Semex is saddened to announce the passing of Robert Chicoine, Semex Alliance's architect and its first general manager.
Like no other, Robert Chicoine is foundational to Semex, and on his passing, Semex, its partners, global staff, and breeders worldwide are indebted to his dedication to dairy cattle improvement and Canadian genetics.
As a young boy growing up in Saint-Pie-de-Bagot, Quebec, Robert studied the Holstein Journal, memorized names, and dreamed of working with cows. As a student at Université Laval he spent a summer working at Centre d’insémination artificielle du Québec (CIAQ) and described his time there as being in “heaven.”
In 1966, he joined CIAQ and established its young-sire-proving program; he became CIAQ’s General Manager in 1981; he was a Boviteq visionary and Chairman of the Board from 1991-1996; and in 1997, he was among the visionaries who established the Semex Alliance, serving as its first general manager.
Uniquely qualified, Robert helped design Semex’s cooperative structure, the Canadian genetic evaluation model, and the research infrastructure Boviteq is built on. Robert’s leadership and vision laid the groundwork for Semex and Boviteq to continually expand globally and deliver the genetics and technology Semex is synonymous with: profitability, genetic improvement, reliability, and breeder satisfaction.
With a career studded with milestones, awards, and recognition, Robert is the 2026 World Dairy Expo International Person of the Year. Recently, he reminisced on the UpLevel Dairy Podcast about one of his favorite memories: “As a sire analyst, I selected several bulls that had influence in the breed. And one of them was Hanoverhill Starbuck, who was quite a significant bull in the history of the breed. But as a global impact, probably having a leadership role in putting together the partners to form the Semex Alliance in the 1990s was probably what I would consider to have a long-term impact on the future of the Canadian industry.”
Perhaps his greatest impact came through the many individuals he mentored throughout his career, instilling in them the same values he practiced over 34 years. “You need working companions. And I have always felt that I should, if possible, try to have the best people available, knowledgeable people around me to help me achieve those goals,” he said. “And when you leave for retirement or other reasons, the organization, if you had chosen the best people available, will carry on that work.”
When asked to comment on his legacy, Robert shared, “I don't have specific expectations, I would say. I am proud to be associated with the success of those organizations because I was there at the beginning. And to me, I am happy. Life has been good as far as my career is concerned. I always enjoy going to work because I worked with my passion as a young person. I spent my life doing that and I still spend a lot of spare time to study pedigrees and all kinds of things.”
“So life has been good for me.”
Our thoughts are with his children, grandchildren, extended family, and close friends.
