Struggling with the fact that I am now writing a condolence message for the loss of Fleur. I have known Fleur for many years as a sparring partner in all things DEI and as a colleague in my country and regional roles, and most importantly as a friend and colleague in the ‘old’ Area Core Talent/Area Talent Executive team. Most times we agreed. Some times we didn’t. But the respect was always there and the laugh never far away. Her sense of humour and her outbursts of laughter makes me smile even as I write this. Fleur was an excellent guide and mentor into DEI, and she helped me better understand the world in which we live, and she helped me grow – as a professional and as a friend, husband and father. Yet the ‘scenes’ I remember the best, are smaller fragments and emotions: When we took one of the Harvard tests on unconscious bias together, and our results didn’t really match our understanding of ourselves – the reflection and laughs that triggered; a lesson that has stayed with me ever since. Often when I look at the creases on my shirts, I hear Fleur’s deadpan comment about those creases being the envy of the office. I remember the joy when she was awarded her OBE – we all felt and we all shared the pride in the recognition that yes, she was indeed a ‘difference maker’ at a different scale than most of us. 

I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of Fleur’s beloved family when they opened their doors for us. The warmth, the noise, the craziness, the laughs and the hospitality made us all feel at ease and welcomed in a way that I have rarely experienced. Fleur and I once decided to go see the Taj Mahal together following a week of meetings in New Delhi. The roundtrip to Agra gave us plenty of time to talk about the people that mattered the most to us – maybe inspired by going to what is one of the world’s most impressive monuments of love. That trip I will cherish forever – not so much for the Taj Mahal itself, but for the conversations facilitated by the many hours in a car and the keen and openly curious mind of Fleur’s. I owe you thanks, Fleur! May your ripples turn into big waves. Rest in peace.

My deepest condolences to Fleur’s family and everyone who were lucky enough to call her their friend.

/Peter Haugaard