(NEWS) WMU Mourns Passing of Pierre Leonard

April

2020

WMU Mourns Passing of Pierre Leonard

The World Maritime University mourns the passing of Pierre Léonard, a long-standing supporter of WMU. Mr Léonard was responsible for the initiative to establish the French Friends of WMU organization in 1993 with the aim to support the French presence within the University among the governing bodies and the faculty, as well as supporting field training in France and creating scholarship and funding opportunities. In addition, he served as Visiting Lecturer from 1992 to 1993.

Thanks to the initiative of Mr. Léonard, for nearly two decades, students from WMU benefited from the generosity of the French Friends of WMU. In addition to the various funding and field study opportunities, the French Friends of WMU sponsored a French Chair (from 2005 to 2009), established the Pierre Houssin Room for doctoral students, donated an official vehicle to the University, and sponsored various conferences and events in partnership with WMU to benefit the international maritime community. Mr Léonard served as the first President of the Friends, and in his honor, they established an annual prize since 2008 – le Prix Pierre Léonard - awarded to the best female student on the Malmö MSc programme.

Mr. Léonard was co-founder of the Masters Degree in “Transports Internationaux” (University of Paris 1) and served as Director of the national fleet and maritime infrastructure in the French Ministry of Transport. As maritime administrator, he headed the Maritime Council in the Office of the Prime Minister.

The University extends its sincere and heart-felt condolences to the family of Mr. Léonard. His initiative to support the maritime capacity-building mission of WMU has had a profound impact on maritime leaders around the world. His contribution to the University is inestimable and will long be remembered.

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