The rapid growth that HM.CLAUSE is enjoying requires to constantly adapt and scale up its organization and processes. A key objective of R&D is to accompany this growth and stimulate innovation while preserving the great motivation and passion of R&D teams that are a key strength of HM.CLAUSE
As Vice President, Head of Global Research and Development, Dr. Gilles Gay directs the global research and breeding programs at HM.CLAUSE, which involve more than 800 people working on 25 different vegetable species across 30 countries. He oversees the management of HM.CLAUSE’s breeding centers, research stations and laboratories around the world. He is responsible for ensuring that HM.CLAUSE maintains a robust pipeline of innovative products that will further the growth of the company and keep pace with fast-evolving markets.
Prior to becoming head of global research and development, Dr. Gay spent two and a half years as VP of R&D for the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Before joining HM.CLAUSE in 2015, Dr. Gay spent 28 years with Syngenta and its legacy companies in various R&D leadership roles in France Switzerland and the USA, most recently as the head of their quantitative genetics group. Between 2000 and 2014 he split his time between France and the United States.
Dr. Gay’s scientific career is both prolific and diverse, with a common theme of genetics and new technologies to support breeding, both in Field Seeds and in Vegetable Seeds. He earned his Biochemical Engineering degree from the Institut des Sciences Appliquées in Lyon, France, and his Biochemistry and Physiology Ph.D. from the Université Claude Bernard, also in Lyon. He is based in Valence at the Maninet R&D station.
