Wednesday 1 February last, H.J.D. (Henk) van de Bunt, alternately Board Member and General Manager of Victam International B.V. since 1986, passed away at the age of 74. Henk was a well-known and valued colleague in the world of animal feed and grain processing with ample contacts worldwide.
From his residence in Nijkerk, where until recently the office had also been located, he had always been intensely committed to development of the market.
Henk and ‘his’ Victam
Hendrik Jan Dirk, Henk, his name runs through Victam International, the foundation that has been organising the international ‘Victam’ milling trade fair since 1965, like a thread.
A bit of history.
During the anniversary celebrations in 1964 of the then Millers’ Union ‘St. Victor’, Henk’s predecessor Piet Schrama came up with the plan of organising a milling trade fair.
And it was launched in the Brabant Veemarkthallen in ’s-Hertogenbosch with 35 (Dutch) participants.
It became a big success, which in the same year resulted in the incorporation of the Victam Foundation, under the aegis of two millers’ unions St. Victor and ANMB (General Union of Dutch Millers). Hence the name: VICT(or)AM(general union). In 1965 the first Victam international trade fair was held in the Jaarbeurshallen in Utrecht. The interest in this trade fair was high right away.
Development
That interest was understandable, because at the time the animal feed market was facing considerable challenges that necessitated an increase in scale and modernisation of the businesses. At the time, there were more than 1,000 businesses in the Netherlands, each with an average turnover of fewer than 3,000 tonnes a year.
Victam greatly contributed to it that animal feed businesses could develop in such way that there has been question of a sophisticated market in Europe and beyond for years and years.
The suppliers of machines and related products also significantly benefited from this.
The role of Henk
After he had become a board member in 1986, Henk van de Bunt became chair in 1991 and director of Victam in 1999. He intensely participated in the further expansion of Victam. The Victam trade fair developed into a unique global trade fair and in 1991 Victam Asia also started in Bangkok and there are symposia in several countries.
Henk had a broad network and until last year he had been a board member at IFF, the research institute in the area of compound feed technology in Braunschweig, Germany, for no less than 20 years.
He had also been chair of IFIF, the International Feed Industry Federation, for six years.
He was the man at the right place, with a vision for the future, sharp insight, and a tremendous commitment.
Victam is an open organisation, where exhibitors and visitors are given the opportunity to share their vision. As an example of this, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) was set up in which representatives of exhibitors take part. Henk, as the previous owner of a compound feed business in Nijkerk, played a key role in this and ensured, among other things, that Victam developed into the most authoritative trade fair in the world in the area of supplies to the animal feed industry and the grain processing businesses. During his time as a director, Henk visited the exhibitors consistently and with an open outlook so that they could express their requirements and demands. Decisions required diplomatic skills and he could be entrusted with that.
Henk, the person
With his collegiate and diplomatic charisma Henk was always easily approachable to everyone.
It was a pleasure to work with him professionally and as a colleague.
He embraced life as long as he could, until 1 February 2023, when he had to let go of life in the presence of his loved ones.
Source: Victam International B.V.
