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Afnor learned with great sadness of the death on December 29, 2022 of the man who had been its President from 1984 to 1993. Philippe Boulin, a leading figure in French standardization, was also one of the fathers of Afaq - the French Association for Quality Assurance.
His three terms as President of Afnor will remain a turning point in the history of standardization in France. The appointment of Philippe Boulin in April 1984 marked the realization of the reform undertaken by the government to modernize the State's supervision of the French Standards Association (Afnor). Consumer representatives, qualified personalities and employee representatives then joined the Board of Directors. A smooth transition led by Philippe Boulin, who pilots the evolution towards service to companies. Information, certification, guides for the general public... Under his impetus, a new Afnor commercial offer was created. A fervent supporter of companies' quality processes, Philippe Boulin actively participated in the creation of
of the French Association for Quality Assurance and Quality (Afaq), which aims to develop quality certification of companies. Afaq was created on July 20, 1988. The head office of this group of certification bodies was then installed in the premises of Afnor.
Afaq and Afnor will merge in 2004 to form the new Afnor Group
In 1992, at the dawn of the creation of the European Union, and of important associated reforms, which will vigorously solicit the national or European normative authorities, Philippe Boulin begins a patient work of influence and explanation of the stakes with the companies and their collective representations. His objective: to mobilize them and involve them in the European standards revision process to make their voice and that of France heard. Its slogan: "Standardization: with you, without you... against you?" will remain engraved in people's minds for a long time and will contribute to the commitment of many actors. At the end of his third mandate, the last legally possible one, Philippe Boulin left his position in 1993.
Born on June 27, 1925 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Philippe Boulin graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1944 and from the École des Mines de Paris in 1946. He was chief engineer at the Metz mineralogical district before leaving the Administration in 1954 to join Schneider. For 28 years, he held positions as engineer, plant manager and general manager of subsidiaries within the Group. In particular, he contributed to the creation of the French nuclear industry. He was Chairman of Framatome from 1975 to 1982. As Vice-Chairman of the Fédération des industries mécaniques et transformatrices de métaux (FIMTM), he joined the Afnor Board of Directors in 1983 to represent the professional organizations in the new governance, before being appointed Chairman of Afnor in 1984. He has also served as President of Ipecode, Rexeco and the CNGE (Comité de développement des grandes écoles).
