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Job title: Chief executive, Dexcel

Plant breeder John Caradus, 51, brings a long scientific pedigree to the top job at dairy research and advisory company Dexcel.

Auckland born and bred, he has two degrees in applied sciences from the University of Auckland and a doctorate from the University of Reading, England, in plant genetics and nutrition. And waving in the wind in paddocks here and overseas are some of the fruits of his labour - several white clover cultivars.

This weekend, Caradus moves his wife and two of his three children to Hamilton from Palmerston North, where he has been general manager, science, with Crown Research Institute AgResearch. He has also been global programme leader of the dairy industry's forage and feeding programme for five years.

The attraction of the new job, says Caradus, is "the opportunity to be part of a team that's involved in research in the most important industry in New Zealand. It's something I feel I can contribute to."

Dexcel - its motto is "partners in profitable dairying" - is owned by all New Zealand dairy farmers, who support it through levies.

Based in Newstead, Hamilton, it employs around 180 staff, many of them scientists and researchers. It was created from the former Dairy Research Corporation and the Consulting Officer Service of Livestock Improvement.

The company's sole aim is to improve dairy yield and profit, and it has outreach officers all over the country who work with farmers on their farms.



Among the areas it covers are dairy cattle fertility, milk characteristics, farm systems and feed production. An example of its research is a robotic cow-milking system, which effectively lets cows milk themselves.