Governancy

Xavier TALON

Originally from the Pays de la Loire region and coming from a family of farmers, I have always been passionate about agriculture.

After graduating from the University of Angers in 1993, I joined an international SME specialising in the design and marketing of capital goods for the environmental sector.

Over the course of 25 years, I developed solid skills in administration, finance and human resources, both at headquarters and in subsidiaries. Today, with this experience, I am keen to contribute to the development of SECOBRA Recherches by leading the administrative and HR team, while overseeing budget management at headquarters and in subsidiaries in France and abroad.

Committed and motivated by this new challenge, I am delighted to have been putting my skills to work since June 2025 for a dynamic company that has been recognised for decades by maltsters for its expertise in breeding cereal varieties.

Dominique VEQUAUD

I grew up in a mix-farm and early in my life I worked as casual on farm specialised in seeds propagations. From that point, the direction was clear for me : working in plant breeding !

After a technician degree in plant improvment & seed multiplications, I graduate as agronomist at ENESAD Dijon.

Starting at SECOBRA Recherches in 2005 as spring barley breeder, I am now Head of Spring Barley for the Group where my role is to coordinate our spring barley breeding programs (France, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia) as well as building a strong genetic pipeline for partner based in other continents, like Americas.

By experiencing a large agro-climatic zones, different agronomic strategies, as well as sharing research project accross the globe, we are now building the next generation of spring malting barley to challenge the global warming impact on barley competitivity as well as reducing carbon footpring of spring malting barley from the field to the malting & brewing factories.

Pierre PIN

Using the past to envision a better breeding future

I joined SECOBRA in 2018 with the objective to drive innovation in terms of breeding support across all crops and all territories.

I hold a PhD in plant genetics and breeding from SLU, the Swedish University of Agriculture. As a quantitative geneticist, I have always been working for the seed industry and I keep saying that I had the privilege to collaborate for the past 20 years with some the best wheat and barley breeders from the last 2-3 decades. Altogether, with the unwavering support of our talented molecular biologist, geneticist, statistician and IT tool developer colleagues, I believe we have succeeded in a very short period of time to build probably one the most powerful engine in the field of predictive breeding.

We assist all commercial programmes with genomic, phenomic, enviromic and superfast-breeding solutions – a strategy that pays of today. Through long-term partnerships with our shareholders and providers, we also continue our efforts in discovery and pre-breeding programmes to bring new traits that will address the next needs of the growers and the industry. We are all committed to create probably the best cereals varieties!

Florent CORNUT

Committed to the agro-food industries!

Originally from the Hauts-de-France region and with a farming background, I quickly developed a passion for agronomy in the agri-food industry.

After graduating from ESITPA engineering school (UniLaSalle – Rouen) in 2001, I spent my first 5 professional years in Eastern Europe establishing a stable, high-quality supply of malting barley for a global maltster based in Reims.

After a spell in the agronomy department, I managed a sales area for a Champagne cooperative, giving local farmers the benefit of my experience. I then returned to my first love, malting barley, when I took up the post of Development Manager at SECOBRA Recherches. Since then, I’ve never stopped positioning myself to offer the best to farmers, maltsters, brewers and millers alike.
Developing our portfolio of species was an opportunity we seized when we took over SEM-PARTNERS in 2021.

As Sales & Markets Director for SECOBRA Recherches and Managing Director for SEM-PARTNERS, I have an overview of our partners’ expectations, which helps us to guide our breeding teams and our production tools, and to provide the best possible support for our varieties on the French and European markets.

Amélie GENTY

Born into a family of farmers and livestock breeders, I’ve always had a passion for agriculture, as far back as I can remember.

I graduated from AgroParis-Tech in 2006 and joined the company as a Winter Barley breeder. Breeding offers an agronomic response to farmers and collectors, but also a technological value to the raw material for the industrial sectors. It is this dual market that challenges me every day to find the varieties that will be grown tomorrow, those that offer the yield, disease tolerance and qualities suited to the brewing and fodder industries.
My experience in the field, in our laboratories and my long-standing knowledge of our teams mean that I am now in charge of SECOBRA Recherches’ French research centre, based at Bois Henry.

Pascal GIRAUDEAU

After graduating from the ENSAIA engineering school in 1997, I joined SECOBRA Recherches as a winter wheat breeder in 1999.

The breeding programme for this species was less than ten years old and everything had yet to be built up: it was a real challenge!

SECOBRA Recherches, renowned for its expertise in malting barley, also needed to be recognised for its wheat varieties, a major species in France and around the world. We are convinced that one of the major solutions for sustainable agriculture is the selection of high-performance varieties that make the best use of available natural resources and meet the expectations of society and the industry while preserving the environment. This is why I represent SECOBRA Recherches in a number of scientific projects, and it is together, with my team and colleagues, that we will find the answers to the challenges of today and tomorrow.

All this experience and genetic knowledge of wheat and its related species (triticale, durum wheat) have enabled me to take responsibility for their breeding.

GILLES FOUQUIN

Managing means analysing, proposing, mobilising and acting!

My long-term commitment to our shareholders, from which I come (I was an administrator of Malteries SOUFFLET before becoming a director of SECOBRA), illustrates my passion for the cereal industry and malting barley in particular!
And time is also an asset in a business like varietal selection for barley, wheat and triticale.
High-technology breeding, knowledge of the field and a global outlook, thanks in particular to the international players in the brewing industry, enable Secobra to interest and mobilise its teams to interact with you, our partners and customers.
Involved in the Agriculture of Tomorrow, just like our shareholders and you, it was only natural for us to add service plants to our range, with the acquisition of Sem-Partners.

Let’s live and breathe the Agriculture of Tomorrow!

History

Expertise

breeding

seeds production

Commercial analysis

Winter Wheat

Spring Wheat

Winter Barley

Spring Barley

Triticale

Governancy

SECOBRA RECHERCHES

Governancy

History

Expertise

breeding

seeds production

Commercial analysis

Careers

Winter Wheat

Spring Wheat

Winter Barley

Spring Barley

Triticale

Governancy

SECOBRA RECHERCHES