The late Dr Brian Wickham, of Hamilton, CNZM, for services to the dairy industry and statistical genetics
Dr Brian Wickham pioneered the use of world-leading animal genetic and breeding evaluation systems. He held several roles with the Livestock Improvement Corporation, including Statistician Geneticist, Information Resource Manager, Research Manager and Deputy General Manager. He led the implementation of New Zealand’s National Dairy Herd Improvement Database, underpinning productivity advancement in the dairy industry. The database plays a central role in sustaining animal genetic evaluation systems worldwide. He was Foundation Chair and Vice President of INTERBULL. He was Acting Secretary General of the International Committee for Animal Recording, promoting the genetic improvement of dairy cattle on a global scale. As Chief Executive of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation, Dr Wickham stabilised Ireland’s cattle breeding programme by collating data from diverse sources to create a world-class genetic evaluation system.