“I first met Derek 28 years ago, in 1998…”

[...] I first met Derek 28 years ago, in 1998 [...] hired to work in Oracle UK. Two years later, Derek was promoted and started running Oracle's Asia Pacific Region, which he helped build from the ground up to its current configuration of 75 offices in 29 countries. [...] It's impossible for me to comprehend how I could speak with Derek on a Monday call and then be told I'll never speak with him again. His sudden and unexpected death caught all of us unprepared. I have lost a dear friend of nearly three decades. Life is a fragile thing.