Rene:

When I started working at Bankers Trust I was brought into this huge,

intimidating office with dozens of people that I didn't know. About

mid-morning on my first day this big guy came around to my desk and asked me if I was settling in okay. I said yes but complained that some desktop application on my PC wasn't working. He asked me to move over and started tapping away at the keyboard and soon got it all working fine. I thanked him and, when he left, asked "Who are you?". He replied "I am just the guy who fixes the computers".

It was only after a few days that I found out that it was Rich Lee and that he was a senior manager. This has made a huge impression on me and I will always remember him as a completely unpretentious, down-to-earth person, able to command a huge amount of respect due to his own lack of self-importance.

Sanjeev:

We're totally devastated at the loss of Rich. Rich inspired people and was a gentleman.

This tragedy makes you realise that you cannot take time or people around you for granted. Everything is temporary. One has to be like Rich and live life to the full and appreciate every day one is alive.

Our thoughts are with Rich and his family.

Mark:

I discovered on my bookshelf just yesterday a book Rich gave me, called

Liar's Poker: a memento of the early days of my career switch to a job in the city. On joining the bank, it quickly became clear what a uniquely great start Rich's group was going to give me, in terms of its happy atmosphere, vibrant spirit and its inclusive nature: qualities very much those of Rich himself.

I remember at Bankers Trust that Rich managed to create a very close-knit, small company atmosphere within what was actually a very large company. This he achieved through his caring, energetic and very human style.

In short, Rich was an unforgettable man with wit, immense intellect and

time for everyone.

Mike:

Rich Lee has been a close friend of mine ever since I first worked for him. A new boss coming on board can often be a difficult time for all involved but Rich was open and honest from the start. His combination of technical and people skills made him the ideal manager in the high risk and aggressive world of financial technology. His combination of generosity and humour made him an ideal friend for me.

Rich had a thirst for knowledge, and for the practical implementation of that knowledge. This made him such a good leader in implementing technology in financial institutions because he would only deliver solutions that would work under demanding circumstances. He always wanted to understand new ideas or products in order to see whether he could use them to improve his own or his teams abilities. Rich also paid attention to detail, he documented processes and why they worked a certain way and built in reliability to his solutions. It was this attention to detail that ended up being one of his key legacies to eSpeed and Cantor Fitzgerald. Rich initially managed central development; covering middle, back office and financial systems, before changing roles to manage equities technology globally. Following the WTC disaster these applications were up and running to full capacity by the time the markets were back in action. Given the enormity of the disaster in both people and infrastructure terms this is an outstanding achievement which was only made possible due to the processes which Rich had been so influential in implementing.

Rich was also a great manager of professional people. His key skill was his ability to build teams. He inspired everyone who worked for him and earned loyalty and respect that is still apparent today, years later. He spoke and showed respect to everyone in the workplace and gave people praise and responsibility as it was earned, encouragement where it was needed He recognized that he managed intelligent people and that each opinion held value. Rich also understood that there are times to forget the job and just enjoy the occasion and this was greatly appreciated by all who worked for and with him.

His ability to build such friendly environments in such an aggressive business was largely due to his own sense of security in his personal life. He always made his love and pride for you (Karen) unashamedly clear. Privately he often expressed amazement at the fact that he had found his ideal partner. The arrival of Zach (their son) was the icing on the cake for Rich. I have been inundated with CDs containing filming of family celebrations and days out. It was just another way of Rich sharing his happiness around. He was truly happy !!

As a personal friend Rich was always available. When I was in New York, as you know, I was always invited to dinner, as long as I was happy watching the Simpsons first. In London we would always go out with friends, Paul and Stuart among others. As ever Rich was generous with his time. We spoke regularly and he would always advise me and help me in my career.

Personally I am grateful to God for Rich. He was a good friend in what is at times a difficult world and I know that I am a better and happier person because of him. I will remember his generosity and kindness but most of all I will remember his good humour.

Finally I will never forget the day he smashed up his keyboard, I was so pleased he was human.