The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Center (SAIC) has announced the upcoming departure of Director of Innovation and Engagement, Sarah Riddle, and the arrival of Ed Ley-Wilson. These changes, as explained by the company, coincide with a new phase of its development.
After more than three years at SAIC, Sarah has decided to focus more on her family business, Northern Light Consulting. She continued as the director of the consultancy in addition to her part-time position at SAIC after joining the innovation center in May 2020.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with SAIC, but it was proving increasingly difficult to combine it with the success of Northern Light, which requires more of my energy to continue to grow," said Sarah. "Having completed what I set out to at SAIC, the time felt right to take on the next challenge. I will no doubt continue to work with the SAIC team and look forward to seeing the innovation centre develop in the years ahead."
However, her years as director have paved a prosperous path for the innovation center. Among them, a consortium of members surpassed 340 organizations, 100 R&D projects were funded, and they achieved a third-party funding GDP of 4.67 for every GDP 1 of their own investment.
Heather Jones, SAIC's executive director, had parting words wishing Sarah all the best in her new adventures and thanking her for her work. "In 2020, we decided to redefine SAIC's role and mission to achieve specific goals. Sarah joined us to help with that process and has been a huge part of successfully delivering on the aims we set out at that point. While we are sorry to see her go, Sarah has achieved everything we had hoped for and more, and we wish her all the best with her future endeavours."
Now, Ed Ley-Wilson will assume the Director of Innovation and Business Development position. The next step of SAIC looks towards its third phase.
"It is a very exciting time to join SAIC," said Ley-Wilson. "The need for innovation has never been stronger, with the aquaculture sector poised for sustainable growth. Carbon mitigation, fish health and welfare, farming technologies, and feed sustainability are just some of the areas of focus I look forward to working on, building on the great work Sarah and her team have been delivering."
Ley-Wilson has recently served as the Head of Aquaculture at Aquascot, a Scottish salmon product provider. Nevertheless, he has 16 years of experience in salmon farming, food processing, and retail engagement. Additionally, Ed has collaborated with universities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the aquaculture supply chain, regulators, and industry leadership groups. Notable on his resume in terms of innovation is his expertise in fish welfare and feeding alternatives, as well as sustainability and community impact.
Jones also had a few words for the new addition, which is certain to enhance the company's innovation efforts. "Ed will be an excellent addition to the SAIC team, providing a great deal of continuity with his breadth and depth of experience. He also brings with him the background and skills we need as we prepare to enter a new phase for the innovation center with a new focus and plans to further develop our services."
SAIC's mission is to reduce the environmental footprint and increase the economic impact of aquaculture through excellence in innovation. The Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Center invests in collaborative research projects in the areas of fish health and welfare, nutrition, seafood production, capacity, and the environment. One example is the IMPACT project that could quadruple Scottish aquaculture production. SAIC also supports Masters and Ph.D. studentships, internships and training programs to help grow the industry's talent pool.
