Johan Andreassen, CEO of Atlantic Sapphire, is stepping down from his position as CEO. Andreassen will remain in an interim CEO role through the transition phase until a permanent replacement has been selected.
“The company is going from a long entrepreneurial phase to a more mature industrial phase, and now it feels right for me to let someone else take over the CEO position who can spearhead that transition, and I will help find and onboard my successor. The time is right to start the process of moving on and devoting more of my time to other personal priorities that I’ve sacrificed over the past few years, including other companies that I am involved in,” said Andreassen.
“Being the founder of the company, having held the chairman role from inception in 2010 until last year and the CEO position since 2016, Atlantic Sapphire is and will still be my ‘baby’. I will continue to contribute to the best of my ability to ensure the Company achieves its goals. I am extremely proud of our team that has been working hard over a long period of time, and I am convinced that the Company will turn farming the most sustainable, healthy, fresh and delicious salmon in America into a profitable business,” said Andreassen.
“On behalf of the board of directors, we want to express our gratitude to Johan for his leading role in developing the company into what it is today. We understand Johan’s priorities and appreciate his continued support of the company in a different role going forward. Johan has built up a strong team that we’re confident will be instrumental in the company’s further development and growth,” said Kenneth J. Andersen, chairman of Atlantic Sapphire.
Furthermore, the company named Mario Palma as COO. He is currently the director of aquaculture engineering. In addition to eight years of RAS experience from companies such as Mowi prior to joining Atlantic Sapphire in 2017, Palma has been a part of the US project since day one and brings 14 years of technical and operational experience on how to manage the facility in a structured way as the company moves on to an industrial phase.
