Trusted counsellor retires

His astute counsel, knowing smile and distinguished eloquence will be missed by many. With a pang of regret, the man himself admits that 'CERN was like a drug for me'. Last week, Jean-Daniel Mandica retired, after 40 years of loyal service. He was the trusted counsellor of every Director of the Administration and Director-General for eighteen years, from 1986 to 2003. Head of the planning unit for the Directorate and the Administration from 1986 to 1996, he was then named Head of the Directorate Services Unit in 1996, a position he held until the end of 2003. Throughout that time, he conducted key tasks for the Organization, such as restructuring the Administration and carrying out audits. His role in the creation of Microcosm and his commitment to CERN's participation in the Universal Exposition at Seville in 1992 contributed in no small part to the spread of the Laboratory's fame. Jean-Daniel Mandica's incomparable knowledge of the Administration, sense of diplomacy and great ability to listen made him a valued advisor. Indeed, many a Director of the Administration spent his first weeks with Jean-Daniel Mandica on the third floor, learning about the intricacies of the Organization before moving upstairs. Jean-Daniel Mandica was always appreciated for his balanced judgement, his skilful handling of sensitive tasks and his total and utter discretion.

An economics graduate from Geneva's HEC, Jean-Daniel Mandica joined CERN's Finance Division in 1966. From 1968 to 1971, as information technology swept through the Laboratory, he was asked to act as the interface between the finance services and the teams developing administrative computing applications. In 1972, he joined the programming team and, in 1977, became its project leader. His subsequent responsibilities on both the technical and client sides endowed him with a unique expertise in CERN's administrative information systems. 'Jean-Daniel is still the leading expert in that field,' notes a former colleague.

In 1985, Jean-Daniel Mandica swapped his developer's hat for that of an administrator and, a year later, was drafted into the office of the Director of the Administration, Frans Heyn. He would go on to serve five Directors of Administration and four Directors-General in this capacity before becoming advisor to the Secretary-General at the beginning of 2004.