Henri-Ferdinand Lavanchy, founder of Adia Interim, now part of Adecco, died at the beginning of the week aged 85 years according to the Swiss newspaper 24 heures. 

An independent accountant, Lavanchy got into the employment business in 1957 when, following an outbreak of Spanish flu, a client asked him to find a worker to fill in quickly on a job. The company he founded, Office of Temporary Occupation provisional (BOP), changed its name to Adia Interim in 1959. Following the domestic and international expansion of Adia, it was listed on the Swiss stock exchange in 1979 and Mr Lavanchy became honorary chairman of the company in the same year. 

In 1996 Adia and ECCO merged to form Adecco, however, the company still operates under the Adia brand in France through over 280 agencies employing 1,500 people and with annual revenue of 1.1 billion Euro. 

In more recent years, Mr Lavanchy invested in hotels, golf courses, real estate and art. 

One of his daughters, Jennifer Mendoza, who confirmed the news last night, speaks of "an exceptional man, who was able to communicate to his children his love for people." 

John Nurthen, General Manager, Europe of Staffing Industry Analysts characterised him as “one of the key industry pioneers, from the same pantheon as Alfred Marks, William R Kelly and Laurent Negro, all now sadly deceased.”