Barramundi Group replaces CFO; Former Twitter exec joins Upside Foods

To keep up to date with the latest personnel changes across the seafood industry, SeafoodSource is compiling a regular round-up of hiring announcements and other personnel-related shifts worldwide If you have an announcement, please send it to [email protected].

 - Singapore-based Barramundi Group, which has been facing significant financial struggles, has replaced its chief financial officer. Incumbent group CFO Helen Chow and CFO-designate Jessie Lai both stepped down from their roles, the company announced 3 August. Vanessa Tan, who joined Barramundi Group in July 2020 after working for eight years in auditing and assurance at Deloitte and Touche, has taken over as group CFO.

"As the group’s previous head of finance, Vanessa has since supported business development, due diligence, and IPO-related activities," the company said. "She now oversees the group’s day-to-day financial operations and leads a 'whole-of-organization' approach to achieve business optimization and integration drive across all business units."

- Former Twitter General Counsel Sean Edgett has joined Upside Foods as its chief scientific officer. Edgett spent a decade at Twitter and has 20 years of legal experience, Upside Foods said in a release. Upside Foods is vying to become the first cell-cultivated seafood firm to offer products for sale in the U.S. market, and its cell-cultivated chicken was recently approved for sale by the U.S. government.

"Being a part of Upside Foods is an incredible opportunity to help build an innovative and sustainable food system," Edgett said. "With their historic regulatory accomplishments and exciting launches ahead, I'm excited to help navigate the complexities that come with pioneering a new industry so that we can drive our mission forward."

Upside Foods also announced Kevin Kayser has been promoted from senior vice president of research and development to chief scientific officer.

"As I reflect upon my past four years at Upside, I'm filled with gratitude for the hard work and dedication of my team," Kayser said in a release. "In a relatively short amount of time, we've achieved scientific breakthroughs that were once deemed insurmountable. As we enter our next chapter, I look forward to continuing to help drive the innovation that will progress us towards a more sustainable and equitable food system."

- On 1 August, the Global Seafood Alliance announced Steve Disko (pictured) joined the organization as a leader in market development for North America. Disko will represent the GSA Best Aquaculture Practices and Best Seafood Practices certification programs. 

Disko is a well-known industry veteran having worked as category manager at Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.-based Schnuck Markets Inc. for 13 years.

“On the retail side, GSA has always played a key role in sourcing and customer and teammate engagement. The metamorphosis to GSA is the natural progression and adds even more value,” Disko saidin a release. “I look forward to partnering with GSA and providing value to the industry.”

- Andre Gargiulo has left Sanford, New Zealand's largest seafood company, and was recently been appointed as the managing director of Auckland, New Zealand-based Griffin Snacks. According to his LinkedIn, he spent more than 7 years at Sanford. Gargiulo remains an independent director and interim chair of trade body Seafood New Zealand.

- David Bourgeois has been appointed as the newest member of the Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture Loan Board. Bourgeois has 30 years of industry experience in the marine repair sector. 

"I have had an interest in this position with the loan board for many years, and am very excited to finally be able to assume this new role and get out and see the fishermen and boat builders,” Bourgeois said in a statement on Facebook. 

Photo courtesy of Upside Foods