Formerly with Aviagen Turkeys, Nick French has almost 30 years experience in the industry and will be primarily responsible for giving hatchery and incubation support to customers in the USA, Canada and Latin America.

Dr French will be part of the specialist hatchery team within the Technical Transfer group and will report to Dinah Nicholson, Global Manager of Hatchery Development and Support. His remit will focus specifically on working closely with customers to help maximize the performance of Aviagen stock in the hatchery. Dr French will be replacing Jim Arthur, who retires later this year. They will be spending a great deal of time together to ensure continuity of service to customers.

Dr Nick French

Commenting on his appointment, Dr French said: "Hatchability is a key area for us. All the research that Aviagen puts into breeding and development of lines culminates in the production of good broiler stock. This is one of the most important stages of chicken production. My role is to offer customers advice and support on producing a better broiler and realizing the performance potential of the birds.

This is an exciting role and I'm looking forward to meeting with as many customers as I can over the upcoming weeks and months."

In addition to his work with Aviagen customers, Dr French will also support the incubation research trials at the Albertville Research unit and build contacts with manufacturers of incubation equipment and researchers in the area.

Bryan Fancher said: "As Jim Arthur retires, we wanted to ensure continuity in the important area of incubation technical support and development. We are delighted to recruit someone with Nick's abilities. Whilst this is not a new role, it is an expanded role in order to provide an even better service to Aviagen customers.

Importantly, Nick not only has the practical experience but also a strong scientific background. This gives him the ability to not only see a problem and resolve it but also understand the causes. He will be a valuable asset to the team and is further evidence of our investment in our customers."

Dr French graduated with a degree in Zoology and Psychology from the University of Bristol and a PhD entitled 'Water Budget of the Avian Egg' from the University of Bath. He has more than 25 years of experience of incubation and in the poultry industry and is well known and respected in the industry for his expertise on avian incubation.