Bluegreen CEO Stian Johnsen
Photo: Bluegreen
Closed containment aquaculture technology firm Bluegreen has confirmed that new CEO Stian Johnsen has now taken office, following his appointment late last year.
In an announcement on the company's website, Bluegreen said Johnsen had joined with the "clear ambition... to take the company from development and individual projects to full industrialization and scaling."
The company is preparing to scale up production of the Marine Donut, which it describes as the world’s largest floating closed containment fish farming structure, which Bluegreen has spent several years developing and testing. According to the firm, two generations of salmon have been produced in the system so far, totalling nearly 2,000 tonnes, without the use of lice treatments and with low mortality.
Bluegreen also said the technology has received approval for production in Norway’s so-called "red zones" under its traffic light production system, after the government brought in new legislation incentivising the use of closed containment aquaculture technology in these areas last year.
“It’s very exciting. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. We are in an incredibly interesting phase,” Johnsen said.
“We have technology that delivers. We now have political framework conditions that support us. And we are receiving positive signals from the market. Everything is in place,” he added.
The leadership transition has been planned alongside company founder Nils-Johan Tufte, who remains chairman, main shareholder and group CEO. Tufte will focus on market development and partnerships while Johnsen leads the company’s day-to-day operations.
“Nils-Johan and I share the same vision for the company and what it takes to succeed. We may have slightly different approaches, but we complement each other well,” Johnsen said.
Regine Obrestad Kverme, project manager at Bluegreen.
Photo: Bluegreen
Bluegreen has also announced the appointment of Regine Obrestad Kverme as project manager. She previously worked at engineering firm Seabrokers Fundamentering, including eight years as a project manager there.
“It’s a cool industry and an exciting company on the rise. It’s especially inspiring that it’s a local company investing heavily - both nationally and internationally. Bluegreen really pushes forward - it’s genuinely exciting to be part of it,” she said.
The company recently announced it is working with SalMar to move the Marine Donut out of its development phase and into full commercial use, with the facility now being reconfigured for post-smolt production.
