De margerie: 40 years with total

Christophe de Margerie had been chief executive of Total, Europe's third-largest oil company after BP and Shell, since 2007.

He had worked for the company for 40 years, spending his entire career there, and was known affectionately as the "Big Mustache" because of his prominent facial hair which was his most striking physical feature.

A descendant of a family of diplomats and business leaders, he was the grandson of Pierre Taittinger, founder of Taittinger champagne and the luxury goods dynasty, bearing his name.

Married with three children and highly regarded within the oil industry, de Margerie was also known for his good humor.

Total said in September that work on a new natural gas liquefaction plant in northwestern Siberia was continuing despite Western sanctions buffeting Russia over its role in the conflict in Ukraine.

AFP

(China Daily 10/22/2014 page12)