b'ROMAIN DELEMME, BREEDING ASSOCIATE AT BASF, FRANCE Plant breeding is an inspiring and multidisciplinary domain that always provides intellectual stimulation, says Romain Delemme, a recent graduate of the emPLANT (Master Erasmus Mundus in Plant Breeding) that trains the future generation of plant breeders in Europe. What I love in my job as a plant breeder is capturing the vision of what we can achieve in a crop. The scientific challenge of creating hybrid wheat is a great example, he adds.For Roman, it was an opportunity after high school to work during the summer at a local breeding company in North France and is where the passion for plant breeding started. Always enthusiastic about the seed sector, he has devoted his budding career with different summer jobs, academic projects and internships in cereal breeding companies (Lemaire Deffontaines, Syngenta and RAGT 2n) before joining BASF in 2021 as breeding associate to support the R&D project in hybrid wheat breeding. A true optimistic by nature, Romain never fails to deploy his youthful energy and creativity to think outside the box and find new solutions for the challenges that arise with the creation of hybrid wheat. Today, Roman is the BASF key spokesperson for presenting and explaining their work in plant breeding as his colleagues believe he does it in such an engaging and effortless manner.SCOTT GELLATLY, MANAGEMENT TRAINEE AT INCOTEC, THE NETHERLANDS Scott Gellatly has put in a lot of energy to reach people who would put his research in the right direction, creating a great example of collaboration. He has proven that even a chemist can have a good understanding of the sci-ence behind seeds and how to optimise growth conditions.agriculture. I am excited to work on technologies that can efficiently deliver With the increasingly serious effectsbiostimulants and other beneficial com-of climate change, it is more importantpounds to crops, to help them achieve than ever that we strive to protect ourtheir full potential in challenging environ-plants from day one, he says. Thisments. It is also really important to me YOLANDA ESTEPA, IBERIA QHSEis why I am delighted to be part ofthat this is done in a way that doesnt MANAGER AT MAS SEEDS, SPAINthe seed sector, where I have thenegatively impact the environment the In the ancient ages, agriculture was theopportunity to contribute to sustainablecrops are grown in.main source of growth, consolidation and prosperity of great civilizations, societies and cultures. Nowadays, the primary sectorSOFIA GUENDEL BUENO, GROWING INTO THE is seen as the beginning of the start of theFUTURE GRADUATE AT KWS, GERMANYfood chain, and as the driving force forSofia is originally from Costa Rica and has lived in several countries developing countries because the productiv- throughout her life. She always had an interest in agriculture by ity increase in agriculture frees up labour forworking for a farm certification organization, as well as corpora-other sectors, allowing societies to develop.tions within the agricultural industry. She further expanded on her Then and now, this makes it possible thepassion for agriculture through her studies in Agricultural and Food improvement of the quality of life, the pov- Economics at the University of Bonn, which allowed her to gain the erty reduction, the self-sustainability, and attheoretical knowledge, opening the doors to her journey with KWS.last term the Zero Hunger. Above all it is a source of pride for me to work in the seedWorking for the seed sector, I support the achievement of an over-sector, being part of this basis of culturesarching goal: feeding the planet. Through innovation in seeds, we and civilizations historical development. Insupport the efforts towards a more sustainable agricultural industry, addition, being able to participate in theand this is what drives me to be a part of the growth and develop-current transformation of the agriculturalment of this sector. Each seed carries with it all the innovation our sector towards a model of parity is a waybreeders work on for years and I am proud to have the opportunity to normalize the presence of women bothto support their findings by ensuring farmers can access these in this sector and in the industrial one, saysinnovations. Through my role as a Global Graduate, I have had the Estepa. opportunity to lead different projects, enabling insights regarding customer needs, digitalization and commercialization. Thanks to this experience, I can develop myself professionally and further support KWS and the seed industry as a whole, says Sofia.18IEUROPEAN SEEDIEUROPEAN-SEED.COM'