Denmark
May 27, 2026
After 18 years as a driving force behind the development of Nordic Seed’s breeding platform, Ahmed Jahoor is retiring. He will hand over leadership of the company’s breeding activities to Jens Due Jensen, who assumes the role of Head of Breeding.
For nearly two decades, Ahmed Jahoor has played a pivotal role in shaping Nordic Seed’s breeding platform and strengthening the company’s science-based approach to plant breeding.
“When I joined Nordic Seed, the company looked very different,” says Ahmed Jahoor.
“Back then, there were only two breeding programmes, and I worked out of an old country estate on the island of Lolland.”
Today, Nordic Seed has grown from two breeding programmes and 22 employees to 14 programmes spanning seven crops and a team of 69 employees. Under Jahoor’s leadership, the company became an early adopter of genomic breeding technologies.
“We moved quickly to establish genomic selection as an integrated part of our breeding strategy — faster than many other smaller breeding companies. That has given us a strong competitive advantage,” he says.
A visionary force behind technological development
According to CEO Kim Bonde Petersen, Ahmed Jahoor has left a lasting mark on Nordic Seed — both scientifically and strategically.
“Jahoor has been instrumental in building and leading Nordic Seed’s breeding and genomic platform. He showed remarkable vision and persistence in recognising that genomic breeding represented the future, and he was a key reason why we became one of the early adopters of the technology,” says Kim Bonde Petersen.
He also highlights Jahoor’s importance to the company’s growth and international standing.
“Jahoor has built a strong framework that enabled us to launch new breeding programmes and expand our business. At the same time, he established strong links with the academic world, bringing valuable knowledge and innovation into the company.”
For Jahoor, maintaining a strong scientific foundation in plant breeding has remained essential throughout his transition from academia to industry.
“Moving from academia into an agricultural business was a cultural shift,” he explains. “But I quickly realised that science-based plant breeding delivers the best results, which is why we chose to integrate research directly into our breeding programmes.”
Jens Due Jensen takes over leadership of breeding
Jens Due Jensen, who has been part of Nordic Seed since 2010 as a barley breeder, will take over as Head of Breeding. With deep knowledge of the company, he believes the coming years will require continued focus on technology, markets, and the future of agriculture.
“We must continue developing the right varieties for the farming systems of tomorrow. At the same time, we need to accelerate our work with new technologies such as AI and prepare for the implementation of NGTs in breeding, once the regulatory framework hopefully allows it.”
CEO Kim Bonde Petersen sees Jens Due Jensen as the right successor to continue building on Jahoor’s legacy.
“Jens will build on the strong foundation and network Jahoor has created. He also brings a highly practical approach to breeding and a strong understanding of market needs — capabilities that will be essential for strengthening our market position going forward.”
Ahmed Jahoor will remain associated with Nordic Seed in a reduced emeritus role until the end of the year. He celebrated his 70th birthday in November.
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