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].
- U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor, and Human Trafficking (OCFT) Director Marcia Eugenio is retiring after 33 years with the DOL and the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB).
“[Marcia] leaves behind a legacy of fierce advocacy on behalf of the rights of workers and children worldwide,” the OFCT said in an email announcing her departure.
Under Eugenio’s leadership, the OFCT “has pioneered new approaches and tools to advance supply chain transparency” in order to reduce labor abuses in global supply chains, particularly in the private sector, according to the office.
Though great progress was made worldwide during her time with the DOL, including the United Nations' adoption of Convention 182, which achieved a recognized consensus on the markers of the worst forms of child labor, there is still work to be done, she said in a recent interview.
Commenting on ILAB’s 2024 “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor and Forced Labor,” Eugenio implored companies “to monitor their entire supply chains,” including small producers, in order to prevent abuse. Shrimp manufactured in India was added to the 2024 list, after a request to the DOL prompted by the Southern Shrimp Alliance.
- Norwegian seafood industrial equipment company MMC First Process has appointed Lars Erling Krogh to the role of CEO.
In tandem with the move, former CEO Petter Leon Fauske will continue on as a business development manager and as a member of the MMC senior leadership team.
MMC Chair Pål Brynsrud praised Fauske’s stewardship in a press release, calling him “a competent chief executive [who had] lifted MMC First Process to a completely new level during the last five years, making it the most creative and profitable company in the supplier industry.”
Brynsrud attributed the leadership change to the company’s growth into a billion-kroner company, making reference to its recently established partnership with food-processing giant Marel.
"The company has the exciting and inspiring goal of improving fish welfare while making the aquaculture industry more sustainable," Krogh said.
- Trident Seafood has named Mike Quinn as its new COO amid a broader leadership shakeup that sees Jeff Welbourn named president of Trident USA and Kenji Nasu named president of Trident Alaska, effective 1 October.
“The addition of Mike as Trident’s new COO and the appointment of Jeff and Kenji to new leadership roles within the company are the next steps in Trident’s long-term vision to modernize operations and refocus our global commercial strategy,” Trident CEO Joe Bundrant said. “These are the right leaders and the right changes that will position Trident for future growth, enabling us to continue our mission of responsibly sharing Alaska seafood with the world."
Quinn spent the last 25 years in leadership at Microsoft and has served on the Trident board for the past five years. He brings expertise in sales, supply chain operations, finance, and strategic operations to the company.
"Trident has been an industry leader for over 50 years, and despite the unprecedented challenges in the seafood sector, I see tremendous opportunities ahead," Quinn said in a release.
- Mountain View, California, U.S.A.-based AI and underwater robotics company Tidal has announced the appointment of Anders Fossøy as its new general manager for Norway.
Tidal is an outgrowth of the Google-founded Moonshot Factory and has received funding from Norway’s Krerva-backed Ichthus Venture Capital (IVC). According to the company, its goal is to “empower fish farmers with data-driven insights for operational efficiency, value creation, and environmental stewardship.”
Most recently, Fossøy worked in software solutions for sustainable food production at aquaculture software Aquabyte and has spent 15 years in sales, marketing, and leadership roles in the industry.
For Tidal, Fossøy will spearhead efforts to support fish farmers as they adopt new technologies.
“[Fossøy’s] extensive experience and passion for sustainable and welfare-focused aquaculture make him an ideal fit for Tidal. We are confident that his leadership will be instrumental in accelerating our path to scale our positive impact in Norway, a key market for the aquaculture industry,” Tidal CEO Rajesh Jadhav said.
Fossøy, too, expressed enthusiasm for Tidal’s mission and product.
“I am alongside the Tidal team on its path toward becoming a crucial partner for fish farmers as they adopt data driven decision-making and achieve fish welfare and sustainability goals. I look forward to contributing to the further development of the Norwegian market,” he said.
- Smir Group has named Frank Øren as group chief executive, receiving a promotion from his former role as director of business development at the Norwegian aquaculture technology and service provider.
“We are pleased that Frank has accepted the new chief executive role. With increasing demand in all our areas, it is essential to ensure the effective utilization of the group’s resources. We are confident that Frank will lead our employees and clients well,” Smir Group Chair Torbjørn Gjelsvik said in a release.
Øren brings 30 years of experience in the aquaculture industry and was a co-founder of the Smir Group in 2015. In his new role, he will lead a team of 75 employees, according to the company.
- Lenaïg Richard-Breivikm has joined Amsterdam, Netherlands-based Corbion as a business development manager after almost 13 years at Skretting.
During her former role, Richard-Breivikm rose from a research role to become Skretting’s global product manager for shrimp, where she led development of a new feed product, Xpand, which speeds shrimp growth through faster digestion.
On her LinkedIn page, Richard-Breivikm said she will join Corbion’s “innovative team to expand algae application into aquaculture nutrition.”
- Canada’s Marine Environmental Observation, Prediction, and Response Network (MEOPAR) has appointed Jamie Snook as its new executive director.
Sponsored by the Strategic Science Fund (SSF), the organization works to connect stakeholders in ocean research across the nation.
Thanks to a CAD 38.1 million (USD 28 million, 25.2 million) grant from the SSF, MEOPAR is poised to expand its work and programming under Snook’s leadership.
“We are thrilled that Snook is joining the MEOPAR team in this important leadership role. He has a clear record of success building collaborations and partnerships resulting in tangible outcomes for coastal communities,” MEOPAR Associate Co-Scientific Director Brent Else said in a release. “Our biggest challenge moving forward will be expanding MEOPAR programs to better include coastal and Indigenous communities. Snook has all the skills and experience needed to lead that effort."
Snook said he was “honored to be part of the next chapter of this important organization and continue its long legacy of providing leading-edge and much-needed ocean science and research.”
“The major investment from Canada's Strategic Science Fund is going to give MEOPAR the flexibility to further diversify ocean science in Canada and provides the opportunity to connect disciplines, sectors, and communities,” he said.
