Class of 1990 - 1999

Provided by Peter Vaughan

I am very sad to inform you of the sudden death in August 2020 of Chwee Lim, my course-mate and good friend from the part-time Executive MBA programme 1992-94 at Imperial Business School, back when it was located at Prince’s Gate.

Chwee grew-up in Malaysia and studied accountancy at Aberdeen University.  She worked in the Finance Department at British Rail, then, after privatisation of the UK rail industry, she moved to Railtrack, where she was Financial Controller for Property Development.  In 1998, a few years after successfully completing her MBA, Chwee moved to Sydney Australia where she worked first for Australian Freight Railways and then spent fourteen years with Sydney Water, working on investment appraisal, regulatory finance and pricing.   She was an exemplar of life-long learning and in 2019 had completed a second Masters Degree in Applied Finance from Macquarie University, while continuing to work full-time.   And, as well as English, she was fluent in Malay and several Chinese dialects.  Those who were privileged to have known Chwee will remember her fierce intellect and boundless energy, coupled with a friendly, kind and generous approach to life.  And her warm smile and sense of fun.   She made many lasting and deep friendships with those she worked with across the globe, and as a leader was highly respected and liked by the people she managed.  She will be greatly missed. 

Chwee is survived by Kevin Warrell, her husband of 23 years, and their daughter Natasha.

Provided by his family

1964 - 2020

It is with deep sadness that I write of the death of our son, Joseph Alexander Mercier.  He died 6th December in hospital in Athens, aged 56 years.  Joseph was educated at Bedales in Hampshire.  In London he worked for a while before gaining his BSc at Birkbeck College.  He then gained his PhD at Imperial College.  He met Katerina in London and they were married in Athens, and later Ari was born. Joe’s death compounds his loss, so close and yet so far away, not to say ‘Goodbye’. - Valerie Sarah Mercier

At Imperial College, London, he undertook research on solid state lasers. He worked, to begin with, for his Master’s degree, obtained in 1992, and then for his Ph.D., graduating in 2000. His Thesis was entitled ‘Static and Dynamic Properties of Semiconductor Laser Arrays’. He worked under the direction of Dr Martin McCall. The work was on the theoretical analysis of the radiation from such an array, with calculations performed on a computer. - Dr Raymond Mercier

Difficult to sum up 31 years of our journey through calm and rough seas together. It started with long walks, music, academic pursuits, a lot of travelling, filled with laughter and friends, followed by professional pursuits and later a quieter life in Greece. Joe was at his happiest with his friends from university, walking on the mountain and by the beach, being a tender and proud father to Ari.  Joe loved to help people and animals in need, even if he was not always very good at looking after himself. A passenger with lust for life … and a dreamer. There were so many things still on his to do list. - Katerina Stefanou

Memories of my brother Joe. My favourite memories of Joe centre on the wonderful time we had when all four of us played together as young children. Our family home had access to a river and some fields. Joe used to build dens for us in the trees, splash around in the mill pond, engage with the local wildlife to the extent that the ducks from the river came into our house regularly, and generally be the naughty little brother always looking to play tricks on his sisters (I can recall a plant-growing competition where he snipped the flowers off my sunflower because it was doing better than his!). I believe his love of cats later on in his life stemmed from this early period where our home had a constant flow of pets ranging from guinea pigs, goats, dogs and of course, cats.  Joe, we lost you way too early and you are missed every day. - Catherine Mercier

Joe, my memories. Playing with Joe in rivers & woods, building dens. Sitting with him making radio sets & it’s thanks to him I can wire a plug. Fun together in Camden when he was at Birkbeck. Visiting in Athens where he’d made a new life for himself & his family. Our family jigsaw is now altered. - Harriet Titcomb

To sum up Joe; infinite numbers, (especially prime) discussions and questions. Curiosity, perseverance, faith, integrity, humour, courage, concentration, music. Letting the sea carry him, dissolving into a sunset, climbing his mountain. Seeking truths, unravelling himself, striving to be there for himself and his family. Optimism, up until the end, he fought and was winning. - Jenny Mercier

