To a friend and colleague

An announcement has just been made which leaves the world in which I work a much poorer place. My friend and colleague, Briac Le Mouël, from UFI in Paris has died suddenly and unexpectedly.

Briac, just 37, was Operations Director of UFI and closely involved in all aspects of its work. A man with a lively mind and great charm, he had friends around the world who will be mourning his loss this week.

French to the core (and proud of his Breton roots), Briac was an internationalist par excellence with a wondefully broad world view. We shall miss his most Gallic of Gallic shrugs, his wry smile and his sharp wit.