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].
- Mark Doherty has been promoted to managing director of Thai Union-owned, U.K.-based seafood company John West. Doherty has worked at the company for 15 years as an account controller and commercial director, according to his LinkedIn.
Doherty replaces Paul Stephenson, who stepped down as managing director earlier this month.
“I am delighted with the appointment of Mark as the new managing director for John West,” Thai Union Europe President Paul Reenan said in a release. “It is a testament to his dedication and commitment to our business over 15 years. His appointment to this role is also a reflection of the strong talent management done by Thai Union to deliver on the full potential of our people. John West has a strong identity in healthy nutrition, game-changing innovation, and a very talented team that Mark will lead into the next stage of profitable growth.”
The appointment comes four months after John West announced its profits had dropped around 78 percent in FY 2023.
- Michael De Caro has exited his role as vice president of manufacturing and product development at Peter Pan Seafood and joined Seattle, Washington U.S.A-based Pandion Seafood as its managing director.
De Caro joined Peter Pan Seafood in June 2021. He is the latest in a string of departures of executives from the company.
- Gabriel Viteri has been appointed chief of new business ventures at Acme Smoked Fish. Viteri, who has been with the company since 2022, is currently the company’s acting COO. The position Viteri has accepted was created to propel and drive strategic business expansion, Acme said.
"Embracing the next chapter of growth with Acme is truly exhilarating,” Viteri told SeafoodSource. “Our journey in the smoked fish business has been remarkable, and now, with access to cutting-edge systems, talented individuals, streamlined processes, and invaluable connections, we're poised to venture into exciting new opportunities. It's evident that to thrive in today's competitive landscape, we must dare to explore beyond our familiar waters. Together with Acme, we're primed to chart new territories and redefine success."
- Nils Ove Haland Riise has left his position as director of international sales at seafood industry analysis firm Kontali, headquartered in Kristiansund, Norway. Riise held the role for six months, and has yet to announce his next career move, according to his LinkedIn.
“Last week marked the end of my journey with Kontali. It's been an incredible six months filled with challenges, opportunities, and unforgettable experiences in the aquaculture analytics industry,” Riise wrote on LinkedIn. “Transitioning from the media sector into a completely new industry was both a challenge and an exciting opportunity. My background in media unexpectedly proved to be invaluable as I applied tactics learned in that field to my role at Kontali.”
Riise’s departure follows Kontali’s recent acquisition of the Nasdaq Salmon Index, which provides pricing data for Norwegian salmon exports.
- Julie Hohmann has been appointed as a national sales account manager for Pacific Seafood. Hohmann spent the past nearly 11 years at Ocean Beauty Seafoods as a national retail sales manager, according to her LinkedIn.
“It's been an amazing start, and I'm already impressed with the thorough training program, family-like culture, high-quality products, and industry experts at Pacific Seafoods,” Hohmann wrote on LinkedIn.
- Singapore-based cultivated seafood company UMAMI Bioworks appointed Arijit Das as its upstream process development scientist. Das has a background in bioprocessing technology and has a doctorate from the Institute of Chemical Technology in Mumbai, India.
“I am thrilled to contribute my Ph.D. in bioprocessing technology, along with my industry expertise in upstream process development, to further the future of cultivated seafood,” Das said in a LinkedIn statement.
- Dustin Hamilton has been appointed as COO of Nissui-owned UniSea.
“I’m happy to share that I’m starting a new position as Chief Operating Officer at UniSea, Inc.,” Hamilton wrote on LinkedIn. “For the highest-quality, Alaska-processed pollock, cod, and crab, come to UniSea.”
According to his LinkedIn, Hamilton began the role in March 2024.
- Leknes, Norway-based aquaculture service and fish health company STIM has appointed Nora Lyso as a key account manager. According to her LinkedIn, Lyso began the role in March 2024. Previously, she worked at Nova Sea as a project employee operational technician.
-Suffolk, Virginia U.S.A.-based seafood supplier Wanchese Fish Company has appointed Jack Crouch as its national sales manager.
"I am thrilled to be part of a family company that is committed to quality, sustainability, and state-of-the-art processing,” Crouch said in a release. “My goal is to contribute to the company's continued success by expanding market uptake of its signature Patagonian scallops and southern king crab products in North America.”
Crouch previously worked for six years at the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and later joined SCS Global Services as its sustainable seafood sales manager in March 2023.
