Cooke hires new senior VP of sales; Kees Kloet stepping down as Kingfish Co CTO

To keep up to date with movement and job shifts across the seafood industry, SeafoodSource is compiling a regular round-up of the latest industry position-shift updates.

- Kats, The Netherlands-based aquaculture company The Kingfish Company announced Kees Kloet, its co-founder and chief technology officer, will move into an advisory role. After the transition, the role of CTO will be divided among other senior managers.

“Mr. Kloet's importance for The Kingfish Company’s success cannot be overstated. We are deeply grateful for his dedication and valuable contribution throughout the years, and we are pleased he will continue to support our team as a trusted advisor," The Kingfish Company CEO Vincent Erenst said in a press release.

- Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-based Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) announced Glenn Prickett will be appointed as its new president and CEO, effective 1 September. Prickett brings more than 35 years of experience in the environmental and climate space working for NGOs and volunteer organizations. His most recent position was the president and CEO of the World Environment Center, the organization said in a press release.

“As much as I’ve learned throughout my career and hope to apply those lessons in this new role, I’m even more excited to meet and learn from the region’s scientists, state officials, and leaders in the fishing and aquaculture industries,” Prickett said. “The rest of the world has a lot to learn from the Gulf of Maine and the way the hardworking communities that surround it are tackling our biggest ocean challenges.”

- Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.-based Ocean Beauty Seafoods announced three internal promotions in its distribution group. Mike Coulston has been promoted from the company’s manager for Seattle distribution to the president and chief operating officer of Ocean Beauty Distribution. Jay Yayes has been promoted to vice president of sales after working for the company for seven years as its general manager of Ocean Beauty’s Dallas Distribution Group. And Kent Smith will move from general manager of Ocean Beauty's Boise distribution center to become vice president of operations for distribution. Smith had been with the company for 11years prior to the promotion. 

 - Bret Scholtes, the former CEO of Omega Protein, which is owned by Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada-based Cooke Inc., has been named senior vice president of sales at Cooke International. According to Scholtes’ LinkedIn, since 2021, he has served as chief operating officer for the Cooke U.S.A. division.

Photo courtesy of Gulf of Maine Research Institute