My friend Mike Schultz, who has died aged 64 after suffering a heart attack, was a social scientist working in policy application and evaluation in the field of international development. He had a particular interest in forest peoples, having lived with and studied a tribe in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in the 1980s.
Mike was born in Surrey and grew up in the village of Stanton St John, near Oxford, the second of four children of June (nee Mattheson), a research scientist, and Donald Schultz, a professor of engineering. At Magdalen College school in Oxford, where he and I first met, Mike did well academically and was active in sports, music and drama. After his A-levels he had two gap years, much of which he spent travelling, then went to King’s College, Cambridge, to study social anthropology, graduating in 1980.
For a short period following university he spent time driving trucks of hardy tourists through Africa for an adventure holiday company. On one trip he learned of a tribe of forest people in what was then Zaire. He subsequently spent 18 months living with and studying them; on his return to the UK, Mike was worryingly thin and suffering from malaria, but he completed his thesis and was awarded his PhD by Cambridge in 1990.
Mike’s interest in development led him to join the Overseas Development Administration, latterly the Department for International Development. During a 22-year career there he had a number of roles and ultimately became director of strategic policy. He took early retirement in 2010 but continued working in the development field as a consultant.
The needs of forest peoples and the state of their environment remained a concern for Mike. He was a committed internationalist and an avid Remainer, and cared deeply about civil and human rights, social action and economic empowerment.
Mike was great company: well-informed, with interesting perspectives on the big issues and a wonderfully dry sense of humour. He was an adventurer who had a natural modesty. Those of us who took holidays with him enjoyed his sense of fun, his energy and positive outlook on life, and his excellent cooking. He was utterly dependable and always able to offer support, wisdom and common sense.
Mike is survived by two brothers, Peter and Andy, a sister, Lizzie, and six nieces and nephews.
