“What would you do if you were 10% more courageous?”

It is with great sadness that we learned that Pablo Suarez, a beloved and pivotal member of the Understanding Risk community, has passed away. Pablo was a visionary in the true sense of the word, and he chose to bring his talents to the fields of disaster risk management and climate, for which we will be endlessly grateful.

Pablo was foundational to the energy and creativity that characterizes UR. He personified UR. Without fail, he would energetically bring innovative, highly non-traditional ideas to connect the DRM and climate fields to something seemingly unrelated: sculptures, humor, games, acrobats. 

If you ever encountered him at a UR event, you were guaranteed to be pushed out of your comfort zone to discover where magic happens. He changed how we saw, understood and approached some of the most difficult challenges of our time. Together with his wife, Janot Mendler de Suarez, he made significant contributions towards anticipatory approaches to risk management.

Beyond his direct contributions to the UR community, Pablo was a one-in-a-million person. He was filled with joie de vivre unlike many other people you meet. Pablo was a connector, an innovator, a motivator, and an inspiration. His thoughtful brilliance, earnest curiosity, contagious energy, and compassionate warmth will be truly missed.

For those of you who had the pleasure of knowing him, we mourn with you. For those of you who never had the privilege of meeting him, you can feel and see his genius, creativity, and love of humanity as it lives on through the UR community and its efforts to create a better world, especially for those who often don’t have “a seat at the table”. He loved this community, and this community loved him.

There are also a few community members who have provided permission for some tributes and memories to be shared:

Years ago, in admiration of his personality, I told him, “I wanted to be little Pablo.” He looked at me and said, “You are not little.” He made me understand how we can all contribute to a better world. – Richard Folly

Pablo taught us that joy and play are not only acceptable in our work; they are the essential enablers for doing good… He always encouraged me to keep that “fire in the belly” to fight for change but to do so lovingly—not with frustration, never with cynicism. He reminded us we must be good “humans” to be good humanitarians…. Pablo was the ultimate connector. He generously made space for good things to flourish. – Kara Siahaan

In being with Pablo, we became more compassionate in proportion to our growing passion for saving this planet and ourselves. And more aware of the joy we can experience in that journey. – John Crowley

I can’t help but think that if Pablo were with us now he’d of course be the one trying (and succeeding) to make us laugh, in this darkest, hardest moment – saying “So sorry, my dear friends, that I’ve made you all feel like this! But don’t forget: keep playing, keep inventing, keep daring!” – Kate Raworth

His creativity and gracious facilitation had such a unique way to make people think with their heart, sparking humanity, bringing joy and light in difficult conversations. He knew how to listen carefully to create the unexpected. – Manon Ebel

Pablo was wired differently in the most magnificent way. – Margaret Arnold

Always lead with warmth
Lead with passion, humor
Humanity and love
Always lead with warmth
Lead with spirit, generosity
Playfulness and life
Dive deeper, push boundaries
Be creative, push some more
Always lead with warmth
Lead with inspiration, justice
Exploration and kindness
Always, always lead with warmth’
– Olette Manhoudt

 

If you want to share your thoughts or a tribute to Pablo, please do so on this Kudoboard.

Cheers to you, Pablo. May we continue to courageously push boundaries, inject playfulness into everything we do, and humbly inspire one another as you did for all of us. And we will try to always lead with warmth. Thank you for all the love, laughter, and fun.