Funeral of Christophe de Margerie CEO of TOTAL Group

USPA NEWS - A long, and dignified 3 hours ceremony, along tributes coming from both sides of the family/friends and personalities present at the funeral of Christophe De Margerie, the former CEO of TOTAL Group, today at St. Sulpice church, Paris. His nickname was given by employees and friends "Big Mustache".

"Big Mustache" was probably the most remarkable French boss, for a so typical man with his physical of a character from tale, as well as with his trimmed mustache and soignée and yet his bonhomie and described as a lover of life. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christophe Jean Gabriel Marie Jacquin de Margerie is the son of Pierre Rodocanachi (1921-2010), a former soldier, and Colette Taittinger (born in 1928). His two brothers and him have been abandoned by his biological father, He Was adopté at age eleven by Pierre-Alain Jacquin de Margerie, the second husband of his mother. He was therefore, by her mother, the grand-son of Pierre Taittinger (Legendary Taittinger Champagne) and the half-brother of Victoire de Margerie. Most guests, whether political or business men and women, who attended the ceremony sung by a gospel group, recall De Margerie to his sense of humor evoked by friends, acquaintances, employees and business relationships regretting him. They evoked the memory of a man of good nature, kind and always joyful, close to its staff as well as direct free kick and a peerless negotiator with the oil giants this world. He also remained highly respected within his group, Total because he has climbed the ladder one by one, from the trainee stage at the Financial Management office, till he become the CEO of the group, coming from the bottom to reach the top of the pyramid, after 40 years of loyal service.

-----------------------------------------A touching funeral ceremony, at the Church of St. Sulpice, Paris, worthy of a national tribute The choice of the funeral is not trivial, as far as the ceremony took place in one of the largest churches of Paris for a big man, Christophe De Margerie. Built in the seventeenth century with the foundations of the twelfth century, the Church of St. Sulpice is one of the largest churches in Paris. Located in the heart of the 6th arrondissement, in the district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, it deserves a visit. Inside, with the remarkable nave, the chapel of the Virgin with a statue of Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, the sacristy and Louis XV style paneling, murals of Eugène Delacroix. The tributes have succeeded at the ceremony have more or less dismiss the tragic death in mysterious circumstances at the Vnukovo airport (International Airport Russia) there a few days ago, the night of 20 October (see article), at take off to Paris from his private plane (Falcon 50) has a snow machine on the track. A police investigation is underway and the driver (Apparently drunk) was arrested along with two other employees of the Control Tower. The presence of eminent personalities from the political, diplomatic, media and business who have made the trip, including Christine Lagarde (Managing Director of the IMF), Emir of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, a testament to a meeting of "National funeral". Indeed, the president de République Française, Francois Hollande (close friend) and Jean-Pierre Jouyet, secretary general of the Elysee, as friend and bound by marriage to the family de Margerie, offered a gospel song during the ceremony. Also were present, the Prime Minister Manuel Valls, Arnaud Montebourg (ex Minister of Economy), Finance Minister Michel Sapin, Fleur Pellerin culture minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, Minister of the Interior, as Christophe De Margerie was considered to be neither from the left nor the right wing, and qualified committed but not affiliated with any political party. Among the personalities from business, managers of the Total Group, including Thierry Desmarest (His successor Total), and other CEO, Thierry Breton (Atos), Pierre Gattaz (MEDEF), Alexandre Bompard (FNAC) attended the funeral. From the Russian side, Vladimir Putin said that Christophe De Margerie was a "true friend." (Declaration, via his Ambassador in France). -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The ceremony ended after 3 hours, in the sound of the air of "Ave Maria" and the religious gospel, a famous jazz of funeral "When the saints go marching in", in memory of the Catholic departed. And as Christophe De Margerie who used to say, "The family is sacred" also leaves a gaping empty space in his own family and in his family of profession, the "circle of his collaborators" of the world oil and Energy in France and elsewhere. In all cases, he will also be missed by France losing, one of its greatest “Big Boss“ of the largest French company “Total Group“. For more information see www.total.com