Dr Marie Smedley stepped into the role of Global Head of Xelect in mid-2025. While she’s been leading the team for several months, we’re excited to officially introduce her and share her vision for the future of Xelect.
Marie brings extensive experience in aquaculture genetics and strategic leadership. With a strong academic foundation in marine biology and aquaculture, she has spent over a decade driving innovation in genetic services for the aquaculture industry. Her career spans technical roles in molecular biology and bioinformatics, as well as senior leadership positions shaping commercial strategy and global partnerships.
A passionate advocate for diversity, Marie was one of the founders of Women in Scottish Aquaculture and is committed to supporting aspiring women in the field. Her collaborative approach and deep understanding of both science and industry make her a trusted partner for customers worldwide.
As Head of Xelect, Marie is guiding the company into its next phase of growth, with a focus on expanding its global reach and continuing to deliver cutting-edge, sustainable solutions for aquaculture. In this short interview, we explore her vision, leadership style, and what excites her most about the journey ahead.
What excites you most about your new role?
I’ve had the privilege of watching Xelect evolve from a small disruptor into a globally respected leader in aquaculture genetics over the past decade. What excites me most about stepping into this role is the opportunity to leverage that strong foundation with an exceptional team who is already delivering cutting-edge technology.
I’m particularly passionate about helping producers enhance the genetic traits that truly matter to them—not just growth, but resilience, welfare, and long-term sustainability. It’s incredibly rewarding to work on solutions that help fish thrive today and, in the future. Aligning advanced genetics with the practical needs of producers to create significant and tangible value is paramount and what energizes me every day.
Image: Dr Marie Smedley during a customer visit in fall 2025
What are your top priorities in the near term as the Head of Xelect?
In my first year, my focus will be on strengthening Xelect’s core offerings to further accelerate genetic returns in our customer programmes to generate the best possible performing product in their systems. A key priority is leveraging our industry-leading molecular and genotyping services to better serve the evolving needs of our customers. We have recently expanded our state-of-the-art laboratory to increase throughput, offer new genomic prediction and high-quality DNA extraction services and are also relaunching our higher-density offerings through a new partnership. Aquaculture genetics is an incredibly diverse landscape that demands highly customized molecular support. We have both the infrastructure and superior informatics to support this effectively.
“Marie has played a key role in shaping Xelect’s portfolio of services, establishing strong and long-lasting relationships with customers. Her leadership will be instrumental in delivering Xelect’s mission to support sustainable aquaculture”.
– Ian Johnston, former Head of Xelect
What do you think sets Xelect apart in the global aquaculture genetics space?
We deliver the most customised experience in the industry which ensures high-impact genetic outcomes for our customers. Over the past decade, we’ve grown to be the largest aquaculture genetic services provider in the world, which requires the development of truly applied aquaculture selective breeding capabilities from processing of tissue samples for genetic profiling to delivery mating solutions tailored to each species and customer environment.
Who is someone who has inspired you in your career?
My dad was truly a self-made man, starting his own company from scratch and building it into an extremely successful business. He has certainly been my key inspiration to very simply: work hard and deliver on high quality.
More recently, my predecessors and co-founders have played a huge role. Ian Johnston and Tom Ashton built Xelect upon integrity, excellence, and creative company culture, and I intend to carry that forward.
What advice would you give to aspiring females or new entrants into the aquaculture field?
Aquaculture is an incredibly rewarding industry, full of passionate people. In terms of equality and diversity, I’ve seen hugely positive changes in the culture of aquaculture businesses over the years.
There is a common phrase in the EDI community “take up space.” I’ve found this to be particularly true as a woman with significant career aspirations. Don’t be afraid to claim your place and make your voice heard.
What's a leadership lesson you've learned that's unique to being a female leader?
A shirt and tie would be a much simpler way to start the day…
Being a few months into the job, what is something you’ve already learned in your new role?
Not learned, but new-founded appreciation: people are everything. The people around you are critical to the success of a business. Xelect has incredibly intelligent, growth-mindset individuals with a true love for aquaculture and a deep commitment to our customers.
How do you see the future of aquaculture evolving?
There continues to be rapidly evolving challenges around climate change as well as significant development opportunities in the genetics space. Farmers are feeling the harsh realities of reduced performance under environmental stress, economic losses and shifting priorities. Growth and quality remain essential, the demand for robust, “future-proof” stock has become an increasingly prominent narrative in recent years.
This means fish need to not only resist disease, but thrive in changing, harsher environments. We work hard to design future-proof breeding programmes for all our customers, and I look forward to helping their businesses navigate the challenges ahead.
How do you see AI changing the genetics side of the industry?
AI is already transforming the industry, and there’s much more to come. One of the biggest areas of focus is phenotyping and phenomics, or in other words, how we collect individual data associated with trait performance such as growth or survival. A genetic programme is only as valuable as the underlying data collected. Historically, aquaculture genetics has relied on manually collected datasets with limited resolution or commercial relevance.
With AI, we can process large, complex and interdisciplinary datasets from image capture and sensors, turning them into far more accurate and commercially relevant values. Ultimately, this translates to a much better performing fish for the next generation.
Image: Dr Marie Smedley working in the Xelect laboratory in 2020
What's one thing people might not know about Xelect?
In 2023, we officially became part of Genus, a world-leading, technology-driven, multispecies genetics group. We are currently the only aquaculture arm to the otherwise terrestrial group. This has had a significant impact on our business as our customers now benefit from specialist teams in areas such as genomics, informatics and gene editing, as well as access to a large, multi-million R&D group.
Image: Dr. Marie Smedley, Head of Xelect, pictured with Mark Birri, Chief Corporate Development Officer of Genus
Marie’s leadership marks an exciting new chapter for Xelect. Her focus on innovation and collaboration promises an exciting future for Xelect and its partners. We’re thrilled to have her at the helm.