Provided by Carol Jacobi

Dr Martin Guy died on 27th April 2020 aged fifty-two. He arrived in the Department of Physics at Imperial College from Truro School aged seventeen, in 1985, and graduated with a PhD in optics in 1994. He went on to spend four years as Postdoctoral Research Associate specialising in new laser technologies and devices for optical communications systems. Martin published over 30 technical papers and was named inventor on two patents. He was a Chartered Physicist and Member of the Institute of Physics. Martin took up a post in Canada as Optical Systems Analyst on the experimental program at Nortel Networks, Ottawa, returning to London in 1999 as Senior Technical Consultant for the Product Development Group at Alcatel Submarine Networks. There he led a multinational team developing 99.999% reliable high capacity transoceanic communication systems, and completed the Future Leaders Programme at Manchester Business School.

Despite his modesty, Martin had humane and high expectations of himself and those around him and was generous in his support. He led the Year in Industry scheme at Alcatel and after the birth of his son, Bob, in 2004. He then qualified as a teacher, progressing from Westminster School and Putney High School for Girls to Head of Science at St Albans School for Boys in 2009. His astute and sensitive management style and inspirational classroom presence combined with his kindness and wicked sense of humour to build an innovative, successful and happy department and enthuse many young physicists. Martin was awarded Institute of Physics ‘Physics Teacher of the Year’ in 2016.

Martin was brought up in Cornwall where he learned to sail. An RYA-qualified Yachtmaster, he skippered trips around the coasts of Britain, France, Spain and the Mediterranean and took up kiting, ‘the next best thing’, when away from the coast. A film, photography and music buff, Martin’s sixth formers won the national Institute of Physics SciCast film-making competition each year it ran. Always culturally curious, Martin loved all London had to offer and travelled throughout his life, embarking on a year-long, solo journey around the world after his Master’s degree. He met his future wife, the art historian Dr Carol Jacobi, in 1998. He often supported her fieldwork and became a consummate unpaid editor. Most of all he treasured his close, lively, family life. 

After sixteen months treatment for cancer, Martin died at home.  He will be commemorated at St Albans Abbey when government Covid-19 restrictions lift and his ashes will be scattered in Cornwall, near the sea.

Provided by Catherine Griffiths

02.02.1965 – 14.02.2013

Sebastian Nokes, aged 58, died suddenly and prematurely on 14 February 2023 from a brain haemorrhage.

Once met, Sebastian was someone you would always remember. He had an infectious laugh, was impeccably polite and complimentary, and used his strong intellect to point out the ridiculous or the pompous. His ability to make even the most mundane event or experience hilarious was remarkable and always ensured he was excellent company. He was greatly admired by his friends and colleagues as well as by those with whom he served in the military. He leaves behind his wife Nicola, whom he was married to for almost twenty-eight years.

His international background of being born in Hong Kong and educated at Eton, then time with the Gurkhas, already distinguished him as someone with a world view and an appetite for travel and exploration. He had a great thirst for knowledge and was always challenging friends to know more, to do better, and to be more curious. He had an insatiable hunger for education and serendipitous knowledge, so self-funded much of his education at Birkbeck, SOAS University of London, Imperial College London, and London Business School as well as during his time in the Royal Air Force reserves.

He had many careers, among them as a corporate financier, strategy consultant, start-up specialist, or author, and latterly an AI engineer. However, he was never satisfied to stay only in one role. Once he focused on a subject, he studied it intensely whether it was mathematics, philosophy or politics. Learning and dabbling in languages was a favourite past time of Sebastians, whether it was French, Arabic, or Mandarin. He was author of 22 books on strategy, finance and technology – with much to say about costs! 

Sebastian travelled continuously. Besides the UK, he worked in many countries in the Americas, Europe, Central Asia, the GCC/Middle East, China, and New Zealand. Wherever he was, he seemed innately to know the local customs, foods and drinks, and had much delight in testing others to ensure they also knew them. He loved walking, photography, music and exploring the outdoors through mountaineering, and traversing the wilds.

Sebastian had a full life, but no summary such as this, can truly capture the many aspects of such a lively, rich and curious person who always had another project to undertake, another idea, another story to tell, and a joke to make you laugh. He was like a cool breeze who passed through your life and then he was gone – and now sadly forever. He will be missed.

Rest in Peace.