Remembering Brian Wickham

Brian will be remembered for many reasons. His work in the world of Irish cattle breeding truly changed the industry, and he was the driving force behind establishing and growing our national integrated database for cattle breeding in Ireland. Brian was the first employee of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) and led the organisation as Chief Executive from it’s inception to where it stands today – a world-leading database and information system that spans multiple species.  

Most importantly, Brian will be fondly remembered for the warmness of his spirit and the impact he made on so many people on a personal level.  

Talking about Brian, Romy Morrin-O'Donnell from Weatherbys Scientific said: “I met Brian in 2009 when we started to work with the ICBF on genotyping. He was a wonderful collaborator and always sought to connect people to drive progress, and was an advocate for new scientists, and his support meant so much to a lot of people. We would often meet in New Zealand over dinner, at which his welcoming nature and decency was always recognised. Brian was a true gentleman; he adored his family and was extremely proud of them. He is a big loss to our community, and he certainly lived his life and left an everlasting mark. He will be missed.”

Rebecca Weld, our general manager, added: “I have very fond memories of Brian in the early days of our partnership with the ICBF. Brian was such a gentleman and will be a huge loss to the global cattle industry, but his legacy will remain. Our thoughts are with his wife, Alison, and his children, Hadley and Charlotte.”