Bernard Le Buanec is Secretary General of the ISF, International Seed Federation, newly formed from the merger in May 2002 of the previous FIS and ASSINSEL.

A graduate from the French Institut National Paris-Grignon (Ingénieur Agronome), he has a Master’s in Soil Science from ORSTOM Paris.

He then joined the public research and spent 10 years in Africa on agronomy projects. During that period, he presented his Doctor-Engineer’s thesis on Plant Biology.

In 1975, he joined Groupe Limagrain as Chief of the Agronomy Department, then CEO of the Mennesson Company, and finally member of the strategic committee of the Group, as Senior Vice-President in charge of research. At that time, he was also Chairman of the Board and CEO of the BIOCEM Company, a biotech company with laboratories in France, the United Kingdom and Australia, member of the Board then Chairman of the Board of Gene Shears, a joint-venture between Groupe Limagrain, Johnson & Johnson and the CSIRO.

In 1993, he left Groupe Limagrain to join FIS and ASSINSEL Secretariats, as Secretary General.

In addition to his professional activities, Bernard Le Buanec has served in several elected or nominated positions in France or at international level, including:
1982-1986: Chairman of the Beet Section of FIS/ASSINSEL and member of the FIS Executive Committee;
1986-1990: Chairman of the Maize Section and Chairman of the Intellectual Property Group of ASSINSEL;
1987-1992: Founding member, member of the steering committee and then Chairman of GIBiP, the European Green Industry Biotechnology Platform; member of the group on biotechnology then on life science of the Industrial Research and Development Advisory Committee of the European Community;
1990-1992: ASSINSEL Vice-President;
1992-1993: ASSINSEL President;
1997-1998: member of the CGIAR expert panel on Proprietary Science and Technology
 … to mention some of the international ones.

Currently, Bernard Le Buanec is member of the Genetic Resources Policy Committee of the CGIAR, member of the Scientific Council of the French National Agricultural Research Institute (INRA), member of the French Académie des Technologies, and corresponding member of the French Académie d’Agriculture.