Dear All,
I only learnt recently of Malcolm's sad passing away last year. I googled to see if I could find any formal obituaries but was unable to find one. So I'd just like to make my own small offering here, however insignificant it may be.
Firstly, I think Malcolm was liked by almost everyone he worked with. He may not have had great leadership skills, but he was certainly one of the most friendly and affable people you could ever hope to meet. He was always someone you felt you could talk to about almost anything. He was also a great public servant and had that attitude in whatever he did. Considering he was actually a Country Director he was exceptionally humble. In fact, perhaps too much so, in that he often allowed lesser people around him to dominate him.
He owed much of his success to his willingness to go to places where others were unwilling to go. A great example of this was Afghanistan, which certainly took some guts. Of course, he was very much at home in the Muslim world, as he converted to Islam at some point (I'm afraid I don't know the exact date). I don't know whether he was Sunni or Shia, but he was certainly very pious and embodied most of the qualities a Muslim should. Being a Muslim enabled him to integrate and function in the MENA region, notably in Bahrain, where he was always noted for his friendly and unpatronising communication with the local staff.
I'm sure he will be missed by his family and friends
I only learnt recently of Malcolm's sad passing away last year. I googled to see if I could find any formal obituaries but was unable to find one. So I'd just like to make my own small offering here, however insignificant it may be.
Firstly, I think Malcolm was liked by almost everyone he worked with. He may not have had great leadership skills, but he was certainly one of the most friendly and affable people you could ever hope to meet. He was always someone you felt you could talk to about almost anything. He was also a great public servant and had that attitude in whatever he did. Considering he was actually a Country Director he was exceptionally humble. In fact, perhaps too much so, in that he often allowed lesser people around him to dominate him.
He owed much of his success to his willingness to go to places where others were unwilling to go. A great example of this was Afghanistan, which certainly took some guts. Of course, he was very much at home in the Muslim world, as he converted to Islam at some point (I'm afraid I don't know the exact date). I don't know whether he was Sunni or Shia, but he was certainly very pious and embodied most of the qualities a Muslim should. Being a Muslim enabled him to integrate and function in the MENA region, notably in Bahrain, where he was always noted for his friendly and unpatronising communication with the local staff.
I'm sure he will be missed by his family and friends
