"My time at Nordic Kingfish has been truly special," said Søren Mattesen as he bid farewell in a LinkedIn post.
Søren Mattesen LinkedIn profile.
"After a meaningful and intense journey, I've decided to step down as CEO of Nordic Kingfish after careful consideration." With these words in a post on his LinkedIn profile, Søren Mattesen announced his upcoming departure from the Nordic Aquafarms subsidiary.
Mattesen, who added that, looking back, he's proud of how far they have come and of the resilience and commitment shown throughout the journey, also reported that he will remain with the company until the end of February to ensure a smooth transition.
"My time at Nordic Kingfish has been truly special. Together with an incredibly dedicated team and partners, we've built land-based yellowtail kingfish production in Denmark and Norway from the ground up," the outgoing CEO wrote.
"I'm deeply grateful for the trust, commitment, and the many lessons along the way," he continued. "To my colleagues at Nordic Kingfish: thank you for the dedication, resilience, and shared belief in what we were building. I'm proud of what we achieved together and wish you every success going forward," added Søren Mattesen as he bid farewell.
Headquartered in Norway and a leading player in the international RAS segment of fish farming, Nordic Aquafarms began its journey with salmon production, but what was Norway's first large land-based salmon facility made its last harvest in the spring of 2023. A year earlier, the company had already announced its intention to devote all its European operations to the production of yellowtail kingfish under its subsidiary Nordic Kingfish.
Currently, the company has three operational centers: a broodstock and a marine hatchery in Limfjord, Denmark, and grow-out facilities in Hanstholm, Denmark, and Fredrikstad, Norway. It also has a project underway in Humboldt, California, near the largest market for yellowtail kingfish outside of Japan.
The outgoing CEO of Nordic Kingfish—the CEO of the Nordic Aquafarms group is Charles Høstlund—said he is closing this chapter with deep gratitude and pride, taking with him the people, experiences, and lessons that have shaped him, and with genuine excitement for what lies ahead.
What awaits him starting in March is a new position as a Business Developer at AquaPri, a company with a long-standing tradition in the Danish seafood industry, for which handpicked luxury products have always been a driving force behind the family business.
AquaPri has thirteen land-based trout farms, located in Jutland, Denmark, and six sea farms, located around the islands of Zealand, Lolland, and Falster, also in Denmark. Its fish are then processed at its plant, Aqua Production, in Aarøsund, Denmark, too. In addition, from its trout, it also produces trout caviar of the highest quality.
Moreover, the company also has a top-modern, fully recirculated zander plant-currently the world's largest-located in Gamst, Vejen Municipality, Denmark. The plant is fully controlled and traceable during all phases of the zander farming and packing.
"I'm excited to join a strong and ambitious company within Nordic aquaculture and to contribute with my experience in RAS, product development, and commercial strategy," Søren Mattesen commented on his next destination.