I was introduced to Thomas and his lovely wife Marie-Françoise, at Kotoka International Airport in 2009, by our one and only pure soul, Dariu their son; Dariu was interning at the Nestlé Central and West Africa Regional office (CWAR) in Accra, Ghana, I was head of the division Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communications.
The Trübs would be in Accra all but four days, I believe, and they needed to meet this woman who had dragged their son across an African country they hadn’t encountered yet! Okay Dariu, I owed you a thousand favors for throwing you in the deep end many times, I’ll pay up and endure your parents.
But “endure” them was far from it! What lovely energy they brought! Well, after Thomas got over the first hump in the passenger seat while I drove them to their hotel; when I announced that in my opinion journalists were a pain in… “where the sun doesn’t shine.” Ooooh! “I’m a journalist” he said! The car suddenly felt too small. We started our debate. Truly, this was Dariu’s papa! By the time we got to the hotel we called a truce after he had worn me down to “some African journalists, who aren’t specialized in their area of work, are a nuisance to my profession.”
Thomas is a generous spirit. Consistently choosing abundance and creating opportunities for others to grow. Bringing Ringier to Africa was no mean feat. Why would any established Swiss family led organization want to risk that? But, they had Thomas in their cap. And what a powerful feather! He is adept at recognizing precious stones in the mud of dense madness. And he won’t stop till others see the shine.
He is an awesome charmer. And he tends to believe he can make stones breathe, and usually he can make them move telepathically. What a beautiful soul!
You’re loved, Thomas! More than we can demonstrate for you to know! “Blessings fall on you!” as the Afrobeat Davido would say.
