Dear Colleagues,
I am deeply saddened to learn that Alan Barrett passed away last week.
Alan was one of the pioneers in bringing the Internet to Africa. I first
met Alan many years later, when he joined the Address Supporting
Organisation’s Address Council as the first representative from Afrinic. We
served together for a decade, and I remember his dedication as we met on
midnight conference calls every month. Alan was never loud, but when he
spoke, he was worth listening to, and when he volunteered, he always
delivered. And he did volunteer way more than his fair share.
Our paths have crossed on many themes since then, during his service as
AFRINIC CEO and, more recently, as an ICANN Board Member appointed by the
numbers community. He has done an excellent job sharing his knowledge and
bringing the numbers perspective to ICANN. Although his quiet contributions
go way beyond that.
I will remember Alan as a thoughtful and principled colleague, and as a
committed advocate for Internet development in Africa and globally.
Moments like this make me reflect on what is really important in our work,
building the future of the Internet. Bringing people together globally to
build and improve the Internet, which again brings people together,
hopefully to create a better world. It is important to take care of each
other even when we do not agree to work together for the common good.
On behalf of everyone at the RIPE NCC, I would like to express our sincere
condolences to Alan’s family, friends and former colleagues at AFRINIC, and
to everyone in the wider Internet community who worked with him and will
feel his loss.
Kind regards,
Hans Petter Holen
Managing Director and CEO
RIPE NCC
