New GSA Board member, Cooke's Michael Szemerda, has extensive experience in aquaculture around the globe.
Photo: Cooke.
The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) announced the appointment of Michael Szemerda and Trin Tapanya to its Board of Directors. The trade association said these two additions underscore GSA's commitment to fostering leadership representing the global seafood community.
In the case of Szemerda, Global Chief Sustainability Officer at Cooke Inc., he has more than 30 years of experience with the Canadian family-owned company, including his previous position as Vice President of Saltwater Operations for Cooke Aquaculture's North American operations. There, the GSA release noted, he demonstrated exceptional leadership in promoting responsible seafood practices.
In his current position, Michael Szemerda oversees environmental programs, regulatory compliance, industry certifications, and sustainability initiatives in Cooke's global wild and farmed seafood operations.
Along with him, the Global Seafood Alliance also welcomed Trin Tapanya, Senior Vice President of Operations at Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods / Thai Union Group. Of Tapanya, GSA said he brings diverse experience spanning the seafood business, supply-chain management, food service, and restaurant industries.
After the appointment of its new Board members, the nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices said their extensive experience and commitment to the seafood industry will guide the GSA as it continues to promote responsibility and innovation in global seafood production.
"We are thrilled to welcome Michael and Trin to our Board of Directors," stated Mike Kocsis, CEO of GSA, who, as WeAreAquaculture reported, came to the position just over a year ago. "Their diverse perspectives and deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the seafood industry will be instrumental in helping us achieve our mission of advancing responsible seafood practices worldwide."
The GSA concluded its release on the appointment of Szemerda and Tapanya by remarking that their contributions are expected to support the organization's initiatives to drive innovation, promote best practices, and ensure a sustainable future for the industry.
The appointment of an expert in salmon farming and an expert in operations - ranging from supply-chain management to the restaurant industries - reinforces the Global Seafood Alliance's line of work, which seeks to bring its certification of responsible practices in the seafood industry not only to the catch or aquaculture production but to the entire value chain, including processing, and marketing at all levels.
In that effort, GSA unveiled its updated standard for seafood processing last November and launched its new traceability platform 'Prism' in partnership with Wholechain in December. Shortly before that, in September, its 2023 Annual Report highlighted that, at the end of the period, nearly 4,000 facilities were BAP-certified, a figure already surpassed at the time of reporting.
