Claudio Mariani, Sales Manager and Partner of Genesi Project - VikingGenetics’ distributor in Italy has witnessed the development of Nordic genetics in his country.
Claudio Mariani was born and raised in the North of Italy, in Monza, a city northeast of Milan. Monza is also known for the Autodromo Nazionale, a Formula One racetrack, where Claudio’s grandfather used to take him when he was a child.
Mariani lives in Monza with his wife Christina and their 17-year-old daughter, Carlotta. He explains that 70% of the dairy cows are in the North of Italy, but in Monza the focus is on industry, and so his passion for cattle was not a natural option.
As a young boy, Claudio Mariani already clearly knew that he wanted to work outdoors. “I wanted to see the seasons change, to be outside. I didn´t like the idea of waking up in the morning and going from one closed place to another closed place”, he recalls.
He found the perfect solution in a career that guarantee him work full of nature and fresh air. “I decided to study animal science and my passion arose in genetics; so when I was studying genetics, and statistical application to genetics, I really enjoyed that”.
After obtaining his degree in Animal Science at the University of Milan, he stayed a couple of years as a researcher and as a teaching assistant. Then he decided to specialize in genetics at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and at the same time worked with the Canadian Dairy Network, the office responsible for genetic evaluation.