Martine Werring-Westly, new Industry Director at Sjømat Norge

Sjømat Norge, the Norwegian Seafood Federation, has announced that Martine Werring-Westly is now its new Industry Director. The appointment is, in fact, a promotion, as, until this moment, she had been responsible for the whitefish industry within the department she will now lead.

In the statement announcing her new position, Sjømat Norge noted that Werring-Westly has worked for more than ten years with the Norwegian seafood industry's framework conditions. As mentioned above, in recent years she has served as a subject manager for the whitefish sector and for tax matters, but before that, she worked as a lawyer at the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, focusing on business and trade policy.

"She has also done an excellent job in both tax matters and in improving conditions for the fish processing industry," said Geir Ove Ystmark, CEO of Sjømat Norge, highlighting that she is a great organizational talent.

The Norwegian Seafood Federation added that, as Martine Werring-Westly now takes over the leadership of the Industry Department, responsibility for tax matters will be transferred to other employees in the organization. Likewise, it also pointed out that it is in the final stages of hiring a new subject manager with primary responsibility for the whitefish sector.

"I'm really looking forward to taking on this task together with a strong professional team," the new Industry Director at Sjømat Norge said for her part, commenting on her appointment. "I'm passionate about solid framework conditions for the fish processing industry and for a food and preparedness policy that both recognizes and facilitates the seafood sector," she added.

Within Sjømat Norge, the Industry Department is responsible for the members of the fish processing industry, special laws, and regulations in the wild fish sector. In addition, it also deals with food policy, where nutrition policy, food supply, and crisis preparedness are becoming increasingly important. Under its umbrella, there are different sector groups.

There is the whitefish, whose position she has left vacant and which, as mentioned, is in the final phase to find a replacement -; the shellfish sector and marine ingredients, headed by Kristin Alnes; the fish feed industry, whose primary responsibility is Lars Haneborg; nutrition and emissions policy head by Trude Nordli; and, finally, the pelagic industry, which as of August 15 will be the responsibility of Caroline Lunde Ellingsen.

New head also for the Pelagic Division

The new Head of the Pelagic Division at Sjømat Norge comes to her new position from the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, where, since 2010, she has held various roles, including in the fisheries negotiation section, the aquaculture section, and the seafood section within the Industrial Policy Department.

In addition, from 2015 to 2019, Ellingsen, who holds a law degree from the University of Oslo and has studied at Humboldt University of Berlin in Germany, served as Counsellor for Trade and Fisheries at the EU delegation in Brussels.

"I'm excited to take on this role and look forward to joining the team at Sjømat Norge. After many years at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, I look forward to working closely with the seafood industry, while also gaining the opportunity to see things from a new perspective," she commented on her appointment.

An enthusiasm shared by the Norwegian Seafood Federation CEO, Geir Ove Ystmark. "Caroline will strengthen the team at Sjømat Norge," he said. "We are very fortunate that such a skilled lawyer with firsthand knowledge of the seafood industry has accepted the offer. She has the expertise and experience we need now and will continue to need in the future. We are very pleased that Caroline has agreed to join Sjømat Norge."

Among other things, Caroline Lunde Ellingsen will be responsible for discussions with the Norwegian Fishermen's Sales Organization for Pelagic Fish (Sildelaget) regarding raw materials for consumption and for fishmeal and fish oil. In addition, she will also be the industry representative in the Norwegian delegation in negotiations with coastal states on blue whiting, mackerel, and Norwegian spring-spawning herring.

The reinforcement of Sjømat Norge's Industry Department with the appointments of Ellingsen and her soon-to-be boss, Werring-Westly, joins that of its Communications Department, which in late June announced the hiring of Eirik Koren as head of communications, a journalist "from outside the seafood bubble" to improve the industry's communication with the general public.