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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. A figure of French standardization, Philippe Boulin was also one of the fathers of Afaq – French Association for Assurance and Quality.
His three terms as Chairman of Afnor will remain as a turning point in the history of standardization in France. The appointment of Philippe Boulin in April 1984 marked the concretization of the reform undertaken by the government to modernize the supervision of the State over the French Association for Standardization (Afnor). Consumer representatives, qualified personalities and employee representatives then join the Board of Directors. A smooth transition led by Philippe Boulin, who is leading the evolution towards business services. Information, certification, guides for the general public... Under his leadership, a new commercial offer from Afnor was born. A fervent supporter of companies' quality initiatives, Philippe Boulin actively participates in the creation of
the French Association for Assurance and Quality (Afaq), which aims to develop the quality certification of companies. Afaq was created on 20 July 1988. The headquarters of this group of certifying bodies is then installed in Afnor's premises.
Afaq and Afnor will merge in 2004 and form the new Afnor Group
In 1992, at the dawn of the creation of the European Union, and important associated reforms, which will vigorously solicit national or European normative bodies, Philippe Boulin began a patient work of influencing and explaining the issues with companies and their collective representations. Objective: to mobilize and involve them in the revision processes of European standards to make their voice heard and that of the France. Its slogan: "Normalization: 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 3rd mandate, the last legally possible, Philippe Boulin left office in 1993.
Born on June 27, 1925 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Philippe Boulin graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1944 and the École des Mines de Paris in 1946. Chief engineer at the mineralogical district of Metz, he left the administration in 1954 to join Schneider. For 28 years, he held positions as an engineer, plant manager and general manager of subsidiaries within the Group. In particular, he contributed to the constitution of the French nuclear industry. He was president of Framatome from 1975 to 1982. Vice-President of the Federation of Mechanical and Metal Processing Industries (FIMTM), he joined Afnor's Board of Directors in 1983 to represent professional organizations in the new governance, before being appointed Chairman of Afnor in 1984. He was also president of Ipecode, Rexeco and the Comité de développement des grandes écoles (CNGE).
