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].
– Dania Beach, Florida, U.S.A.-based seafood producer Tristan International announced Ethan Gerber as the new national account manager, targeting growth while doubling storage and processing capacity in Florida.
Gerber has spent more than 20 years in the seafood sales industry. He’s worked in sales positions for Hygrade Ocean Products, Mar-Lees Seafood, Slade Gorton & Company, Lunds Fisheries, Stavis Seafoods, and Whitecap Seafood USA, starting in 2006. In these roles, Tristan International said he’s developed a “strong track record of building national accounts, expanding market share, and strengthening customer relationships." At Tristan International, the company said he will be pivotal in advancing strategy and expansion in key U.S. markets.
“We are excited to welcome Ethan to the Tristan team,” Tristan International President Jayson Gauthier said in a release. “He is joining us at a time where we are in a significant growth period at our company. His experience and industry knowledge make him an ideal fit to help us capitalize on new opportunities that we will be announcing soon.”
Tristan International specializes in “ultra low temperature ahi tuna products,” according to a release.
– Elspeth Macdonald is retiring as chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) in March 2027, which will equate about 8 years leading.
As chief executive, Macdonald worked through several challenges, such as the U.K.’s departure from the E.U., multiple negotiations and implementations of new fisheries management arrangements, the COVID-19 pandemic, and differing environmental policies, SFF said in a release. Additionally, she helped lead a campaign against plans by the Scottish Government to introduce Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) that would have prohibited fishing.
"It has been a tremendous privilege to serve Scotland's fishing industry and to work on behalf of the fishermen, families and communities that depend upon it,” Macdonald said. "While there is still much work to be done before I retire, I believe the time is right to begin planning for the future and for a new chief executive to lead the organization on to its next chapter.”
SFF is beginning a recruitment process to replace Macdonald and will announce additional details once available.
“Elspeth has been an exceptional leader for the Scottish Fishermen's Federation and a tireless and articulate advocate for Scotland's fishermen,” SFF President Hannah Fennell said. "She has guided the organization through some of the most significant events and challenges in the history of our industry. Her ability to combine strategic thinking, detailed policy expertise and effective advocacy has ensured that the voice of Scottish fishermen has been heard at the highest levels of government both at home and abroad.”
– U.K.-based Grimsby Fish Dock Enterprises (GFDE) appointed David Flear as the new vice chair, replacing Simon Dwyer who was promoted to chair.
David Flear’s father, Frank Flear OBE, was the first chair of GFDE in the 1990s
“I represent continuity and complete impartiality,” David Flear said in a release. “Every one of us on the board has the company’s best interests at heart, but as a private individual with no other involvements or conflicting interests, I am purely there for GFDE. I remember coming on the fish docks as a very young boy, it was very much part of my life when I was growing up.”
David Flear worked for two of his father’s fish processing companies, including Danbury, Connecticut, U.S.A.-based BlueCrest and Iceland-based Seachill, which was bought by Hilton Food Group in 2017.
