Tom Loran says goodbye to ITC 

Eight years in Indonesia 

In 1989, Loran moved for his work with his wife to Indonesia. In total they have stayed for eight years in various places. From the Molluccas to South Sumatra, Rwanda, Bogor, Bila and more. In this period, they adopted three children. “It was a very beautiful and rammable time,” he says grateful. 

In Indonesia he was involved in carrying out ITC projects spread across the country. ‘’The first project on the Moluccas has always stayed with me the most. You are suddenly responsible. When things go well, you see it. But when it goes wrong, you see that too. I learned a lot there about managing and realizing projects.” 

The circumstances were completely different from today. In the early years, communication was done via telex, with Morse codes. The way of working also differed greatly. Loran: “Meetings were mainly formal confirmations; the real discussions took place in the hallways. That taught me that it’s not always about being right, but about creating support.” 

If you ask Loran what he still uses from what he learned in Indonesia, he will tell you that it is the recipes that have truly stayed with him. He still uses the flavours, the combinations of spices, and the traditional cooking methods he discovered there. It is not simply knowledge he brought back home; it has become part of who he is. He even still has the little notebook from that time. “Our children still prefer to eat rice,” he says with a laugh. 

Rwanda 

In addition to Indonesia, Rwanda also played a major role in this time. In collaboration with the National University of Rwanda, a GIS centre was established there, with which ITC worked intensively for about fifteen years. “That was educational and valuable work,” says Tom. “A lot came out of it. Working in such an environment he learned to work with the context in which people work.” He also saw Rwanda make the conscious decision to switch from French to English as the language of education. “They simply made the change and got on with it — and they did incredibly well.” 

ITC in transition 

Over four decades, Loran has seen ITC change fundamentally. “We have evolved from a development institute to a faculty within a technical university. That requires a different way of working.” Where foreign work experience used to be essential, the priority is now more on academic profiles and PhD programmes. Students also changed with the times. “The needs of our students today aren’t all that different from those of European students in the past.‘’ At the same time, he sees that some things are also the same. ‘’The core has remained the same: training people and working in an international context.”  

Letting go with confidence 

Loran feels that his retirement comes at the right time. “It’s time for the new generation to take over and it's in good hands ‘’ he says. He leaves with peace of mind. “I’m not going to be actively involved anymore, but I look back with great pleasure on what we’ve achieved together.” During resetting his hard disk, the memories came back and Loran realised how much amazing things ITC has achieved. Colleagues will remember him as someone who understood context, gave people space and always kept an eye on the bigger picture. “It feels special to close this chapter,” he says. And at ITC they know that deserves to be celebrated.

(Loran and his family at the farewell reception)

Thank you

“Tom, thank you for your 41 years of dedicated service to our organization. You have made a lasting impact on several projects. You are an ambassador for ITC’s capacity development mission, having been active in over 25 countries across the Global South. You are known for your drive, expertise, and collegiality. Tom always brings a positive spirit. Those who have worked with you know that you are always ready to listen, even in the busiest times.”