Bent Petersen

Former QubicaAMF Executive Vice President, Bent Petersen, died peacefully at home on Nov. 21. Born in 1932, Petersen was a much loved and respected member of the AMF family who retired from the company in 1998 after 36 years of service.

Petersen joined AMF in 1962 in Sweden, and was heavily involved in the development of bowling in Sweden and Denmark. The first AMF centres in Denmark were opened during that time, and both Sweden and Denmark are two major bowling markets today.

In 1965, he transferred to Japan for a short assignment that ultimately lasted 11 years. Petersen's major achievement there was the establishment of a joint venture with C-Itoh to develop and promote bowling in Japan, which then saw phenomenal growth and went on to become the biggest market outside the U.S.

In 1970, he had become president of AMF’s operations in Japan and the Far East. From Japan, Petersen transferred to the United Kingdom in 1976 with responsibilities for Europe and the Middle East. In 1980, he moved to the U.S. as President of AMF International, and was based at AMF’s International Headquarters in New York. His task this time was to introduce and develop bowling in a new market every year. One of those markets was Korea, which entered the bowling market in a big way, and tenpin bowling has proven to be a tremendously popular leisure and sport activity there.

1988, Petersen returned to the U.K., where he handled all bowling sales to countries outside the United States. From 1995, he was responsible for the development of bowling in Eastern Europe and the Indian sub-continent. The first eight-lane, state-of the-art-center opened in Moscow in the Autumn of 1997. Another 15 centres followed close behind.

Petersen looked after the Bowling World Cup until 1998, when he retired to Spain. The annual BWC is the most prestigious amateur singles tournament on the bowling calendar, the event to which countries send their best man and woman to compete for recognition as the best man and woman bowler in the world.

Petersen is survived by his wife, Julia, three children Karin, Jens, and Anne Marie, as well as his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The funeral service will take place Monday, Dec. 1, at St Giles Church, Church Lane, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England, SL2 4NZ.