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Items tagged: Obituary

  • Obituary: Dr Pieter Tjan

    Dr Pieter Tjan, formerly President of ATIEL passed away on 16th October 2025.

    After studying for a PHD in Chemical Engineering at Technical University Delft in the Netherlands, Peter a Dutch national, joined Shell holding a number of managerial and commercial roles spanning a 25 year career that saw appointments in the UK, Europe and Asia.

    He retired from Shell in 2001 and established Europia; a lobbying consultancy working with clients such as ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell.

    In 2011, Peter was appointed as President of ATIEL and was instrumental in modernising the organisation and establishing the subsidiary SAIL to monitor and manage compliance against the ACEA engine oil sequences. In 2015 Peter was also appointed Chairman of the Coordinating European Council.

    Peter stepped down from his role with ATIEL in 2017, handing over to current President Marco Digioia, and began studying for a degree.

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  • In Memoriam – Dr. Paolo Donnabella

    GEIR expresses its deepest sadness at the passing of Dr. Paolo Donnabella, founder of one of its members Ra.M.Oil S.p.A., at the age of 93.

    Dr. Donnabella’s pioneering work in oil regeneration began in 1962 with the establishment of Ra.M.Oil. He was also one of the founders of the National Consortium for the Collection of Used Oils in Italy (CONOU), which played a key role in shaping the industry’s future and making Italy a leader in oil collection and regeneration

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  • OBITUARY: Wilfried J. BARTZ, Hon.Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. Eur-Ing. Ing.Paed. (1934 -2023)

    On the last day of 2023 Wilfried BARTZ passed away. Tribologists in Germany and worldwide knew the tireless “lubricant-affine” mechanical engineer and knowledge mediator from his 25 years (till 2002) as Director of the Technical Academy Esslingen (TAE, well known professional training institution in Germany) or from his numerous lectures at international congresses in East and West. He played a significant role in shaping the TAE’s educational program and was a keen lecturer in his favourite field of “lubrication technology”.

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  • Obituary: David Neadle

    We are sad to announce that David Neadle, former UKLA President (2003-2005), sadly passed away on 1st January 2023.

    David was a UKLA Board Member 1994-2009 and Chairman of the Metalworking Fluid Product Stewardship group until 2011. He was a founder member in 1968 of the British Lubricant Federation which subsequently merged in 2005 with the UK Delegation to UEIL to become the UKLA which we know today.

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