The Global Shrimp Council (GSC) unveiled its board of directors, as well as its marketing campaign director, to its members at the 2024 Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
The council was launched in September 2023, and the National Fisheries Institute, a trade group representing the U.S. seafood industry, agreed to house it in December 2023 as a precompetitive partnership designed to promote global shrimp consumption.
Glunashrimp Owner Gabriel Luna and
At the expo on 10 March, the council announced the appointment of its inaugural board of directors. It includes Grupo Almar President Jose Antonio Lince, Omarsa General Manager Sandro Coglitore, and Santa Priscila Commercial Director Diego Puente – all from Ecuador; Grupo Lamar Commercial Director Jose Rincon, representing Venezuela; Mer Seafood Sales Director Jessica Rodriguez from Honduras; Avanti Feeds Chairman and Managing Director Indra Kumar Alluri, Apex Frozen Foods Managing Director Choudary Karuturi, Devi Fisheries Director Mahendra Yarlagadda, each representing India; NAQUA CEO Diego Illingworth from Saudi Arabia; and Bumi Menara Internusa Director Aris Utama and eFishery Senior Vice President Kristin Veriga, representing Indonesia.
“The newly elected board members bring a wealth of expertise and experience from various shrimp-producing origins worldwide that, along with importers and industry-related members, will collaborate to promote shrimp consumption first in the U.S. and later in different geographies worldwide,” Luna and Castro, who will share a board seat, said in a joint statement. "We are thrilled to welcome such esteemed individuals to the inaugural board of directors of the Global Shrimp Council. Their diverse backgrounds and expertise will be instrumental in steering our collective efforts toward a prosperous future for the global shrimp industry."
NFI President and CEO Lisa Wallenda Picard framed the moment as historical.
“We are on the brink of history. I have absolutely no doubt this time next year that we’ll be looking back and saying, ‘Can you believe it?” she said. “What you all have done is phenomenal, and I’m so excited that we get to be partners with you. Thank you for including us in this journey.”
Miguel Barcenas, the creator of the highly successful “Avocados from Mexico” promotional campaign, provided an outline of his concept for the promotional campaign.
“We want to build a brand in a brandless category,” he told the board and around 100 others at the meeting. “You may say we already have a bunch of brands. Every one of you have your own brand. This concept is not fighting with your brands … the only thing we're going to do is group all the beauty of shrimp – same as we did with avocado – and talk about everything good about it under the umbrella of a seal that you guys can use as members on your products. Your brand will continue to be there, but this collective brand that you own now is going to be the base for people to [better] recognize [shrimp].”
The key, according to Barcenas, is ...
