Publix promotes Kevin Murphy to CEO; Guðmundur Gíslason stepping down as Ice Fish Farms CEO

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].

-Seltjarnarnes, Iceland-based salmon-farming company Ice Fish Farms announced Guðmundur Gíslason (pictured) has stepped down as CEO to focus on the company’s sales strategy development. 

“Gíslason has headed the company from its early stages and through a period of strong growth, and the board of directors are very thankful for his invaluable contribution,” the company said in its Q3 2023 results statement. 

Gíslason will remain CEO until the company finds a replacement.

- Lakeland, Florida U.S.A.-based supermarket chain Publix has made a switch in its executive leadership, moving CEO Todd Jones to the executive chairman position and promoting its president, Kevin Murphy, to the CEO position, effective 1 January 2024. Publix also promoted its senior vice president of retail operations, John Coff, to the president position.

“We are delighted to have leaders with the experience of Kevin and John who are ready to take the next steps in their careers,” Jones said in a release. “I am confident in their ability to lead our company into the future and to continue to make Publix a great place to shop for our customers and a great place to work for our associates.”

- London, England-based grocery chain Sainsbury’s has appointed Andy Hickman as its head of human rights. Hickman will be working within a team to implement human rights elements of Plan for Better across Sainbury’s, Argos, Tu, and Habitat businesses, he said. 

Hickman has been the head of Seafood Ethics Action (SEA) Alliance since January 2022, and previously worked as head of human rights at Tesco.

“I am looking forward to continuing to engage with the Seafood Ethics Action (SEA) Alliance under their new leadership, and to continuing to work with colleagues from across the food industry and civil society to confront the many challenges that workers and communities face across global supply chains,” Hickman said on LinkedIn. 

Photo courtesy of Guðmundur Gíslason/LinkedIn