12.04.2026

Jacqueline Himsworth 1943 -2026

We received the sad news over the weekend that Jacqueline Himsworth, the last member of Manitou’s founding family's second generation, has died.

The company’s chairman since 2017 passed away on Saturday April 11th, at the age of 82. Her death comes just nine weeks after she lost her elder brother, Marcel Braud, who died on February 3rd , and only four weeks after she attended a UK dealer conference in Cheshire. She leaves behind her husband Gordon, along with sons Christopher and Dominique.

Jacqueline Himsworth was just 13 months old when her father Marcel died in the final days of the war in France, and the day his home town of Ancenis was liberated from the German Army. Her mother, Andrée Braud, decided to not only continue single handedly with the animal feed company they had founded, but also to pursue her late husband's project of manufacturing cranes and concrete mixers.

Her example was clearly not lost on her daughter, Jacqueline, who after graduating in 1964 and working for a time in the UK - where she met her husband Gordon Himsworth – she not only took over and successfully managed the feed company - Braud Nutrition Animale - in Ancenis, but also as a shareholder, worked alongside her brother, Marcel Braud, the ‘inventor of the Manitou Rough Terrain forklift, managing Braud & Faucheux, which became Manitou BF in 1981.

After selling the feed business, she devoted all of her energy to the Manitou board of directors, chairing numerous committees and setting high standards of diligence. In 2017, she took over as group chairman, maintaining the family’s long term approach and driving the transformations required to maintain the company’s resilience to cope with the cyclical nature of the construction equipment market. She also worked hard to ensure the success of the next generation of the family on the board, in order to ensure the continuity of the family legacy.

The company announcement said: “It is with deep emotion and immense sadness that the Manitou group announces the passing of Madame Jacqueline Himsworth, chairman of its board of directors, who passed away this day at the age of 82 years. The board of directors will meet in the coming days to implement initiatives that ensure the continuity of governance, faithful to the spirit of stability and transmission championed by Jacqueline Himsworth.”

Chief executive Michel Denis added: "Jacqueline Himsworth carried within her wisdom combined with absolute conviction. She constantly reminded us that we could conquer the world without ever forgetting our values and our commitment to the men and women who make up the group today. Her vision, commitment, foresight, and kindness will remain at the heart of our culture. Jacqueline Himsworth passes away, leaving a solid group, supported by a generational transition already actively engaged in the company's governance to ensure its sustainability."