Having grown in up near Lake Constance, Matthias Schelling (54) has always been a real cow enthusiast. While he is not from a farm himself, already as a youth he preferred spending his free time at the neighbour’s dairy farm. So, it is no wonder that he made a clear decision for his career. After his agronomy studies and a PhD from the Institute of Animal Science at ETH Zürich, he began his career at the Swiss breeding association Swissherdbook (which evolved out of the former Swiss Fleckvieh breeding association). There, he was soon responsible for data evaluation and breeding values, before becoming head of management in 2004. Since February 2024 he has been leading the globally active Swissgenetics as director and has brought his comprehensive experience to service for Swiss cattle breeding.