Dr Rachael Wilbourn – Top 10 Under 40 Winner

Last week we received the welcome news that Rachael, our Head of Laboratory, was selected as one of Hatchery International’s “Top 10 Under 40” winners. The Awards honour the world’s up-and-coming hatchery professionals.

We’re delighted by the award but not surprised – Rachael and our entire laboratory team are at the heart of everything we do at Xelect, and hatcheries all around the world depended on them to continue providing critical genetic analysis.

Rachael and her team genotype and analyse tens of thousands of fish and shellfish every year, providing the genetic data that allows us to deliver the best possible breeding programmes for our customers. It’s a highly time-sensitive job, and the last 2 years have been particularly challenging due to the unprecedented global pandemic.

These challenges were compounded by the fact that PCR technology, commonly used for COVID testing, is at the heart of our laboratory. This meant that many of the critical consumables required to provide analysis to our customers were in acute demand. Thanks to Rachael’s resourcefulness and initiative, not a single job was delayed, and the hatcheries we support were able to continue to operate unaffected.

Operations Director, Tom Ashton, commented “A genetics lab is a vital part of modern hatchery operations. This award recognises the high standard of service that Rachael and her team deliver to breeding programmes all over the world.”

You can see full details of the awards at www.hatcheryinternational.com.