On September 29, 2026, over a hundred friends, family members, and global colleagues gathered in a virtual room that stretched across countries and continents. They came together to honor the life, vision, and enduring legacy of Bertrand de La Chapelle following his passing in Paris on August 26. Co-organized by his life partner Ayesha Hassan, the Datasphere Initiative, and the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network, the online gathering provided a warm, open space to hold grief, share laughter, and reflect on a figure whose impact reached every corner of the digital world.
Watch the Event: If you were unable to join the live gathering or would like to revisit the tributes, the complete recording of the Online Celebration of Life is now available on YouTube.
Opening the event, Lorrayne Porciuncula, Executive Director of the Datasphere Initiative and Bertrand’s co-founder, reflected on her relationship with her mentor, friend, and neighbor. She spoke candidly about how surreal his absence still felt, precisely because Bertrand was always so full of life, energy, and unwritten plans. Ayesha Hassan added her deep gratitude for 22 years of steadfast partnership, thanking the global community for coming together to comfort one another and to ensure Bertrand’s vision for a more collaborative world moves forward.
As the tributes began, a remarkably vivid portrait of Bertrand emerged through the personal stories shared by those who knew him best. Internet pioneer Vint Cerf set the tone by offering the German word Mensch to describe Bertrand — a person who exhibited all the noble qualities of humanity with none of the bad. Cerf, wearing a color-shifting tie gifted to him by Bertrand, recalled their deep, philosophical conversations where Bertrand acted like “the reincarnation of an 18th-century French philosopher,” constantly pushing colleagues to challenge their first impressions. In the chat, Liz Shattuck built on this sentiment, describing Bertrand as “jazz personified: cool, elegant, and capable of taking any standard note, turning it inside out, and making us see something completely new”.
The stories seamlessly bridged Bertrand’s intellectual greatness with his profound human warmth. Former classmate and dear friend, Francis Etienne recited a poem he had written for Bertrand’s 65th birthday, celebrating his “natural aristocracy of thought,” while his friend of 45 plus years Régis Nacfaire de Saint Paulet shared photographs from 1982 of a young Bertrand wearing a cape. Régis moved the room by recalling that despite Bertrand’s brilliant mind, he never once made anyone feel beneath him, choosing always to engage as equals.
That genuine humility was felt by colleagues of all generations; Sarah Nicole reflected on how Bertrand would sit for hours listening to younger team members, making their ideas feel truly valued. Former I&JPN team member and mentee Ajith Francis recounted how Bertrand would take complex policy drafts and ruthlessly pare them down into simple, elegant solutions, while Ram Mohan shared a quiet memory of Bertrand engaging his young daughters in authentic conversation during a family dinner in Seville.
Alongside his warmth was an unforgettable personal style and an infectious sense of humor. ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin pictured Bertrand in early Internet governance meetings: pipe in hand, unhurried, impeccably dressed with his signature red shoelaces, and always ready for meaningful exchange. Friends in the chat lightheartedly recalled his moments of fiery candor, from walking out of a tedious committee meeting after calling it a waste of time, to loudly debating airport TSA officers about why commercial flight had devolved into a circus.
“He made everyone feel important and their views valued.“
Explore a selection of warm memories and reflections shared by attendees in the Zoom chat during the live gathering:
Yet across every tribute, the central thread remained Bertrand’s lifelong conviction that “there is no greater mission for humans than uniting humans”. Martin Hullin highlighted Bertrand’s rare gift for sitting down with opposing sides to fight for nuance when few others would. Anriette Esterhuysen, human rights defender and computer networking pioneer, noted his mastery in designing collaborative frameworks that created a level playing field for government ministers, tech executives, and civil society activists alike. Whether serving as France’s Special Envoy for the Information Society, sitting on the ICANN Board, or co-founding the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network and the Datasphere Initiative, Bertrand approached global digital governance with the firm belief that complex human problems always have solutions if people commit to working together.
As the celebration drew to a close, the focus turned toward the future. Former ICANN CEO Fadi Chehadé cited Victor Hugo — “Change your opinions, but keep your principles; change your leaves, but keep intact your roots” — describing the assembled global network as Bertrand’s interconnected “aspen grove”.
Concrete steps to honor his legacy were shared, including Wolfgang Kleinwächter’s announcement of an annual Bertrand de La Chapelle Lecture at EuroSSIG, and Sébastien Bachollet’s note that the French Internet Governance Forum will hold a dedicated plenary in his honor. Furthermore, leadership from the Datasphere Initiative reaffirmed their commitment to advancing his pioneering frameworks for Internet and digital policy.
As Paul Fehlinger summarized, Bertrand was above all an “optimist by choice”. The community carries his torch forward by embracing his endless curiosity, his commitment to dialogue, and his belief in a connected, humane world.
Share your memories & carry his legacy forward
If you were unable to join the live event or wish to rewatch the tributes and stories shared by friends around the world, you can watch the full recording on YouTube.
The global community is invited to continue sharing personal tributes, messages, and photos on Bertrand’s Official Online Memorial Page on Keeper.
To stay connected and receive updates about future initiatives being established in Bertrand’s name, please fill out the Interest Form. A nonprofit entity will be established in his name to support fellowships to develop leaders in Internet and global governance, multistakeholder approaches, and to inspire and support the continuation of his visions and aspirations.
You can contribute to ensure Bertrand’s legacy continues and the next generation is supported to pursue the work he was passionate about in these important global issue areas. We will update those who have filled out the Interest Form as this is established.
