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].
– The Russian Fishery Company (RFC) has announced two promotions.
CEO Saveliy Karpukhin has been named chairman of the board, and Konstantin Globenko, who previously served as operations director, has been named CEO.
The company, which fishes in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk, said in a release about the news that Karpukhin would focus on long-term growth strategy, while Globenko would run RFC’s day-to-day operations.
“We will continue our course of producing quality products for consumers and creating the best conditions for our employees,” Globenko said.
According to the company, the RFC catches 325,000 metric tons (MT) of wild whitefish making up about 15 percent of the nation’s catch. The company has said that it hopes to increase its pollock and herring quotas by more than 60 percent to 500,000 MT.
In the past five years, it has invested in a series of 10 supertrawlers, six of which have launched, and developed new surimi products.
Karpukhin, who was formerly the company’s director of strategy and commercial affairs, was named CEO in May 2024, taking over the position from Olga Naumova.
– West Sussex, U.K.-based biotech company Benchmark Holdings has announced several executive appointments, including naming Patrick Waty as the firm's new CEO.
Before taking the new role, he was CEO of INVE Aquaculture, the nutrition division of the company. Waty is taking over the position from Trond Williksen.
Prior to joining INVE, Waty spent most of his career at aquaculture feed firms, moving from BernAqua NV to Neovia Group before becoming group CEO of SyAqua.
The company also announced that Pierre Hugo, finance director at INVE Aquaculture, will become Benchmark’s new CFO and that Therese Log Bergjord, former CEO of animal nutrition company Skretting, will join the board of directors as non-executive director.
In May, Benchmark Holdings announced the sale of its subsidiary, Norway-based fish genetics company Benchmark Genetics, for GBP 194 million (USD 261 million, EUR 231 million). At the time, the company said it was planning to de-list from the Oslo Børs and become a private company.
– The Center for Aquaculture Technologies (CAT) has named Sam May as genetic services lead for the U.S. and Canada.
May holds a Ph.D. in genetics and formerly worked for the USDA's salmon selective breeding program in the U.S. state of Maine.
According to a CAT release about news, his work with the program focused on “cryopreservation, trait optimization, and genetic diversity to improve breeding efficiency and sustainability.
“I wanted to move from academic theory to real-world impact," May said. "CAT offered the opportunity to work across species, solve complex problems, and help clients make meaningful genetic gains.”
CAT's VP of Genetic Improvement Klara Verbyla said that May’s appointment “strengthens our support for clients across North America.
"His diverse experience enhances our ability to apply advanced genetic tools in practical settings, delivering real value to our clients,” she said.
“Genetics is one of the most powerful tools the industry has to tackle challenges like disease resistance, growth, and sustainability,” May said of his new role helping clients across the U.S. and Canada improve their genetics programs. “By applying the right tools, we help producers raise healthier, more efficient fish that meet evolving market demands.”
