Category Archives: Trolltech

My friend, Xavier Ducasse (and his family)

Back in ’03 when I went to work for Trolltech as a contract Director of Sales and General Manager for the U.S. operations, I began traveling to Oslo (TT HQ) on a fairly regular basis. Among the staff members I met on my first trip to Oslo was a French guy by the name of Xavier Ducasse. Xavier was part of our inside sales team and mainly, I think, because of his interest & curiosity about succeeding in software sales, we seemed to hit it off fairly early on.

Now that I reflect on our relationship, in addition to appreciating his desire to succeed, I also liked that he was interested in what we were doing in the States and how it might apply to his efforts and goals; in turn, I was interested in learning what he was doing to perform at his then-current level (that we might employ in the States) and what he thought he needed from the organization to perform to his true potential.

As fate would have it, Xavier ended up reporting to me later that year and in my numerous trips to Oslo, we got to know one another better. Initially, our relationship was of the traditional manager-employee type… but in a very short time, we morphed to employee / manager / mentor & friend. Given the changes I was introducing to the sales organization, the transition was a good thing – for both Xavier and me.

After leaving Trolltech, Xavier and I kept in touch by email and when I visited Oslo, we got together to catch up on one another’s lives. Naturally, we talked of work, career goals and life aspirations… but mainly we just kept in touch… something that’s easily lost in today’s warp-9 world.

Xavier eventually left Trolltech, got married, had a baby and – no surprise to anyone who knows him – has succeeded in business and gained progressively more responsible roles at work. (I won’t mention his employer or his role, but he’s gone far beyond Inside Sales guy – congrats, Xavier! – and I expect that trajectory to continue.)

So now you know about Xavier and me, how about seeing his bride and young family? 🙂 Enjoy!


Xavier’s wife, Severine, and their daughter, Maxine. What a cute mother and daughter! They sure look like they’re having a good time together, don’t they? 🙂


That’s Xavier on the right, behind Maxine.

Looks like Maxine is playing one of those games at the carnival where you throw the ring in the clown’s mouth and the clown’s eyes light up.

What is it about babies – human or animals – that causes so many adults to have their pictures taken in such a… ah… (what’s the charitable word I’m looking for here?) candid – yeah, that’s it – candid(!) state? Whatever it is, I’m pleased that it exists… there’s rarely anything so enjoyable as watching a parent in play with their child. Of course, that often changes when the child hits their teen years, but until then….

Xavier, if / when you read this, thanks for allowing me to share the pics!

Thx for stopping by and don’t forget to write when you get work.
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