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].
– Ålesund, Norway- based salmon farming and processing seafood company Hofseth International announced Olav Holst-Dyrnes as the incoming chief executive officer, replacing current CEO and CCO Roger Hofseth.
“Olav brings extensive experience from both the seafood industry and from leading and developing companies through periods of growth and transformation,” Hofseth said in a release. “I have known Olav for some time and we have had many good discussions over a long period before arriving at this decision. I am therefore very pleased that he has agreed to join Hofseth and I am confident he is the right person to lead the company forward.”
Holst-Dyrnes will begin his tenure in fall 2026 and is responsible for strengthening the organization and finetuning the strategic development, the release said, while also focusing on the commercial development of the group.
“With Olav leading the Group as CEO, I will dedicate more time to our commercial activities and market development as chief commercial officer (CCO),” Holst-Dyrnes said. “This includes strengthening our customer relationships, expanding our value-added product portfolio and continuing to build on our IceFresh technology platform.”
Holst-Dyrnes’ previous work experience includes multiple executive and board positions at companies within and outside of the seafood sector, according to his LinkedIn page. From 2012 to 2014, he was the CEO of Havfisk ASA, which has since rebranded to Lerøy Havfisk. Then, he spent the next six years as CEO of furniture manufacturing company Ekornes ASA, while remaining on the board of directors at Danish seafood company A. Espersen. In 2020, he became investment director of Kverva, the Witzøe family’s investment company and majority shareholder of SalMar. While working with Kverva, Holst-Dyrnes became the CEO of Nordic seafood group Insula, where he still serves as chairman of the board. Other board positions include chairman of the board of the Norwegian Seafood Council, and board member at both Ulstein ASA and Havila Shipping ASA.
“Hofseth’s ambition is to grow exponentially over the next five years, and I am excited to contribute towards the vision Roger Hofseth has established,” Holst-Dyrnes said. “Hofseth has a truly unique asset base in the Aalesund region in Western Norway which can still benefit from significant economies of scale in the coming years. It is rare to have the opportunity to develop a Company embracing circular economy and new 'foodtech' to eliminate food waste and optimize the whole seafood value chain."
– Zaandam, the Netherland-based international food retail group, announced that JJ Fleeman is stepping down from his role as CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, effective June 2026 after 36 years with the company.
“Over the past 36 years, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside extraordinary teams across the companies of Ahold Delhaize, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together for our customers and communities,” Fleeman said. “As I look ahead to a new chapter, I’m grateful for the associates who bring our brands to life every day, and I’m committed to supporting a smooth transition.”
Fleeman started with the company in 1990, working with retail operations, merchandising, and organizational development. In 2004, he moved to the company’s largest U.S. brand, Food Lion, where he worked as the vice president of operations in northeastern markets, marketing and brand strategy, and strategy, business planning and development. In 2014, he was promoted to chief commercial services and strategy officer EVP as the global integration lead, where he stayed for the next few years. In 2018, Fleeman became the president and chief e-commerce officer of Peapod Digital Labs.
Ahold Delhaize said in the company release that Fleeman “was instrumental in laying the foundations of the omnichannel model,” at Peapod Digital Labs, which helps drive company success present day. He took on the U.S.A. CEO role in 2023, where he has remained for the last three years.
“I am grateful for the strong omnichannel foundation JJ has helped build, and I have full confidence in our U.S. leadership team to continue executing our Growing Together strategy,” Ahold Delhaize President and CEO Frans said. “JJ’s strength in bringing teams together, developing a ‘winning together’ culture, combined with his ability to recognize talent and personal leadership will leave a lasting legacy in our company. We have appreciated JJ’s vision and business insights as part of our Management Board conversations and wish him success in his future endeavors.”
The company said it will provide updates on Fleeman’s successor as appropriate.
“On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I would like to thank JJ for his dedicated leadership and the progress made across our U.S. businesses,” Ahold Delhaize Chair of the Supervisory Board Wiebe Draijer said. “We are committed to an orderly transition and to ensuring continued focus on the execution of our Growing Together strategy, serving our customers and communities in the markets our brands operate in.”
