My friend Christopher Roles, who has died aged 63 of glioblastoma, was head of the UK-based charity Age International from 2012 to 2022. It supports older people around the world, including through humanitarian responses to disasters and emergencies.
He brought to that position a characteristic combination of calm authority, moral clarity and quiet humour that left a lasting mark on colleagues and friends – qualities that also led him to become a valued member of organisations in other settings. He served on the BBC Appeals Committee and was a trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee until his retirement in 2022, when he took up trustee roles at Winchester Cathedral, Wesley House Cambridge and the Pensions Trust.
