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-headquartered tilapia-farming company Regal Springs has announced that CEO Alois Hofbauer is leaving the company after over five years in the role. He will be replaced by Graham Ellis.
Hofbauer will return to working at his family business, Regal Springs Head of Marketing and Business Development Vernon Bradley said in a release about the news, but will continue on as a senior advisor to the Regal board and to Ellis, ensuring a smooth leadership transition.
In an email to SeafoodSource, Bradley said that Hofbauer “has led Regal Springs with his head high, his manner professional at all times, and his crew totally dedicated to his leadership."
"Over his tenure, he reset the business and has cemented strong foundations for further growth,” Bradley said.
In the official release about the news, Bradley added that Hofbauer had “firmly embedded a culture of accountability, compliance, and discipline that now underpins global operations.”
“His tenure saw him lead the company through the global pandemic [and] biomass issues in Honduras and Mexico," he said. "Throughout these challenges, he ensured that Regal Springs remained recognized as a global leader in sustainable aquaculture and has solid foundations on which to grow.”
Before coming to Regal Springs, Hofbauer spent nearly two decades at Nestlé Malaysia, ultimately becoming CEO.
In the same release, the company announced the appointment of Ellis, who said that “following the extensive restructuring led by Alois over the past years, I see this as a moment where Regal Springs is uniquely positioned for growth.”
“Within the global food supply chain, aquaculture is critical to provide sufficient high-quality protein for a growing population, and Regal’s leadership in sustainability means it is exactly the type of solution that we need to focus on,” he said.
Before his appointment at Regal Springs, Ellis was a partner and the head of the Agri-FoodTech Investment Committee at Luxembourg-based alternative investment fund firm Praesidium, where he will continue to serve in a partner role.
Ellis has also served for the last year as a business advisor at Golden Springs Group, the parent company to Regal Springs.
– California, U.S.A.-headquartered salmon aquaculture technology company Tidal, which also has operations in Bergen, Norway, has announced that Kristian Blom has been appointed customer experience and data strategy lead.
“Blom brings over two decades of expertise in software development, data, and digital platforms to the aquaculture industry," Tidal said in a release. "Growing up in a salmon-farming family, he combines his deep understanding of the sector with a strong technical background in computer science.”
“Kristian brings a rare blend of industry insight and digital expertise that fits perfectly with where Tidal is headed," Tidal General Manager Anders Fossøy said. "He understands both the complexity of fish farming and the transformative potential of data.”
Blom previously worked at both AquaCloud and Aquabyte. His role at Tidal will involve helping customers integrate technology into their day-to-day aquaculture operations.
For his part, Blom called Tidal’s products “among the most exciting technology areas in aquaculture today.”
Tidal’s parent company is Alphabet, which also owns Google. Its investors include Norway’s Ichthus Venture Capital (IVC) and Kverva.
– Tromsø, Norway-headquartered Norwegian Institute of Food, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Research, also known as Nofima, has announced that Kjetil Fyrand is its new head of fish health.
In a release about the news, Fyrand said he was excited by the new position, because “at Nofima, fish health is at the heart of our research – whether it involves breeding, nutrition, or production environment.”
Fyrand most recently worked at fish vaccine company Pharmaq; at Nofima, he will head a 13-person department specializing in preventative fish health.
“The Fish Health Department plays a crucial role in addressing and solving the challenges facing the industry," Nofima Division Director for Aquaculture Linn Anne Brunborg said. "Kjetil has an exciting background from the industry … I am confident that he will challenge us and contribute with new ideas and opportunities for the institute.”
Fyrand holds a degree in fish health from the University of Bergen and will complete his Ph.D. in industrial fish vaccinology from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences this year.
