Common sense

André used to say (to me anyway) that he had the mentality and common sense of a French peasant. For example, he did not like the fashionable desire to shed surplus cash to investors - we might need it. Or, his straightforward rationale for developing the Dealing service (against the opposition of those who thought Reuters should not run the casino) - clients want to know if they can deal at the indicative rate shown on the screen. Or, the deceptively simple question: Is the product easy to sell? In other words, do sales grow geometrically? The more dealers on the network the more want to join, etc. Many products fail that test.

In other respects, André did not resemble a French peasant at all. His seldom uncomfortable travels and gastronomic feats of endurance were legendary. In the early days of Monitor, André's expenses were charged in error to Gerald Long. Even he noticed.

Those of us who knew him and worked with him for many, many years will always remember with affection and respect the great André Villeneuve! ■