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].
- Zurich, Switzerland-based tilapia-farming firm Regal Springs has made a few changes to its board of directors, appointing Joerg Ayrle to the role of chairman and Mike Spittal as the new shareholder representative on the board.
Ayrle was the group CFO of Thai Union for seven years from 2014 to 2021 and has held several board positions in the healthcare and financial investment industries.
Torben Svejgaard and Nicole Johnson-Hoffman have transitioned from their roles of chairman and independent director, respectively, to senior advisor positions.
“These changes are intended to enhance alignment with our shareholders and strategic goals … [and] will drive Regal Springs’ continued growth and success, aligning with our strategic goal of reinforcing our position as the foremost pioneer and global leader in premium, sustainable tilapia,” Regal Springs said in a release.
- Feltham, England-based frozen food company Nomad Foods has hired Steven Libermann as its group executive president, effective 5 August.
Libermann has been with Nomad, which owns frozen food brands Birds Eye, Findus, Ledo, and Frikom, since 2015 and has held several executive roles within the company.
“I am delighted to announce Steven’s extended role as group executive president. With us since the creation of Nomad Foods nine years ago, Steven has been central to helping us get to where we are today, as Europe’s leading frozen food company,” Nomad Foods CEO Stéfan Descheemaeker said. “Extending his role will enable us to focus on driving growth across all of our markets, continuing to build the frozen food category and cementing our relationships with our commercial partners, allowing us to reach even more families with our iconic brands and products.”
Before joining Nomad, Libermann worked for 12 years at Findus before it was acquired by Nomad. He has also held roles in food-tech, sales, marketing, and consultancy.
- Robert DeHaan, the chief counsel and executive vice president of the U.S. National Fisheries Institute (NFI), has been reappointed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Technical Advisory Committee until 2028.
The USDA committee advises the federal government on trade policy matters, including the maintenance of existing and the negotiation of new trade agreements.
“I am honored to be able to continue bringing the seafood community’s perspective and guidance to these important issues,” DeHaan said. “We continue to have a seat at the table and an opportunity to collaborate with the people in charge of trade policy.”
DeHaan has worked previously as special counsel to the deputy U.S. trade representative and as deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
DeHaan’s NFI colleague, Gerrie Thomas, NFI’s vice president of membership and training, has joined the board of directors at Bainbridge Island, Washington, U.S.A.-based seafood industry social services nonprofit SeaShare, which helps facilitate seafood donations to hunger-relief efforts in the U.S.
Thomas has worked for NFI for nearly 20 years, mainly in the director of member relations and communications role.
“SeaShare is a group that has evolved from a novel concept about valuing every part of the catch to a well-oiled hunger-relief team focused on valuing every part of the community through nutrition. It is an honor to join SeaShare in that vital work,” Thomas said.
- Dawn Street was elected the new president of the Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada-based Fish, Food, and Allied Workers Union (FFAW), replacing Greg Pretty, who had been with FFAW for over 40 years.
Street's electoral win was announced on 24 July. She is the first woman to lead the union.
“The fishery is my family. My father, grandfathers, and uncles have all spent their lives on the water; my mother, grandmother, and aunts were all plant workers,” Street said on her campaign’s Facebook page. “My home community of Spillar's Cove, Trinity Bay, was built and still relies on the fishery. I will not ask for your support as support must be earned. In upcoming days, I will provide a comprehensive, detailed platform of my vision for FFAW as we move forward. That vision includes you and what you feel your union needs to do for you.”
Street was elected over businessman Dave Callahan and Marine Institute doctoral student Abe Solberg, who is also the head of FFAW policy negotiations and its fishery scientist, according to CBC.
Street takes the helm of FFAW at a turbulent time, as the union has been lambasting the Canadian government for not honoring a 1982 cod-quota agreement after the recent reopening of the province’s northern cod fishery.
“[Canada] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised in writing in 2015 that the 115,000 MT commitment from 1982 would be protected and that inshore harvesters would be the primary beneficiaries of the northern cod stock," former FFAW President Greg Pretty said. "But, here we are at a quota of around 19,000 MT, and the Trudeau government is already letting the offshore draggers back onto the water.”
FFAW also recently won a USD 2.4 million (EUR 2.2 million) arbitration case against snow crab processors in the province. FFAW, which represents harvesters, have battled with processors in the past about striking price agreements.
- James Sibley, a social media content creator who focuses on aquaculture education, has accepted a role to create content jointly sponsored by Mowi Scotland and Salmon Scotland.
In the new role, Sibley will be moving to Scotland and highlighting across social media platforms how Scottish aquaculture meets high standards.
“From exploring salmon-farming infrastructure and legislation to delving into centuries-old coastal communities and their cutting-edge technologies and, of course, the fish behind it all, I aim to showcase the unique aspects of this industry and hopefully do them justice,” Sibley said on LinkedIn. “Mowi Scotland has recognized the growing importance of digital media in the industry, and I will be working closely with their team over the next year. Additionally, with the support of Salmon Scotland and its portfolio of over 50 Scottish aquaculture groups, I will highlight operations beyond Mowi, aiming to build consumer knowledge and confidence across the industry.”
Sibley graduated from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., in 2023 with a degree in biology. Soon after, he joined Mowi in their raw materials and trade division before working with them in the upcoming social media capacity. His seaweed-based nutrition bar venture, Phytabar, will be handed over to Co-Founder Sebastian Sanchez.
- Gianfranco Nattero has joined Chilean salmon-exporting firm Sea Garden Export as a business partner in an attempt to bolster international sales.
Before accepting this role, Nattero spent 20 years at Mowi, where he held director roles at Marine Harvest Group, and a seven-year stint as Mowi Chile’s managing director of America sales and marketing within the company’s raw materials and trade division.
“After six months of exploration, I'm embarking on a new venture to bring salmon and seafood from Chile to the world,” Nattero said on LinkedIn. “I am grateful to everyone I met with for the inspiring conversations, fantastic opportunities, and creativity shared along the way.”
- Trondheim, Norway-based cod-farming firm Norcod has hired Trym Are Sivertsen as its interim CFO following the resignation of Arne Kristian Hoset.
Sivertsen has been with Norcod, which recently posted lower year-over-year production costs and an influx of credit in Q1 2024, since 2019.
