service as chairman of the Council Partners Charitable Trust (CPCT). The Trust raises and distributes funds in Bermuda to combat the effects of substance abuse on the Bermudian community.

At a luncheon hosted by Henry Smith, president of the Bank of Bermuda, tributes were paid to Mr. Duperreault's hard work and commitment in furthering the goals of the Trust.

Anyone who believes that the chief executive officers of Bermuda's international insurance companies are human beings who have subsumed their humanity under the corporate veil would have learned much from the event, held at La Coquille, the restaurant at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute.

Tributes paid to Duperreault An invited audience of the Island's finest, drawn from the public and private sectors, may have expected a nice lunch and the traditional speeches of thanks. They witnessed much, much more.

Mr. Duperreault has been a busy man during the past four years, building ACE into a truly global organisation with operations in nearly 50 countries and assets of $30 billion. Yet he has found a considerable amount of time to help build the CPCT into a meaningful link in Bermuda's unending struggle against substance abuse.

The point was driven home in an emotive speech by Joe Da Silva, formerly chemically addicted, who repeatedly thanked Mr. Duperreault for his personal involvement. Mr. Da Silva is a graduate of Focus, a helping organisation funded in part by the CPCT.

During the days of his addiction, Mr. Da Silva told the audience of 200, "people like you were my enemy. You were Babylon!'' he said, referring to the disenfranchised's nickname for a world devoted more to profit than human spirituality.

"But all because of the work that you, Brian, and you good people here today have done, your dedication and your donations, you helped me restore my belief system,'' Mr. Da Silva said.

He recalled how he and Mr. Duperreault had spent time together. "I got to see Brian more and more. We chatted. He helped me grow,'' Mr. Da Silva said. The image of the chief executive officer and the addict, working together for the common good, gave the lie to the idea that the comfortable simply donate money to good causes to salve their consciences.

"Brian has a special chip in him with the ability to communicate spirit to spirit,'' Mr. Da Silva said. When he had concluded his remarks, Mr. Da Silva made his way into the audience and hugged Mr. Duperreault. It was a touching moment.

For his part, Mr. Duperreault spoke briefly, deflecting the praise away from himself, towards the CPCT. At the end of his remarks, the occasion got the better of him. Speaking, plainly, from the heart, he found himself unable to choke back the tears as he said: "I've had a pretty busy four years, but many of my proudest moments have been with the Trust.'' Closing the event, Mr. Smith said, with a smile, that he had it on good authority that Mr. Duperreault "had accepted a full-time position with ACE''.

Mr. Smith now succeeds Mr. Duppereault as chairman of the Trust.

Man of the moment: Brian Duperrault DRUGS DGS