02.08.2011

Bernard Volut RIP

We received the sad news last night that French access industry veteran Bernard Volut has passed away after a long battle with Cancer, he was 59.

Volut started his career in the food industry, joining the French food machinery division of the Simon Group in 1974. Some three years later he was a founder member of the group's Simon Access operation in Paris, joining as its office - later commercial, manager. It was while working here that he met his second wife, Claire Isabelle Delancray, who joined the small office in 1982, initially as a PA and later to handle the marketing for the growing operation.
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Bernard Volut

Volut later moved into field sales as the Simon Access district manager for France and Belgium. With Simon’s gradual demise in the mid-1990s Volut joined UpRight as district manager for France and then Southern Europe. He left the business in 2002 and worked for some time as a independent sales consultant.

In 2005 he was recruited by IPAF to set up its new office in France, a job that suited his talents admirably, but just two years later he was obliged to retire due to ill health when he was first diagnosed with the illness that would eventually take his life.

More recently his condition appeared to have stabilised and while he was well aware that he had not been cured, he retained a good quality of life. Only this weekend he had lunch with Claire Isabelle (the two had separated in 2004) and their son Victor who had recently graduated well from high school making him a very proud father. He left the two in good spirits as they watched him board the train to Meulan where he had moved, but sadly he passed away shortly thereafter.
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Bernard Volut

Bernard Volut was a true gentleman, consistent dependable and always precise. His first years in the access industry were as an administrator a role that was far more important in the years before the single market and CE marks. He excelled at it thanks to his diligent and fastidious nature. This background was also a major asset in managing his territory when a district manager.

Chief executive of IPAF - Tim Whiteman sums it up when he says: “Bernard was a pleasure to work with, a true gentleman, he will be missed by many.”