The time has come for me to retire. After 30 years working in AIVP.

30 years is a long time, but it has seemed short. This feeling is a clear sign of how interesting it has been to work in our international network!

During all these years, I have been fascinated by the City Port relationship. In my everyday responsibilities, I have ceaselessly found new challenges to share with you: City Port diversity, the integration of the active port into the city, anticipating coastal flooding, dialogue with city populations, co-construction of city and port, etc. On every topic I have learnt from some of you, deepened my knowledge with others, and above all had the pleasure of sharing this knowledge and your good practices with the whole network.

Because for me, AIVP is also the relationships built up all round the world through our conferences, meetings, study trips, cooperative projects, or the research I have been able to do at the request of this city or that port. Every one of these has been an opportunity for exchanges, which have always been enriching, and for relationships – more direct and reiterated with some of you.

I will not be with you in Tangiers next May for our World Conference. The programme, that I worked out with my colleagues on the content committee for the last time, looks very interesting! And I shall not forget the city of Tangiers, which I discovered thanks to AIVP on a study trip that we organised there in 2015. If I were you, I would not hesitate to go. I have no doubt that you too will find it worthwhile!

30 years is also the time I have spent with my long-term colleagues. Some have left a short while before me: Corinne Monnet, Olivier. Others are still very much present: Corinne Lallemand, Béatrice, Bruno, Eric. Others again accompanied me for a few years in my Port City adventure on the 5 continents: Greta, Hermeline. What more can I say about the quality of our working relationship and the pleasure it has been to work with them. A pleasure and a length of service that I wish from the bottom of my heart to the young people who have joined us recently: José and Chloé, of course, but also Théo, Anas, Martial, Annabelle, Caya, Ophélia, more recently, and tomorrow Paul, who takes over from me.

Thanks to them, and to you, for everything! And long live AIVP!!! 🙂