Mr. J.F. (Frans) Spierdijk, former Secretary General of IFA, passed away on 1 March 2019 at the age of 87.
Frans was an engaging and inspiring personality who joined IFA in 1963 and shared his great knowledge and experience as tax adviser within IFA, first as a member of the General Council and later in the Executive Board of IFA.
As Secretary General from 1988 to 2002, he was at the heart of the IFA organization. In 1989 he moved the office of our General Secretariat from the Erasmus University Rotterdam to our present office in the World Trade Center Rotterdam.
During his 14 years tenure, the IFA membership grew, from 7,500 to more than 10,000 worldwide, and so did the number of Branches. Moreover, he enthusiastically supported the Regional and bilateral Conferences of IFA and visited many Branches, often together with Jacqueline, his beloved spouse. Upon his retirement at the 2002 IFA Congress in Oslo, Frans was appointed Honorary Member of IFA. After his retirement, Frans kept contact with many friends in IFA and he attended several IFA Congresses until 2011 when he suffered the terrible loss of his spouse.
We are deeply indebted to him for his great and important contribution to the work and success of the IFA. All of us who had the privilege and pleasure of knowing him and working together with him will miss him as a dear friend. We will cherish the memory of him. Our thoughts are with his family.
Jean-Blaise Eckert
Secretary General
International Fiscal Association