Cermaq Norway has revealed that Knut Ellekjær has decided to leave the company and that Kristin Hurum will take over the management of the company in the northern country. Kristin Hurum (56) has a degree in Business Organization and has worked in banking and consultancy before joining Cermaq. Currently HR, Quality and Sustainability Director, she has worked at Cermaq for 14 years, first as Sustainability Director at Cermaq Group, before moving to Cermaq Norway and her current position in 2014.
“After 8 years, it is the right time to pass the baton on. It has been fantastic years in a strong, committed and competent organization, with major investments, and doubling of volume and turnover with a clearer responsible profile”, says Knut Ellekjær. The last day of Ellekjær in Cermaq Norway will be 31 May.
“We have designed and are now launching a new strategy for the coming years, and it is natural that this will be continued with a new leader, while at the same time it gives me an opportunity to look at completely different opportunities in the last part of my working life. The fact that Kristin Hurum – one of our own ranks – has been chosen to take over the role is something I am very proud of,” said Ellekjær.
Hurum is currently the Director of HR, Quality and Sustainability, and has worked at Cermaq for 14 years, first as Sustainability Manager at Cermaq Group, before moving to Cermaq Norway and her current position in 2014.
“I am very happy and honored to get the opportunity to lead Cermaq Norway. The reason I have accepted is that we have a very strong team with incredibly talented people. People are important – they are the ones who create the results. We have set ourselves exciting goals, and a strategy with full emphasis on fish welfare and people, and I am looking forward to getting started on this work,” said for her part Kristin Hurum.
CEO of Cermaq Group, Steven Rafferty, is pleased to have found the right candidate to take over from Knut Ellekjær internally.
“Knut Ellekjær has done a brilliant job at Cermaq Norway, and leaves behind a company that is very well equipped for further growth and development. I have great faith that Kristin Hurum, with her expertise and solid background, alongside a strong management team, will take Cermaq Norway forward in a very good way,” says Steven Rafferty.
News from iFarm Project
In the other hand, the Directorate of Fisheries of Norway approved the conversion of iFarm development permits to ordinary food fish permits. They decided that the iFarm project of Cermaq and partner BioSort has met all the measurement criteria for the allocated development permits.
This means that the four licenses can now be converted to ordinary fish farming licenses. The goal of the iFarm project was to develop individual-based farming technology for better control of fish health and welfare, while reducing environmental impact.
“We are proud that the Directorate of Fisheries recognizes the project and the potential of the technology that we have developed together with our partner BioSort and many Cermaq employees. This is an important step towards creating more sustainable aquaculture with better fish welfare and environmental adaptation,” said Snorre Jonassen, Regional Director of Cermaq Nordland.
The Directorate of Fisheries considers that the project has delivered on: Developed a sensor chamber with recognition technology (machine vision) to count lice and record other parameters such as welfare indicators and growth parameters for individual fish; successfully developed individual fish recognition in the cage over time, which can be used to develop personalized health records for each individual; collected data on the fish in the cage throughout all life stages that make up a production cycle from release to slaughter; developed a prototype for a gentle sorting mechanism for fish to facilitate the sorting of individuals with predefined characteristics, as well as a solution for post-sorting infrastructure; and sustainability and future potential.
The iFarm technology has shown promising results in several production cycles and is highlighted as a solution that can strengthen the sustainability of the Norwegian aquaculture industry. As part of the conversion process, the 4 food fish licenses will be located in Nordland.
“We would also like to thank our technology partner BioSort for a good collaboration and will contribute to the further commercialization of the technology,” Jonassen concluded.
