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].
- Ocean Outcomes (O2), a Portland, Oregon, U.S.A.-based nonprofit, appointed Kelly Harrell as its executive director effective 1 March.
“We could not be more excited that Kelly will be leading O2 as our next Executive Director,” Ocean Outcomes Board Chair Gael Almeida said in a release. “Her experience and knowledge align well with the vision, goals, and different projects of O2, and we are sure she will contribute immensely to continuing the growth ... of the organization.”
Harrell brings a background in fisheries, seafood supply chains, seafood quality, and market opportunities to her new role. She previously was the executive director for the Alaska Marine Conservation Council, the director of fisheries and coastal communities at Ecotrust, and chief fisheries and sustainability officer at Sitka Seafood Market, formerly known as Sitka Salmon Shares.
“My career has provided me with diverse experience in fisheries and seafood supply chains – from fisheries monitoring to seafood quality, working waterfront infrastructure, ecosystem impacts, fisheries access, market opportunities, and beyond … I am looking forward to applying this experience and lessons learned from working in fisheries in Alaska and [other spots in] North America to the global geographies in which O2 is active,” Harrell said. “O2 has an outstanding team, committed partners, a compelling programmatic portfolio, strong values, and a robust organizational foundation on which to build. It will be my distinct honor to leverage the incredible work to date and help chart the future course for impact as the next Executive Director at O2.”
- Matthew Simpson has left his position as the vice president of business development and international sales at the Mazzetta Company. Simpson joined the company in November 2015 as its senior executive of national sales and operations, according to his LinkedIn.
“I am so grateful for the last (almost) 10 years in my role. After 20+ years in operations, buying, supply chain, and leadership, I moved into sales with Mazz. I never expected myself to enjoy the role as much as I did, but in the end, it came down to loving what I do, fearlessly supporting my relationships, and working as hard as I could to leave a light footprint,” Simpson wrote on LinkedIn. “To my colleagues, I am deeply grateful for the memories, and to my customer relationships, there are no words for how grateful I am for the chance you took on me.”
Before joining the Mazzetta Company, Simpson worked for Slade Gorton as its executive vice president of global supply chain and procurement.
- Singapore-based Barramundi Group announced the resignation of Edward Averrill Ng Yong Sheng and Lai Nge Kong from its board of directors.
The resignation follows the company’s significant financial struggles and the appointment of its new CFO in August 2023 after incumbent group CFO Helen Chow and CFO-designate Jessie Lai both stepped down from their roles. Vanessa Tan, who joined Barramundi Group in July 2020 after working for eight years in auditing and assurance at Deloitte and Touche, took over as group CFO.
- Maracaibo, Venezuela-based shrimp producer Grupo Lamar appointed Juan Fernando Gomez-Behr as its director. Gomez-Behr previously worked at Ecuador-based shrimp processor Expalsa Exportadora as its commercial director.
According to his LinkedIn, Gomez-Behr began the role in October 2023 after working for Expalsa for just over 15 years.
“This last week of work in the company that has given me everything I am starts with nostalgia," Gomez-Behr wrote on LinkedIn after leaving Expalsa. "After 15 years, it is time for the final sprint to cross the finish line with a mixture of emotions: On the one hand, [I have] a lot of nostalgia because I will not see so many people on a daily basis who have become the closest thing to the concept of family that I will always carry in my mind and heart, and I also have infinite gratitude for so many joys, challenges, and experiences that will always be part of who I am."
Photo courtesy of Kelly Harrell/LinkedIn
