The board of Directors in SalMar ASA has appointed Linda Litlekalsøy Aase as the new CEO of the company. She takes over the position after Gustav Witzøe, who founded SalMar in 1991, 31 years ago, has said he is willing to be nominated to the company's board. Aase is the first woman top manager in the salmon producer company. It's expected that she takes up the position no later than 1 June 2022.
In statements accompanying the announcement made by the company, the new CEO said: "I am humble and have enormous respect for the fantastic job Gustav Witzøe and his 1,800 skilled employees do, and I look forward to leading the SalMar team further".
Leif Inge Nordhammer, Chairman of the Board in SalMar, has highlighted the work of the former CEO "for his enormous, unique, and tireless efforts for SalMar through 31 years". "Without Gustav's extensive knowledge and innovative power, SalMar would not have been the company it is today. SalMar will continue to use Gustav's experience and expertise, and he will, among other things, actively contribute in the NTS process", he has said.
Witzøe, for his part, has said he is proud of what SalMar has become. "We are a unique team of skilled employees in all parts of the company. We have important partners among the owners, in the private business sector, in academia and among the authorities who share our ambitions for the Norwegian aquaculture industry. I am looking forward to everything we will continue to create, and I'm glad that Linda has taken on the task as team captain", he has stated.
Linda Litlekalsøy Aase has a Master of Science degree in materials technology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), and she has studied business economics and management at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH). She comes from the position of Executive Vice President and responsible for the business area Electrification, maintenance and modifications in Aker Solutions, where she started in 2014 and has held various management positions, and before that was at Rolls-Royce Marine. She has been also a board member of SalMar ASA since June 2020.
The Chairman of the Board in SalMar has emphasized the new CEO's over 20 years of experience from industries other than aquaculture as particularly relevant. "SalMar has developed a strong operational organization with a focus on biology and cost efficiency throughout the value chain, and we intend to develop this further with Linda at the helm. Linda's experience from other industries will also be very relevant for the further development of SalMar", Leif Inge Nordhammer has said.
