Icelandic salmon farmer Ice Fish Farm has replaced its CEO.
Grieg Seafood's North America COO Roy-Tore Rikardsen will replace Gudmundur Gislason, who has led the company since its formation in 2012, and announced his resignation in September last year.
Rikardsen has been Grieg's COO for farming in North America since May 2020, before which he spent six years as the group's regional director in Finnmark, northern Norway, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He has worked in the salmon farming industry for more than 20 years in both Norway and Canada and will now move to the east coast of Iceland.
“Icelandic salmon farming is still in an entrepreneurial phase and key to success is excellent operations based on good animal welfare and safety for environment as well as for our dedicated employees," said Ice Fish Farm Chairman Asle Ronning in a statement to the Norway Stock Exchange Sunday.
Gislason will stay on at the company to focus on developing its sales strategy.
"Being CEO for Ice Fish has been an incredible journey together with great colleagues in high growth rate and the establishment of a new and sustainable industry in Iceland over the past 12 years," said Gislason in September.
Ice Fish Farm is one of three Icelandic salmon farms and the only one located in the northeast the country. The Norwegian family behind one of Norway's biggest privately-owned salmon producers, Masoval, is the main owner.
Ice Fish Farm suffered an infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) outbreak last year, which resulted in a drop in revenue and harvests during the third quarter of the year while it rebuilt its biomass.
It resumed harvest in September, following the disease outbreak, harvesting a total of 193 metric tons during the quarter, compared to 1,946 metric tons during the same period last year.
"The harvest was delayed this year in order to build up the biomass following the ISA outbreak last year, Ice Fish Farm CEO Gudmundur Gislason told IntraFish in November.
"Going forward we can expect a normal, more steady harvest cycle," he said.
