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].
– Anchorage, Alaska-based nonprofit organization Coastal Villages Region Fund (CVRF) tapped Cathy DuPuis to lead pollock sales, where she will be in charge of managing relationships with existing customers and looking for new customers and market sales opportunities as director.
“I’m incredibly excited to join Coastal Villages Region Fund,” DuPuis said in a release by CVRF. “In a lot of ways, this opportunity brings me back to where I started in the seafood industry, but I’m coming back with a toolkit that has been expanded and sharpened over the last 25 years. I’m looking forward to putting that experience to work for CVRF and the people of western Alaska.”
As director of pollock sales, DuPuis will focus on expanding CVRF’s reach through its 20 member communities by bringing greater value to seafood products and finding additional connections for members to existing resources. Her prior career experience includes 26 years at Seattle, Washington-based American Seafoods where she served in multiple sales roles, then as product marketing manager, then director. She then moved to Clackamas, Oregon-based Pacific Seafood as senior category manager before joining CVRF in August 2026.
“I’ve known Cathy for 25 years, and she is well known throughout the seafood industry for her intelligence, strong customer relationships and understanding of operations,” CVRF Bering Sea Operations Manager Mike Coleman said in the release. “She knows the business and understands what customers need and is an effective negotiator. That combination of industry knowledge and customer focus will be a tremendous asset to Coastal Villages Region Fund.”
At American Seafoods, who worked with CVRF, she specialized in processing platforms and sold products from vessels that later joined CVRF’s fleet.
“In a lot of ways, this opportunity brings me back to where I started in the seafood industry, but I’m coming back with a toolkit that has been expanded and sharpened over the last 25 years,” DuPuis said in the release. “I’m looking forward to putting that experience to work for CVRF and the people of western Alaska.”
– Kats, Netherlands-based The Kingfish Company announced changes to the company’s Supervisory Board which took place during the annual meeting.
Arni Oddur Thodarson is the new chairman after joining the board in June. He replaces former chair Jeroen Scheelbeek, who held the position since 2022.
“Jeroen has played an important role in our journey and has made a significant contribution to the Company’s development and growth and we are grateful for his commitment, guidance, and support over the years,” The Kingfish Company said on LinkedIn.
Veteran Spanish aquaculture and seafood industry executive Marta Rojo Alonso also joined The Kingfish Company Supervisory Board alongside Thodarson. Alonso has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, and currently serves as a board member for Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland-based salmon farmer LAXEY and as a non-executive board member for Miami, Floridia-based salmon producer Atlantic Sapphire.
Current board members Hans Den Bieman, Xavier Govare, and Noam Kleinfeld are continuing roles on the Supervisory Board.
“Together, the Board brings a strong combination of experience, continuity, and fresh perspectives,” the company said on LinkedIn.
– Pacific Seafood hired Natalie Kayton as the new national sales account manager.
Kayton previously worked as a sales manager for Atlantic Aqua Farms for just under two years, selling East Coast oysters, mussels, and clams to wholesale partners and restaurants.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and the people I met while at Atlantic Aqua Farms Ltd,” Kayton wrote on LinkedIn. “I’m looking forward to carrying everything I’ve learned into this next role, and a big thank you to the awesome colleagues and customers along the way.”
She also spent 3 and a half years based in Denver, Colorado at Seattle Fish Company and Lombardi Brothers Meats in sales, purchasing, and marketing.
– Washington D.C., U.S.A.-based environmental advocacy organization Sea Pact hired Madison Sears as the program associate to merge sustainable seafood with science communication operations.
“A dream role combining my passions for sustainable seafood and science communication - can't wait to join the team and get to work,” Sears said on LinkedIn.
She’s held several environmental and marine conservation internships – at organizations such as The Nature Conservancy and the Sensible Seafood Team – before earning a post-graduate degree at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
