Andrew Parker

Today we found out our great friend and colleague Andrew Parker passed away. It’s difficult to relay such personal news in a public forum, but so many of you know him and worked with him, that we felt it was important to share this news with you.

Many CIOs, sourcing professionals, vendor strategists and analyst relations executives have told me over the years that Andrew was the key IT services and sourcing analyst to know in EMEA. They valued him because they found in Andrew someone who could challenge their existing ideas and engage them in creating new ideas.

Andrew was a wonderful analyst – always willing to aim for the stars with a controversial or ambitious idea. And he knew how to support those ideas with great insights, deep knowledge of clients’ situations, and a broad perspective on the world. Andrew won many internal Forrester awards for his reports and was justifiably proud of his analysis. He had a genuine love for analyst work and was always excited about his research. Below are some of his personal favorites:

He was also a wonderfully stubborn supporter of his direct reports and his teammates. If Andrew believed in you, you couldn’t ask for a more valiant champion. Yet that championship came with a price – Andrew always told you the truth about your research and yourself… even if you would have preferred he just agreed with you that the report was brilliant and that you were completely in the right about the issue!

Of course, the fact that he was talented in his work is only part of the story. He had people whom he loved and who loved him. He was a good man. He was sharp-witted, funny, sarcastic, and kindhearted. All of the personality he brought to his work, he brought tenfold to his personal life. Andrew was a joy to be around.

People have asked me about important memories I have of him, and actually, I am having a hard time remembering any one event. What I remember is that we always laughed together and that I always felt better after talking to him. In fact, my first irrational reaction to the news of his death was “I need to call Andrew and talk about this.” But I’ll never talk to him again.

If you would like to share your own memories or thoughts of Andrew, please comment. I will make sure his loved ones get a copy of your posts.