Aker BioMarine strengthens QRILL Aqua sales team with two new talents for its Norway-based team

Aker BioMarine has reported its decision to establish a team that will work closely with the fish farming industry in order to find tailor made solutions for each customer. The team will be led by Maja Bævre-Jensen who takes the role as Business Development Director, and Karen Kirstine Østerhus, who is appointed as Business Development Manager. Both, Bævre-Jensen and Østerhus, assumed their new roles on last September 1.

This decision has to do with the fact of the supply of sustainable and nutritious ingredients for fish feed is essential for further growth of the Norwegian salmon industry, and Aker BioMarine believes that QRILL Aqua can be part of the solution.

“We are only at the beginning of uncovering the full potential of QRILL Aqua for salmon in Norway and our competent people are key in helping our customers and stakeholders learn more about the health benefits of Antarctic krill,” said Sigve Nordrum, EVP Animal Health & Nutrition, Aker BioMarine.

“Maja and Karen both possess solid aquaculture industry knowledge and a passion for exploring new and future looking solutions for the Norwegian Industry. Strengthening this team is an important part of our increasing involvement with the Aqua Industry in Norway,” he added.

Bringing new ideas

Maja Bævre-Jensen has spent the past five years of her career working with the Norwegian Seafood Research Fund. With two decades of aquaculture experience, she has spent her career exploring new solutions for both Norwegian and global fish farming.

She holds a master’s degree in Aqua Medicine from the Norwegian Arctic University, with a specialization in sea lice.

She sees Aker BioMarine “as a place where everyone is encouraged to bring new ideas to life. I’m a strong believer in the power and potential of QRILL Aqua as an ingredient, and I’m excited to explore and develop new business opportunities in order to help fish farmers reach their goals, alongside this talented team,” she says.

Self-proclaimed fish nerd

In the other hand, Karen Kirstine Østerhus previously worked at STIM, where she gained experience with bacteriophages, feed and other fish health-related products. In her most recent role, she focused on fish ready to be harvested, and collaborated with farmers throughout Norway.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Aquaculture Management from Nord University and is halfway through a master’s degree in Sustainable Aquaculture from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

“I’m excited for the possibility to contribute to improve fish health and the sustainability of the industry. With a lot of passion for the industry and as a self-proclaimed fish nerd, the opportunity of becoming a part of Aker BioMarine as such an innovative and forward-looking company, is a dream come true,” says Østerhus.

Improves fish health and performance

According with Aker BioMarine, QRILL Aqua’s key market differentiator is that it improves fish health and performance. In aqua diets, QRILL Aqua functions as a feeding stimulant leading to increased feed uptake and enhanced growth.

QRILL Aqua improves growth performance, health, fillet quality and stress and disease resistance of fish. Aker BioMarine is a biotech innovator and Antarctic krill-harvesting company, dedicated to improving human and planetary health.

Listed on Oslo Stock Exchange, the company develops krill-based ingredients for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical (Superba, NKO and K·REAL), aquaculture (QRILL Aqua), and animal feed applications (QRILL Pet), including INVI, a highly concentrated protein isolate, and LYSOVETA, a targeted transporter of EPA and DHA from krill.

Aker BioMarine’s fully transparent value chain stretches from sustainable krill harvesting in pristine Antarctic waters through its Montevideo logistics hub, Houston production plant, and to customers around the world.

The company’s strong focus on sustainability inspired the launch of AION by Aker BioMarine, a circularity company dedicated to helping companies to recycle and reuse waste.