Hollande Leads Tributes at Total CEO Memorial
French President Francois Hollande led tributes to Total's former chief executive at a memorial service on Monday, a week after his private jet crashed at a Moscow airport.
Top figures from the world of finance and politics, including IMF managing director Christine Lagarde and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, also gathered at Paris's Saint-Sulpice church to remember Christophe de Margerie.
Hollande said the Total boss "defended the success of French technology abroad with excellence and talent".
After a gospel chant in Saint-Sulpice, De Margerie's grandchildren stood to light candles around his coffin.
Mourners, led by his wife Bernadette and his three children, filed past an enormous portrait of the former boss lashed to the railings of Saint-Sulpice.
De Margerie, 63, died last week when his private jet hit a snowplough during take-off at Vnukovo airport in Moscow.
The snowplough driver was accused of being drunk and Russian media reported that an intern was in charge of directing air traffic at the time of the crash.
During his time as CEO, De Margerie worked closely with Russia and had plans to invest in Russian energy. Hours before the crash, he met Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to discuss foreign investment in Russia.
After his death, Russian President Vladimir Putin described De Margerie as "a true friend of our country, whom we will remember with the greatest warmth".
Total recently named Patrick Pouyanne as the new chief executive, while former Total CEO, Thierry Desmarest, was appointed chairman.
Following the memorial service, De Margerie was to be buried Tuesday in a small private ceremony in Normandy, northern France.
The former head of the MEDEF French business association, Ernest-Antoine Seilliere, said it was "a source of pride that our country has leaders of that stature".
Outside the formal ceremony stood a few dozen onlookers, including former or current employees of the energy giant, to pay their respects.
"We have lost someone great. He was greatly appreciated and someone who inspired a great deal of trust," said Patrick Leroy, a Total employee from Normandy.
Source: Agence France Presse
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