Switzerland
November 5, 2025
The board of the Swiss Plant Breeding Center (SPBC) announces that it has successfully recruited Dr. Hans Dätwyler as CEO of the SPBC.
CEO of the SPBC: Hans Dätwyler. (Photo: FiBL, Andreas Basler)
After three decades abroad and two decades of successful work in the academic and private breeding sectors, Dr. Dätwyler has returned to his Swiss roots and assumed his position as CEO of the SPBC on October 15, 2025. He brings extensive knowledge and practical experience in plant and animal breeding, with core competencies in quantitative genetics, predictive statistics, genomics, and digital phenotyping.
The SPBC has the important task of strengthening Swiss plant breeding and increasing breeding efficiency. The goal is to develop robust varieties for sustainable production and a local food system. The new center connects stakeholders in breeding and research and implements new research findings into practical breeding programs. The SPBC offers private and public breeders technical support, know-how, and professional expertise and plays an active role in the planning and implementation of innovations. It tailors its services to customer needs, is open to all plant species, cultivation systems, and methods, covers a broad range of expertise through network partnerships, and is active in acquiring client and third-party funding
Monika Messmer, President of the SPBC Supporting Association, sees great potential in the new competence and innovation network for sustainable, resource-efficient agriculture that can adapt to Switzerland's rapidly changing climatic conditions. "We are convinced that in Hans Dätwyler we have found the perfect candidate for the operational management of the SPBC and look forward to a close collaboration."
Topics
Species
