Laurent Du Pasquier was born on 15 July 1976 and grew up in the western Swiss city of Neuchâtel. After finishing high school, Laurent specialized in business studies and began an apprenticeship with Credit Suisse, in Neuchâtel, in 1994. He remained in the Swiss banking and finance sector for the next decade and a half, working in Fribourg and Basel, before moving to Geneva in 2004 – the same year he received his business administration degree from the Neuchâtel School of Business Administration.
Known affectionately to his friends as “Lolo” or “DuPaq’”, Laurent had a big heart and desire to do good. In Neuchâtel he had worked as a volunteer driver in his spare time. It therefore came as little surprise when he married his professional skills with his humanitarian spirit and joined the ICRC in August 2008 as an administration and finance manager.
It was the perfect marriage. Laurent’s first assignment took him to Muzaffarabad, northern Pakistan, where he hit the ground running, earning the thanks and recognition of everyone he worked with. After Pakistan, there followed postings to Yemen, Haiti and Egypt. Then came Papua New Guinea, where he was appointed to the newly created role of administration and finance manager at the regional level, which meant he also covered Canberra (Australia) and Suva (Fiji).
Laurent was selfless, generous, loyal, humble and caring. His infectious smile, positive outlook and sense of humour generated warmth wherever he went. One of his biggest strengths as an administration and finance manager was his “people-oriented” approach, whether in his dealings with staff or interactions with other departments. Likewise, he was always true to the values and principles of the ICRC, never losing sight of institutional or operational goals.
After completing these five assignments, Laurent left the ICRC in September 2013 to spend time with family and friends in Neuchâtel and explore other avenues. But when fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, the ICRC sought his expertise and calm professionalism as an administration and finance manager once again. Laurent answered the call, embarking in August that year on a three-month posting to the city of Donetsk. It was there, on 2 October 2014, that he was killed outside the ICRC’s office, when a shell landed close by. He was 38 years old.
Laurent had found in the ICRC a place where he could be true to himself and everything he believed in. A place where he could excel and be the best of himself. A place where his big heart could thrive in the service of others.
