She started her seafood career in 1997 at H&N Group and has been central to its progression from a regional wholesaler in San Francisco, CA, to a national importer and distributor of fresh and frozen seafood.
Ngo is a graduate of the University of San Francisco with a BA Degree in Business.
IntraFish: How did you begin working in the seafood industry?
Christine Ngo: My father started H&N in 1981 and I spent my summers working here and there but never gave attention to what he was truly building. After I graduated college my desire was to get into interior design or the arts but my mother gave me a hard talk about how fortunate and lucky I am to be the first one to go to college and that all my schooling should be directed to helping out the family business. My family sacrificed a lot to get us to America and so it was only right for me to take on the challenge even if my heart was in a different place at that time.
IF: What attracted you about the seafood industry?
CN: Travels around the United States and other parts of the globe to see suppliers -- how they catch, raise, process, and develop product is what truly attracts me about seafood.
IF: What obstacles have you faced in your career a man might not have encountered?
CN: I faced obstacles, however, I learned early on to join the boys club and to not neglect it.
IF: Would you encourage other women to seek a career in this industry? Why?
CN: Yes, because if you are a foodie and love to travel like I do, seafood gives you the open forum into a protein unlike the others. There are so many species and to see them play out from catch to plate can be pretty amazing.
IF: What advice would you give aspiring female seafood executives?
CN: Dive in and learn everything you can. This business doesn't teach you to sit back and watch. And most importantly LEAD with strength and integrity.
IF: What are the biggest challenges facing female seafood executives in the industry?
CN: The ratio of men and women in the seafood business, and the lack of credit and recognition they deserve, not just on the executive level but on all levels.
IF: How can the industry recruit more women into the sector?
CN: Through outreach to other food associations and/or network groups of retail and foodservice and highlight seafood as a growing industry. But also highlight stories of women who represent areas of logistics, sales, operations, and so on. Basically women who are the core of a company’s success.
IF: Why are there so few women in executive roles in seafood?
CN: Because the industry is still perceived as a 'fishing Industry' and not as a 'food or protein' commodity.
IF: If there were one thing you could change about the industry to make it a better place for women workers, what would it be?
CN: The pay scale.
