What made you choose this career path?

I am a science “Mensch” (german for “human being” or “person”). I simply love “to play” with data and extract from it relevant information that then is used to take actions to improve things.

I always wanted to be an engineer since childhood. And although I started Agriculture Engineering, I never thought that I would end up working in animal breeding. Looking back in time I rather invisioned my future self working with engines, constructing agricultural buildings and roads and designing watery systems. But in life you have to be flexible – adaptable like H&N parent stock and the descendants – and by lucky chance I ended up in the layer breeding industry, and I’m now happily working here since more than thirteen years.c

You entirely moved over to H&N in 2017. What made you take that step?

As I started to work for the company thirteen years ago, I was working for H&N and Lohmann. With the time H&N was growing in importance and required his own personality, there was a strategic decision to split it from Lohmann and create an independent business unit.

I got the opportunity to take care of the H&N breeding program and I didn’t think it twice.

It was quite easy to move
on, since I already knew the program, the colleagues and
the customers. The bird was performing very well on the field.

But now it was also time to develop a new team that would take care to give our customers the best support in the field and to strengthen the H&N brand in countries where the H&N birds were not present yet.

That was a great challenge, but I love challenges. Furthermore, we got the opportunity to develop and implement our own ideas and do things in a different way. And you don’t get this opportunity every day!

What do you like about H&N in particular?

You are in very close contact with the customers worldwide, which normally are of moderate size and therefore have a big potential to improve and grow. Also they are willing to take on the challenge with us, they like to hear, learn and work together.

There is a new, young, multicultural and very motivated team assembling and there is freedom and leeway to develop

new ideas. There is a big potential to grow and strengthen the name of H&N, that’s really stimulating!

You have been wearing two hats, Chief Geneticist and Coordinator of Global Technical Services – How did the two combine on just one human head?

Well, I coordinated the Global Technical Service for two years. Now Xabier Arbe (H&N Business Unit Manager Technical Services & Support, Chief Nutritionist) took over responsibility for it.

My time as team lead was exciting and expiring… It was also sometimes exhausting because we moved many things together.

But at the same time it was great to exchange ideas with customers from different countries and at the same time try to fine tune the management of the birds and resolve problems on the field.

I still like to be in direct contact with the customers and exchange experiences frequently with my colleagues to discuss what is going on in the field.

In my opinion that is crucial: If you want to select the right bird, you have to understand what
is happening in the market.

Also what future requirements and problems will be surfacing that the egg producers will
have to deal with in future.

It sounds like a crystal ball or a magic wand may sometimes come in handy!?

I wouldn’t go so far, pure nature is already all magic in itself! But I do like looking back in time and beyond, that’s for sure. For example I like historical thrillers, like The pillars of the Earth from Ken Follet or The physician from Noah Gordon; The eight from Catherine Neville or The assassination of Pythagoras from Marcos Chicot.

However, one book will remain always very special for me The Never ending story from Michael Ende since it was the first book (at least the first that I can remember) that my father read to my sisters and me during our childhood when we went to bed.

The adventure, the time concept and the creation and re-creation of that parallel Universe from a small spawn somehow encompassed and preempted Genetics without me knowing so yet, back then!

We thank you for the interview.

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