On Friday, the industry took to the Savoy Hotel in London to pay their respects at a memorial service for Ramy Bourgi, head of Emerging Markets for Societe Generale Securities Services, who died suddenly in April.
Bourgi, 50, was a well known and respected figure, deeply admired for his warm personality and genuine interest in the people and places securities services had taken him and the service, attended by friends, family and friends within the industry, showed true testament to this.
Alain Closier, global head of SGSS, who worked with Bourgi from 2007 to 2011 provided the opening speech to the service and highlighted Bourgi’s enthusiasm and genuine values when it came to his work.
Mark Garvin, Chairman of JP Morgan Europe Limited, who worked with Bourgi from 1996 to 2005 also provided a speech that illustrated the widespread admiration and pleasure it was to work with Bourgi.
Maher Khani, Bourgi’s nephew, provided a video speech for the service and illustrated what it was like to know Bourgi as “the business man and the man himself”.
After beginning his career in 1986 as a financial analyst for Dar Al-Handasah Consultants UK Ltd, Bourgi eventually joined J.P. Morgan in 1992. He was head of Europe, the Middle East and Africa global asset services from 1997 to 2001, when he was promoted to business executive for EMEA, succeeding the retiring Jeremy “Jumbo” Jewitt.
In 2006, Bourgi joined Cambridge Place Investment Management as co-head of business development, institutions, EMEA before leaving to become head of emerging markets for SGSS in September 2007.
(LB)