"Jack will play a key role in helping us demonstrate the biological and economic benefits our genetics deliver to customers around the world," said Benchmark Genetics Marketing Director Birgitte Sørheim.
Photo: Benchmark Genetics.
This week, Benchmark Genetics announced the appointment of Yuanhao "Jack" Li as Data Analytics & Product Performance Specialist. The former Mowi data scientist joined the company on July 1 and is part of the marketing team.
The newly created position is intended to strengthen the company's ability to document and communicate the performance of its salmon genetics portfolio. According to the aquaculture genetics firm, it reflects its growing commitment to data-driven performance documentation and creating value for the customer.
"We are delighted to welcome Jack to Benchmark Genetics. He brings a unique combination of data science expertise, salmon production knowledge and applied economics that will strengthen our capabilities across several parts of the business," said Marketing Director, Birgitte Sørheim, commenting on the appointment.
Benchmark Genetics said that Li will report to her and work across the Product Marketing, Commercial, R&D, Bioeconomics, and IT teams.
"I am excited to join Benchmark Genetics and work at the intersection of genetics, biology and data analytics," said, for his part, the new Data Analytics & Product Performance Specialist.
Jack Li holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Wyoming, an MSc in Financial Engineering from New York University and a BSc in Finance from Hebei University.
As mentioned, prior to joining Benchmark Genetics, he worked for seven years at Mowi as a Data Scientist specializing in salmon aquaculture analytics, supporting data-driven decision-making across the aquaculture giant's global salmon farming and processing operations.
Before joining the aquaculture industry, he was an Assistant Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH), where he taught Fisheries and Aquaculture Economics and Resource Economics. He currently also serves as an Adjunct Researcher at the Centre for Applied Research (SNF) at NHH.
"I enjoy translating complex data into insights that are both scientifically robust and practically useful for product strategy, customer communication and value-based discussions. I look forward to working with colleagues across the organisation to generate insights that support innovation, product development and informed decision-making for our customers," Li commented on his new role.
"Benchmark Genetics has invested heavily in genetic improvement for decades through our SalmoBreed and StofnFiskur breeding programmes. As the industry increasingly seeks documented results and measurable value, robust data analysis becomes more important than ever. Jack will play a key role in helping us demonstrate the biological and economic benefits our genetics deliver to customers around the world," Birgitte Sørheim, who is now his direct supervisor, added about Li's duties.
Since becoming an independent company as part of Novo Holdings' investment portfolio at the end of March 2025, Benchmark Genetics has seen a steady stream of appointments. As for the company's global structure, this of Yuanhao "Jack" Li is the fourth this year, following those of the new Head of Product Development in February, the new Global Commercial Director of Genetic Services in March, and the new Chief Financial Officer in April.