At the end of December a select group of Euromarket veterans gathered under the shadow of Credit Suisse First Boston's tower at Canary Wharf. There were there to watch Bank of England governor Eddie George unveil a monument to perhaps their most outstanding colleague. Michael von Clemm, former chairman of CSFB and Merrill Lynch Capital Markets died on November 6, 1997 at the age of 62.
Warmed by a couple of glasses of mulled wine, members of the Schroders dynasty chatted with ex-CSFB chief executive Jack Hennessy and admired the view from the firm's 16th floor. Then it was out into the square to hear Euromoney chairman Padraic Fallon - prime mover behind the project - and the governor pay tribute to the man who laid the foundations not just for the modern international capital markets but also for the international financial centre in London's Docklands in which, fittingly, the memorial is placed.
Anecdotes about von Clemm abound. His death is ascribed by some to his fondness for mobile phones: he had one of the earliest versions and from then on was rarely separated from it. He had heard of the increased exposure to radiation that comes with long-haul flying and so wrapped himself in a protective lead blanket when he travelled by air.