Iain's funeral was held at the Roselawn Cemetery, Belfast, on 15th July and many colleagues and friends gathered to remember Iain and celebrate his quiet achievements.   'No man is an island .....and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls.' 

We were all shocked and saddened by the unexpected news of Iain's untimely death. The immediate response from Iain's former colleagues, customers and friends was a flood of tributes to his life and work.   A few of these are summarised below.

From John Simpson:

Iain joined Bytel (as then was, now Atlas Communications) as my first salesperson in 2002’ish having left WorldCom to its own devices. I was never quite sure whether I offered him a job or he created it for himself, nevertheless he has been a loyal employee and a dear friend for many years.

His ability to absorb life’s little difficulties in his stride whilst working with a company best described as ‘Maverick’  and an owner best described as – let us not go there - and not fall out with anyone was certainly unique in our industry.

I personally would describe him as a fellow traveller, a visionary in our world who was able to deliver customers ultimate requirements, seemingly without effort. As a person he also belonged to our school of ‘Try to make a difference’ and leave the place a little bit better.

I will miss him terribly.  Salesmen are replaceable but friends such as Iain never -  and more than that, a friend to the industry – Gone.

From Richard Simpson

Iain would always go the extra mile, whether for customers, colleagues or friends.  He believed passionately in what he did - championing open access and challenging the accepted order of our industry for the betterment of his customers.

He played a key role in supporting the regeneration of the Queen’s Island area (NISP and Titanic Quarter) and new media development in NI.  His warm open and informed manner helped distinguish Atlas/Bytel in the eyes of our many customers.  Respected and missed.

From Jonathan Rose (Ofcom)

This is such sad news. We all had a lot of time for Iain. I had a great chat with him about all sorts of telecoms stuff on Wed. Always argued his case with passion and complete honesty. As you say, a very decent man.

From Michael Graham (Titanic Quarter Ltd)

Iain was always very good company, a very kind and genuinely caring individual......all in all a very decent human being who will be greatly missed.

From Marit Hendriks

Iain was tremendously helpful and supportive of the NextGen Roadshow in Belfast on 17 June and I am sure that his untimely death is a great loss for the NGA and Open Access movement in NI. Iain was a real gentleman and he will be greatly missed.

From Eoin Lambkin

Chewing the fat with Iain was therapy for me, he had a special way of spinning everything into a positive and never had a bad word for anyone, even if he thought they were plonkers. I will miss his company and camaraderie, one of life’s good eggs and a fellow traveller in the open access world.

From Michelle Baird

I met Iain a few years ago when we worked on a project together for Investment Belfast. He became a good friend and we shared many fun times together. I saw him literally 2 weeks ago and he seemed fine and we arranged to meet for dinner. I cant believe that I’ll never see him again. I am utterly devastated that we have lost such a warm, caring, loving and fun person. Rest in peace my friend.

From Norman Apsley

Iain was a great friend to all of us at Northern Ireland Science Park and a strong supporter of all that we seek to achieve. His untimely death is a great loss to us all and he will be sorely missed.