was also a genius - coming out with poignant notes in meetings and writing killer briefs. His calming, playful and inspiring presence will be missed for a long, long time.

It is hard to look at Deji’s bright, big smile in the photo as it will be much missed by all at krow. Deji was always a friendly, smiley, kind and bright man. A Gent. Our thoughts are very much with his family.

I remember the first time we met. I don't think I've ever interviewed someone so well prepped. You were so passionate about your past work and had so many exciting ideas on the difference you could make to our Agency. Deciding to offer you a role at krow was a no-brainer for me. And you didn't disappoint. You asked all the right questions and your involvement in our work always made it better. I will miss your smile everyday. Rest in peace lovely Deji