My dear CADS,
I hope this finds you well. I am writing this on a rather soggy Wednesday morning but I’m somewhat rosy inside after the news of Scotland qualifying for next year’s football World Cup. Please forgive the self-indulgence, but this really doesn’t happen very often – the last time was 7 World Cups ago!
November Meeting
An unexpected event occurred for our November lunch—the speaker had to cancel at short notice due to illness. In my almost five years as Chair, I can’t recall this ever happening before. Fortunately, Jean Louis van der Velde stepped in and delivered an unscripted talk about his business, stable coins, and their role in financial markets. The presentation was truly fascinating, although it differed from the original topic of Anglo-French relations during Napoleonic times! Thank you Jean Louis! We’ve invited both Jean Louis and Pieter de Zwart to return and present in 2026, so we’ll all eventually have the chance to hear both topics.
Mark Cunningham
I am still reeling from the sad news of the death of our dear friend Mark Cunningham on August 30th. He was always such a bright light in our society and every event he attended was the better for it. This photo was taken at our Boat Cruise just a couple of weeks before he passed. Having had various problems with his back and some post- op recovery issues he had not been at so many CADS events this year, but he joined us that day brimming with joy and looking so much better. I am thankful that we had that time with him. We will dedicate our Jokathon next month to him, and I have invited his two sons to join us although they have not yet confirmed – perhaps it’s too soon.
Final Note
Thanks for all your ongoing support and enthusiasm. It’s what makes CADS such a special community. Our next event is the Jokathon on December 19th at 12.30, at the KIGC in Amsterdam where we will pay tribute to dear Mark.
