NIJKERK, NETHERLANDS — H.J.D “Henk” van de Bunt, former general manager of Victam International BV, died on Feb. 1 at the age of 74. Under van de Bunt’s leadership, Victam became a leading global trade fair for the grain, milling and feed industries.

“Henk was a well-known and valued colleague in the world of animal feed and grain processing with ample contacts worldwide,” said Sebas van den Ende, who succeeded van de Bunt as general manager of Victam in 2019. “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.”

After serving as a Victam board member in 1986, van de Bunt became chairman in 1991 and director of Victam in 1999. Van den Ende noted that van de Bunt “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.”

Van de Bunt had been a board member of IFF, the research institute in the area of compound feed technology in Braunschweig, Germany, for 20 years before stepping down in 2022. He also had been chairman of the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) for six years.

“He was the man at the right place, with a vision for the future, sharp insight, and a tremendous commitment,” van den Ende said. “Victam is an open organization, where exhibitors and visitors are given the opportunity to share their vision. As an example of this, the Technical Advisory Committee 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.”