Jo was not only the president of Ferma, he was my friend, my beloved friend.

I had the chance to work very closely with him during all his presidency. With Typhaine we were an unbelievable team, so strong and confident, each one for the two others so that we should succeed in all our challenges, and they were many and sometimes difficult. But the happiness and the friendship were always there as a cement of our team.

Leadership, education, communication were the themes of Jo’s presidency. This motto fit him like a suit. Jo was a real leader, in his job, for the profession and at FERMA. Jo did not hesitate to spend all the necessary time to explain, demonstrate and develop what he considered as essential for the development of risk management throughout the organisations and people all over the world. He had a sense of education. And most of all Jo was a wonderful communicator. He knew how to communicate like no one else: either on a stage or face to face, speaking or writing.

My loss is of a very close friend and I am very sad. I think of his family. And the whole community of risk managers has also lost one of the most important contributors to the development of risk management in the world. His passing will have not just a personal impact, but it is also a loss of richness for risk management community.