Page 12 - FINAT Yearbook 2011

in memoriam
A TribuTe To icons of finAT
Trade associations like FINAT serve the professional business objectives of their members. In doing so they connect companies and company interests by combining professional resources with voluntary manpower and expertise. But ultimately it is the people that make or break the association. Throughout its more than 50 year history, FINAT has enjoyed the luxury of highly motivated volunteers supported by competent professionals and this ‘cocktail’ continues to prove its value. Sadly enough, early 2011 FINAT suddenly had to say farewell to two icons of the association with a combined history of active service to the association of almost half a century. At these pages we therefore pay tribute to former Secretary-General Mans Lejeune and Technical Committee Chairman and Board member Håkan Saxén.
manS LeJeUne (1 november 1931 – 12 febrUary 2011)
Secretary-General of FINAT from 1970 – 1997 Honorary Member since 1997
Mans began his formal business education by graduating from Tilburg University, as an economist in 1958. He also studied at Minnesota University. He was a great believer in Europe as an entity and became involved in European affairs by taking a post in 1959 as Private Secretary to the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Professor Blaisse who was also a Dutch MP. Mans was very much involved with a wide range of political topics and industry problems caused by the introduction of free competition in the European Market. With all this experience behind him he decided to “change sides” and to open his own office (then called Bureau Lejeune) in 1964 to help businesses organise themselves to address the
Mans Lejeune and André Strauss, FINAT General Assembly May 1971
common challenges of the emerging European common market. From a single association office, his office gradually transposed into a professional associa- tion managing company, with FINAT as one of its major clients.
Although FINAT was founded in Novem- ber 1958 it was not until 1969 that Mans’ office became involved in the association. Under Mans’ direction, the association began to flourish and when he retired from the association as Honorary Member in 1997, FINAT had almost quadrupled to more than 400 members. In the intervening years Mans and FINAT were inexorably linked. He was the prime mover in setting study tours to Japan (1974, 1978, 1982 and 1986) and the USA (1974) which proved so successful. After his retirement, Mans continued to follow the association with great interest. In 2008, he was the chief editor and researcher for FINAT’s Golden Jubilee Book ‘United in Labels’.
His organisation of the annual FINAT Congress was legend. The venues included many of the major cities throughout Europe, one of the most notable being Cannes in 1996. His attention to detail made each event very
special in our memories. He had an almost photographic memory and would often recall stories of incidents which had occurred during the congresses (see the FINAT golden jubilee book). Another landmark event during his tenure as Secretary General was the signing of a sponsorship agreement in 1991 between Cowise and FINAT for the Labelexpo exhibitions in Europe and Asia, which would guarantee FINAT funding to carry out many projects over the years.
In 1997 Mans handed over to Jules, his son who has managed FINAT and the other associations since. Mans leaves behind a legacy of success gained by devotion to duty and unerring eye for a good business opportunity. The FINAT Community will miss him greatly.
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finAT YeArbooK 2011 |