Jan-Emil Johannessen, leader of Benchmark Genetics, will turn 63 in April and has decided to retire after what can be described as a lifelong commitment to the aquaculture industry. Geir Olav Melingen, who is currently the commercial director for salmon at Benchmark, will succeed Johannessen on June 1 after a transitional period.
Outgoing leader, Jan-Emil Johannessen states: "I am proud of what we have built up over the ten years I have been at Benchmark. I am also very confident that Benchmark Genetics will continue to reach new strategic milestones under the leadership of Geir Olav Melingen".
Geir Olav Melingen has extensive experience from leading roles in the aquaculture industry, including from leading commercial positions in MSD, CEO of Fishguard, and director at Akvariet in Bergen. He has extensive experience in fish health, genetics, and the salmon industry, and has a good reputation as a strong leader. Geir Olav has a PhD in fish health from the University of Bergen.
CEO of Benchmark Holdings, Trond Williksen, states:
"Under Jan-Emil Johannessen's leadership, Benchmark Genetics has become a world-leading genetics supplier in global aquaculture with a market-leading position in salmon. During his ten years at Benchmark, Jan-Emil has led the business through impressive growth. This includes the construction of our state-of-the-art land-based facility in Salten, expansion in Iceland, the establishment of operations in Chile, as well as expansion into other species such as shrimp and tilapia.
Benchmark Holdings offers products and solutions that enable aquaculture producers to improve their productivity and sustainability, helping to meet the need for sustainable aquafeed to feed a growing population. The company focuses on three complementary business areas – genetics, health and advanced nutrition – that are critical to the productivity and sustainability of aquaculture throughout the entire production cycle.