To keep up to date with the latest personnel changes across the seafood industry, SeafoodSource is compiling a regular round-up of hiring announcements and other personnel-related shifts worldwide. If you have an announcement, please send it to [email protected].
- Grinson George has been appointed the new director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR-CMFRI).
George previously headed the Marine Biodiversity and Environment Management Division at the institute and has several decades of experience as a fishery researcher.
“He has led multiple high-impact research projects as principal investigator at national and international levels through the funding support of various agencies such as the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences, Ministry of Environment, Department of Biotechnology, Department of Science and Technology, and India-U.K. water-quality initiatives,” CMFRI said in a release.
This move follows A Gopalakrishnan’s decision to retire from the director role on 31 July.
“During his remarkable 11-year tenure, Gopalakrishnan spearheaded numerous community-centric initiatives, with a particular focus on women empowerment, transgender mainstreaming, and startup boosting in the marine fisheries sector,” CMFRI said. “By providing training in diverse areas such as fish farming, cage culture, seaweed cultivation, ornamental fish farming, and mussel and oyster farming, along with marketing skills, CMFRI extended support to communities to become small-scale entrepreneurs. Consequently, hundreds of women's self-help groups have been formed nationwide, showcasing the successful implementation of these empowerment programs.
- The Kitasoo Development Corporation, the economic arm of the Kitasoo Xai’xais First Nations group in British Columbia, Canada, has appointed Isaiah Robinson as its new CEO.
Robinson previously served as general manager of the corporation and, before that, held several leadership roles within the Kitasoo Xai’xais Nation.
The corporation has partnered with salmon-farming firm Mowi to oversee salmon aquaculture projects in the province, which are under fire after the Canadian government announced it would ban all open-net salmon aquaculture operations by 2029.
“This decision was not based on science or the comprehensive transition plans each Nation developed to guide the Department of Fisheries and Oceans,” Robinson said when the decision came down. “These plans were created with the understanding that they would provide a framework for a responsible transition. This decision was driven not by these well-thought-out plans but by politics. This is a political decision not based on science or fact.”
- Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based grocery chain Big Y, which operates around 90 stores in the U.S., the majority of which are in Massachusetts, has named Megan Moriarty as its director of meat and seafood.
Moriarty has been with the chain since 2015, when she started as a store director; she soon became floral sales manager and seafood sales manager before taking on the new position, which was vacated by Norm Vernadakis, who is retiring.
“Megan’s visionary leadership, strategic thinking, and unwavering commitment have earned her this significant advancement,” John Fraro, Big Y senior director of fresh foods, said in a release. “I’m confident she will bring innovative solutions and drive continued success in this new role.”
Moriarty’s retail accolades include a Top Women in Grocery honor from Progressive Grocer in 2020 and being the recipient of the Food Retail Leader Certificate from FMI - The Food Industry Association in 2021.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A.-based retail chain Target made a slew of changes within its leadership team, including shifting its chief marketing officer, Lisa Roath, into the role of chief merchandising officer of food, essentials, and beauty, effective early 2025.
Target is executing a search for someone to replace Roath’s role as CMO, and until then, Roath will carry on in the role.
"As we execute our 2024 plans and look to the future, we're putting key leaders and capabilities in place to sustain profitable growth over the long term,” Target said in a release. “Lisa will be an important addition … when she moves into her new role in 2025, bringing prior experience and accomplishments leading our food and essentials businesses.”
Earlier this year, Target announced plans to open 300 new stores over the next decade and upgrade its current portfolio of over 2,000 stores.
- Thierry Chopin, a professor of marine biology at the University of New Brunswick in Eastern Canada and a pioneer in the field of aquaculture, with a specialty in multitrophic operations, passed away on 18 July.
Several industry experts voiced condolences and lauded his work in aquaculture.
“Apart from his extensive knowledge and inspiration when it came to seaweed and aquaculture, he was a genuinely lovely person,” Lisa Boulton, an ocean regeneration lead at Nestle Purina PetCare Europe, said on LinkedIn. “His legacy will continue and generations to come will benefit from his research and ideas. “
“His contributions to advancing the understanding of seaweed science, including through his active participation on our scientific council, are too numerous to enumerate,” the Global Seaweed Coalition said on LinkedIn.
“Throughout his career, Dr. Chopin championed the cultivation of seaweed alongside finfish and shellfish. He believed that integrated multitrophic aquaculture could revolutionize aquaculture by creating balanced ecosystems that mimic nature,” the International Society for Applied Phycology said on LinkedIn. “His work extended beyond academia; he collaborated with industry partners, policymakers, and coastal communities to implement sustainable practices.”
His family on LinkedIn encouraged those who want to recognize or honor his memory to continue talking about him and his work or consider contributing to the Thierry Chopin Award for Graduate Coastal Studies.
- The Alaska Fisheries Science Center, overseen by NOAA Fisheries, has appointed Elaina Jorgensen as its chief of staff.
The new role will see Jorgensen lead a newly organized strategic support team to lead responses to external requests for information, implement science center strategic initiatives, and coordinate the planning required to ensure that the center is successful in the mission laid out in its Strategic Science Plan, according to the center.
The plan lays out the center’s goals, objectives, and strategies through 2027 amid a difficult environment for the Alaskan seafood industry, though some in the industry are predicting the back half of 2024 will see some recovery in the sector.
“We have been undertaking a multi-year effort to strategically respond to climate-driven changes in the environment, improve operating efficiencies, support survey modernization efforts, and mitigate shifting survey needs,” Alaska Fisheries Science Center Science and Research Director Robert Foy said in a release. “Creating this strategic team and realigning information flow puts us in a better position to take on these new challenges. Elaina is the perfect fit to lead this team. She brings to the position a breadth of experience, having worked both as a scientist for the center for 28 years and in various management positions.”
- Vernon, California, U.S.A.-based food processing and wholesaling company Monarch Trading has added two members to its senior leadership team.
John Leavitt is the new executive vice president of sales at the company, and Peter Ballenger has become Monarch’s new global director of procurement.
Both have extensive seafood industry experience; Leavitt spent almost 10 years at Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-based lobster-processing company Ready Seafood, and Ballenger has worked as both the vice president of procurement at Northbrook, Illinois, U.S.A.-based seafood-importing firm CenSea, as well as a shrimp procurement director at Mazzetta Company, among other roles.
Monarch distributes seafood to foodservice and retail buyers, with options including salmon from the U.S., Canada, Chile, and Norway; octopus from Southeast Asia and Mexico; several fillet options such as tilapia, pollock, cod, catfish, snapper, and more; and shrimp in several formats.
- Cork, Ireland-based seafood processing and retail supply company Keohane Seafoods has named Garry Price as its head of operations.
Price has previously served as a site director and supply chain director with Scotland-based aquaculture firm Dawnfresh, as well as a Young’s Seafood Scottish cluster lead.
- Former AquaBounty CEO Sylvia Wulf has been named interim executive vice president of agriculture and environment at Biotechnology Innovation Organization.
Wulf left AquaBounty in June 2024, with AquaBounty Chief Commercial Officer David Melbourne taking over as CEO.
BIO is the world's largest biotechnology organization, supporting more than 1,200 industry members. Wulf has been a BIO board member since 2019
