Marcel Braud, Honorary Chairman and Founder of the Manitou forklift truck, passed away February 3, 2026, at the age of 93.
Driven by a passion for innovation, industry, dealers, and the group’s products, Braud transformed a family business into a global benchmark for material handling, aerial work platforms, and earthmoving equipment. His life is a story of destiny tied to the land and to ingenuity.
Fatherless at the age of 13, Braud joined the family business, BRAUD MÉCANIQUE GÉNÉRALE, at the request and by the side of his mother, Andrée Braud, following World War II. Starting as a laborer, then a painter, welder, assembler, and foreman, he held and mastered every production role within the company.
In 1958, he imagined the improbable: inverting the layout of a farm tractor to add a lifting mast and power steering. The “Manitou” was born. This simple yet revolutionary idea would travel the globe, transforming construction sites, farms, and the industrial market forever.
Marcel Braud went on to hold various positions within the company, notably Workshop Manager and Purchasing Manager, before becoming Chairman and CEO in 1970, and subsequently Chairman of the Board of Directors from 2007 to 2017.
Under his leadership, the group expanded beyond French borders to export worldwide, went public, continued to innovate relentlessly, and built a robust dealer network that, now more than ever, represents the company’s core strength. An insatiable man of the field, he continued to regularly visit the group’s factories and international trade shows through early 2026 to stay in contact with customers and employees.
“My brother dedicated his life to Manitou Group,” said Jacqueline Himsworth, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Manitou Group. “Thanks to him, our small family business became an international leader, recognized for its products, values, and innovation. He was a passionate man who shared his energy and pride in belonging to our group with everyone.
“He possessed that rare genius for anticipating the needs of professionals. We are losing a visionary, but his entrepreneurial spirit continues to guide our course. Marcel-Claude Braud, Sébastien Braud, and Emilie Braud—also board members of Manitou Group—join me in sharing our profound grief.”
About Manitou Group
Since 1957, Manitou has been creating solutions specific to the needs of the customers. Today, Manitou offers one of the widest product ranges in the industry, from a full range of vertical masted forklifts, skid loaders, track loaders, wheel loaders and articulated loaders, to a complete line of mobile elevated work platforms, rotating telescopic handlers, heavy-capacity telescopic handlers, construction telescopic handlers and agriculture multi-purpose loaders.
