OBI Seafoods replaces CEO, CFO, as Mark Palmer and Tony Ross retire

Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based OBI Seafoods has replaced its CEO and chief financial officer.

OBI Seafoods announced the December 2023 retirement of Mark Palmer and CFO Tony Ross, and the promotion of John Hanrahan to the CEO position and Monica Hollenback as CFO.

The company said the moves come “as part of the company’s growth and succession plan.”

“We were fortunate for many years to have Mark and Tony as part of our executive team at OBI and the board thanks them for their decades of commitment,” OBI Board Co-Chairs Len Stewart and Robin Samuelson said. “We have full confidence that John and Monica will continue the OBI legacy as a leading producer of fresh, frozen, and canned Alaska seafood.”

OBI Seafoods was formed in 2020 through a merger with Ocean Beauty Seafoods and Icicle Seafoods. It operates 10 processing plants in the U.S. state of Alaska producing fresh, frozen, and canned Alaska seafood, with a focus on salmon and groundfish.

Hanrahan started working at Ocean Beauty Seafoods in 1987 as a staff accountant, and since then has served in numerous operational and business development roles, including chief operating officer beginning in 2007 and as OBI Seafood’s COO responsible for sales and operations in 2020.

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead the talented team at OBI, and to continue to work with our partner fishermen, customers, vendors, and all the communities where OBI does business,” Hanrahan said. “Although the industry has faced significant challenges in recent years, I am confident that we are well positioned to succeed into the future.”

Hollenback started at Ocean Beauty in 1993 and has worked in numerous accounting and finance roles, most recently as OBI Seafood’s controller. She helped lead the merging of accounting systems during OBI Seafoods’ creation, and has experience with mergers and acquisitions and managing banking and financial relationships, according to the company.

“I am thrilled to bring my passion and knowledge of the seafood industry to the chief financial officer role,” Hollenback said. “I am profoundly grateful for the support of the exceptional team at OBI, whose dedication and collaboration have been instrumental in my success.”

Palmer departs OBI after 40 years with the company, beginning as a truck driver for Ocean Beauty and working his way up to the CEO position in 2007. He took over as OBI Seafoods CEO in 2020 with the merger of Ocean Beauty and Icicle Seafoods.

“I am fortunate to have worked in such an interesting and dynamic industry for my entire career,” Palmer said. “I have traveled to many places around the world and met so many wonderful people, but none better than my coworkers in every part of the company. These are the people who have taught me how to do my job and have been gracious with their time and patience while I worked through it all; and to them I am forever grateful. This company has a great ownership team that supports the business, the management team and all our people. Under John Hanrahan’s leadership as CEO, we have a bright future ahead.”

Ross began started his career in the seafood industry in 1988 at Booth Fisheries, which was soon after purchased by Ocean Beauty. He became the company’s controller of distribution, then held various financial roles at Ocean Beauty, finally being named CFO in 2007. Over his tenure, he managed the mergers of Circle Sea, Landlock Seafoods, and the Ocean Beauty-Icicle merger, according to the company. He became OBI Seafoods’ CEO upon the company’s formation in 2020 .

“I have really enjoyed working with Mark Palmer and John Hanrahan and the employees of Ocean Beauty and OBI,” Ross said. “We have built a group of people that feel like family. I am very proud of what we have built and the people who helped to make it happen.”

Photo courtesy of OBI Seafoods