
Meet the breeders

Conventional wheats - Duncan Warner
“I have worked with Syngenta for 10 years and I’m focused on breeding the next generation of winter wheat. Challenges of wheat breeding include keeping up with nature, environments and the ever-changing disease landscape but that’s what makes every day different!”
Duncan Warner, Germplasm Development Scientist Wheat Oceanic

Hybrid wheats - Olga Zhadenova
"I have been with Syngenta for 11 years now, starting as Hybrid Wheat Breeder Assistant in Saint-Sauveur (Toulouse, France). In 2016 I was relocated to the UK as a Hybrid Wheat Junior Breeder. Since 2020 I have been a Hybrid Wheat Breeder. I hold 2 master degrees in Plant Breeding and Agriculture. I am a Russian native, with British citizenship.
I am very proud to breed Hybrid Wheat, because it provides a step-change in yield, delivers yield stability in conditions of abiotic stress and potentially helps mitigate climate change by being more effective at utilising nitrogen fertiliser.
I really enjoy the opportunities to bring innovative ideas and solutions to the challenges that developing Hybrid Wheat represents."
Olga Zhadenova, Germplasm Development Scientist Wheat Oceanic.