Nordic Aqua Partners today announced the appointment of Andreas Thorud as the new Managing Director for its overall operational activities in China. Until now – and still in the coming months as he has to complete his notice period – he held the position of Director of the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) in the Asian country. His future company has emphasized that, after a 17-year career in China, its new signing has a wealth of experience and a deep understanding of the Chinese business landscape and the salmon market.
"We are thrilled to welcome Andreas Thorud to the Nordic Aqua Partners team," said CEO Ragnar Joenson. "He possesses a profound knowledge of the salmon market, Chinese consumer behavior, working closely with Chinese Governmental Organisations and long-term industry trends."
"His extensive background in the Chinese seafood industry, coupled with his fluency in the language, Mr. Thorud will be an all-important resource in driving Nordic Aqua Partners' growth and success in this dynamic and strategically important market," he added.
Prior to his current position as Director of the Norwegian Seafood Council in China, Andreas Thorud spent a decade overseeing Aker BioMarine's operations in China and other key Asian markets, further consolidating his reputation as an experienced professional not only in the industry but also in Chinese culture and business life.
To his valuable knowledge of the Chinese seafood market and the local consumer market, the future Managing Director of Nordic Aqua Partners adds an academic background that includes studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and [BI/NMH] in Oslo.
Thorud will take over as Managing Director of Nordic Aqua Partners in China in the coming months when the notice period of his current position expires. From then on, he will report directly to CEO Ragnar Joensen, who is counting on the experience of his new recruit to achieve its ambitious goals in the Asian country.
"In addition to collaborating closely with Andreas and the rest of the team on developing the salmon production site in Ningbo, China, I will focus particularly on advancing Nordic Aqua's ambitious growth plans, with a specific goal of reaching 20,000 tonnes and exploring opportunities to expand to 50,000 tonnes," Ragnar Joenson stated.
Coinciding with the announcement of Nordic Aqua Partners, the Norwegian Seafood Council has also made a statement regarding the resignation of its current Director in China. In it, the NSC has thanked him for his work, but remarked that, since Andreas Thorud will be joining a competing company, the Norwegian public company has implemented some necessary measures "to protect the operations of the Seafood Council and the interests of the seafood industry in China."
"Among other things, Thorud's collaboration and communication with the local Chinese value chain and Norwegian exporters during the notice period will be limited to a degree that both preserves the interests and network of the Seafood Council and simultaneously ensures the majority of planned activities moving forward are conducted," NSC reported. Communication with the local value chain will be handled by the rest of the team in China with support from the head office in Tromsø, and communication and collaboration with Norwegian exporters will be handled by the head office in consultation with Thorud.
Nordic Aqua Partners is a Nordic land-based salmon farming company using cutting-edge Nordic technology and know-how to create the first fully integrated, commercial-scale RAS Atlantic salmon farm in China. The RAS fish farm is located on Gaotang Island in Xiangshan County of Ningbo Municipality, providing excellent logistics to Greater Shanghai and the rest of China. The site has the potential to accommodate an annual production capacity of 16,000 tons, with an option to expand to an annual capacity of 40,000 tons.
