Sad Day

Terence Flannery, former US Diplomat, passed away in Paris, France last week.
Terence Flannery was a great believer in The Wall Street Journal Europe Future Leadership Institute. He opened numerous doors in Europe for the Institute and for myself. He was a retired diplomat living the life of an American in Paris. From his office in the heart of Paris, he looked down on the house of D'Artagnan. Around his corner lived Catherine Deneuve. He would always tell me if she was home or not when we passed the entrance of her building. Terence recently reached out to President Sarkozy to help the Future Leadership Institue organize a debate around nuclear energy in the second part of 2010. In 2009 The Journal Europe Future Leadership Institute was able to organize a seminar on the future of regulation at the Marriott in Paris. It was Terence who lined up Science Po University, the former President of the New York Stock Exchange and the President of the European Investment Bank.
Whenever we met in Paris, he took me for a walk and explained about the history of the city. Every time I arrived late in Paris and surfaced from the the Saint Sulpice car park he would wait for me with a box of Macarons in his hand for my children, because I wouldn't have time to buy them myself as his favorite bakery, Mulot, would be closed by the time we would end all the meetings. He was a true diplomat and gentleman. The Wall Street Journal Europe Future Leadership Institute will miss his ideas, connections and support. I will miss him because he brought perspective, hope and a sense of reality in the daily unreality of working for a multinational. Paris just lost a magnificent inhabitant. Terence was incinerated privately at The Père Lachaise crematorium. His ashes were spread in the Jardin du Souvenir next to the crematorium. Terence and Paris just became one.