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].
- Ribe, Denmark-based Nordic Aqua Partners hired Tom Johan Austrheim as CFO, taking over for Hjalti Hvitklett, who will resume his previous finance director role, with an increased focus on financial planning, compliance, governance, and projects.
Nordic Aqua Partners is building a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) Atlantic salmon farm in Ningbo, China, and reported raising NOK 300 million (USD 29.3 million, EUR 27.4 million) through a private placement of new shares in February 2023.
“Nordic Aqua has been through an impressive development, since it started as 'project' and are now getting prepared to move into the new phase as a fully integrated Atlantic salmon farming company, with the objective to reach a production of 20,000 [metric] tons in 2028,” the company said in a release. "Beyond 20,000 tons Nordic Aqua could further grow to 50,000 tons at the same site. The strengthening of the CFO department is a necessary part of the medium- and long-term growth of Nordic Aqua.”
Austrheim joins Nordic Aqua Partners from Edda Wind ASA. He will begun the role no later than 1 August 2024, the company said.
In August 2023, Nordic Aqua Partners said its project is on schedule and in line with budget.
- Feed manufacturer BioMar Vietnam appointed Duong Anh Tu as its managing director.
Tu has a background in the commercial feed and food sectors in Asia.
“We have chosen Duong Anh Tu to lead the next phase of our growth of the shrimp feed business in Vietnam. He has a proven ability to lead the development of innovative solutions for the local markets, and we are sure he will be a strong asset for the organization as well as for the customers,” BioMar Asia Vice President Francois Loubere said in a release.
- Telia, Norway-based aquaculture and seafood consultant Kontali appointed Kjetil Angell Kjerstad as its CEO. Kjerstad was formerly the head of Google Ads in Norway, and held executive positions at Microsoft Norway and Telenor.
“Being passionate about driving growth, I find this to be a unique opportunity. Kontali, with its team and support from Alytic, is perfectly positioned for growth. I thrive on the dynamic nature of scaling a business, and I am particularly drawn to the challenges and opportunities presented by a potentially fast-growing company like Kontali,” said in a release.
Kjerstad, who has a master’s degree in business administration from Oxford Brookes University, was brought to Kontali to lead and grow the company, which purchased the Nasdaq Salmon Index on 1 February.
“The potential of Kontali is tremendous. By adding more technological and commercial competence to the world-leading seafood expertise already present in the company, the goal is to triple Kontali revenues within three years,” Kontali Chairman of the Board Espen Zachariassen said.” Kjerstad knows how to commercialize technology in combination with content. He will be responsible for implementing a strategy to turn Kontali into the leading provider of data and insights for the global seafood market.”
- The International Pole and Line Foundation (IPNLF), a charity supporting sustainable pole-and-line tuna fisheries, named Craig Turley as its new fisheries director.
Turley has been with the company since 2020 as its fisheries improvement consultant, and has a background in implementing fleet-on-the-ground projects and enjoys working with coastal fishing communities driving and managing fisheries programs.
“As fisheries director, Turley will lead the development of new strategies to expand IPNLF’s work to new geographies, strengthening global one-by-one tuna supply chains and helping ensure that the organization’s work remains relevant and pioneering in a fast-changing world,” IPNLF said in a release.
IPNLF also appointed Shanon Hardisty as its new social responsibility director. Hardisty, who aso joined the organization in 2020 as a researcher for the social responsibility team, will be responsible for expanding social benefits of one-by-one tuna fisheries to provide social responsibility guidance to market actors.
“Hardisty takes up the role at a timely point and will help realize the organization’s ambition to accomplish its Social Responsibility Action Plan, thereby advancing fishers’ labor and human rights and protecting the health of our oceans,” the organization wrote.
Photo courtesy of BioMar
