Mowi Canada East has appointed Gideon Pringle to serve as its new managing director, replacing former managing director Alan Cook.
According to Mowi, Pringle has 37 years of salmon aquaculture experience in an array of departments, including breeding, broodstock, freshwater and seawater development, and fish health. He has worked two previous stints at Mowi, including as freshwater and broostock manager for Mowi Scotland between 2004 and 2011 and as Mowi Scotland's production director from 2016 to 2020. In between, he worked as farming director for Scottish Sea Farms and as operations director for Loch Duart Salmon.
“Both Canada East and Scotland share the North Atlantic Ocean and, not surprisingly, also share many of the same farming challenges. During my time in the aquaculture sector, I have come to realize that there is no single formula about how to farm salmon – they can be farmed in many different ways, equally successful,” Pringle said. “The key is to be knowledgeable, adaptable, and most important have the best team of people. I am very happy to rejoin Mowi and be a part of this very motivated team that will lead Canada East to realize its full potential.”
Mowi Canada East Human Resources Manager Kristina White was selected to serve as interim managing drector while the company searched for a new managing director.
“We have a strong team in Canada East, and we also have the added advantage at Mowi to augment and support our operations with experienced salmon farmers,” Mowi Scotland, Ireland, Faroes Islands, and Canada East COO Ben Hadfield said. “I believe we now have established the best possible team that will work hard and smart, safely, and at pace to realize the success we know is possible in Canada East and specifically the southern coast of Newfoundland.”
Cook said of his departure on LinkedIn that he has “moved on from Mowi” and that his time there was a “period of intense personal development and growth.”
“I want to express my thanks and deep appreciation for the team at Mowi Canada East,” Cook said. “Their support and dedication were consistently exceptional.”
Cook presided over Mowi Canada East as the region faced a number of challenges. The company lost EUR 6 million (USD 6.03 million) in the region in 2021 after it lost 450,000 salmon at its site in in Newfoundland, Canada and 210,000 salmon at its Little Bay, Chaleur Bay, and Friar Cove farming sites.
The challenges resulted in Mowi delaying a planned expansion in Newfoundland.
Hadfield acknowledged the difficulties his company has faced in the region, but also said there are opportunities for the company in Eastern Canada.
“Atlantic Canada’s extreme coastal water temperatures are a challenge to fish for sure, but these temperatures and such vast geography also create real opportunity for our company, our employees, and the communities in which salmon farming is a valued and integral part of society,” he said.
Mowi also announced that Kris Laird has been appointed to the role of seawater production director for the company’s Canadian operations.
“Kris moved from Mowi’s operations in The Western Isles (Scotland) to Canada in January, and is working closely with local area managers in New Brunswick and Newfoundland: Allene Barrett, Harvey Jensen and Murray Bungay,” the company said.
Photo courtesy of Mowi Canada East
