[ncc-announce] [news] In Remembrance - Erik Bais

Dear all,

We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of the pillars of the RIPE 
community, Erik Bais. Erik was a RIPE NCC member, the Address Policy 
Working Group Chair, and, above all, a friend to RIPE NCC staff and the 
RIPE community.

Erik first got involved in the RIPE community in 2002, and he served as 
the Chair of the Address Policy Working Group from 2018 onwards. He 
contributed to and authored several important RIPE policies. Never 
afraid to voice his thoughts, Erik has been a powerful presence in the 
RIPE community, and he has provided considerable guidance to the RIPE 
NCC over the years.

A regular at RIPE Meetings, Erik was incredibly generous with his time, 
mentoring many community members, both formally through RIPE programmes 
and via the friendships and relationships he built through his wisdom 
and humour. The mental health of people in the community was of 
particular concern to him, and we saw this clearly with the advocacy 
work he carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. His participation 
helped shape the RIPE community as we know it today.

We will miss his energy, his clarity of thought and above all his warm 
friendship.

On behalf of the RIPE NCC and the RIPE Chair Team, we extend our 
condolences to Erik’s family and friends.

Hans Petter Holen
Managing Director
RIPE NCC

Mirjam Kühne
RIPE Chair