Charles Handy was a good man. It is said that behind a good man is a good woman and in this case that was true. Charles and Elizabeth Handy were excellent persons and extremely generous with the Home Renaissance Foundation.

We approached them in 2007 to write ‘Home as a School for Life’ a book on the home that Elizabeth, a professional photographer, described photographically three different families’ lives. And it was an amazing experience that we all always remember.

In 2015, Charles and Elizabeth Handy supported us in the policy report ‘Bricks and Mortar Across Generations: A Think Piece on Intergenerational Living in the United Kingdom’ that we presented at the House of Lords by writing the afterword.

Charles Handy was a writer, broadcaster and lecturer. His books on the changing shape of work and its effects on our lives and organizations have sold two million copies around de world. His latest books, include his memoir ‘Myself and Other More Important Matters’ and ‘The New Philanthropists: Making a Difference’ with – photographs by his wife. This is a sequel to their earlier book ‘The new Alchemists’ profiling successful entrepreneurs in all walks of life. At the time of his death, Handy had one book forthcoming, The View from Ninety: Reflections on Living a Long, Contented Life, which is set for publication in 2025.

In his career, he had been an oil executive with Shell, a business economist, Professor at the London Business School, the Warden of St. George’s House in Windsor Castle (a study centre for social and ethical issues) and the Chairman of the Royal Society of Arts. He was also known in Britain for his Thoughts for Today on the BBC radio breakfast show ‘Today’. He was Irish and grew up in Kildare but he died at his home in London on 13 December 2024.