Nova Sea's CEO, Tom Eirik Aasjord, will officially leave office on April 1, 2025.
Photo: Janita Zenteno / Nova Sea.
Today, Norwegian salmon company Nova Sea announced the resignation of its CEO, Tom Eirik Aasjord, after nearly six years in the role. Part of the company since 2013, having previously served as CFO and Finance Director before becoming CEO in 2019, according to Nova Sea's release, Aasjord has been on sick leave for a period and now he is stepping down for personal reasons.
Commenting on his resignation, the outgoing CEO, who will officially leave his position on April 1, 2025, said that after over 10 years of commuting, he has come to the conclusion that this is the right time for him to step down.
"Changes rarely come at a convenient time, but we have developed Nova Sea into one of the best and most well-run aquaculture companies in the world, thanks primarily to the wonderful and talented people in the company. They remain here and will continue the work, both now and if we become part of Mowi — but that will be without me in the leadership," he stated.
"I want to emphasize that my decision is independent of the ongoing process the company is currently in," Tom Eirik Aasjord added, referring to Mowi's recent acquisition of 95% of Nova Sea's shares. "Now, I'm going to take a breather before figuring out what the next chapter will be for me."
Commenting on the resignation, Nova Sea's Chair, Aino Olaisen, said it is bittersweet to say goodbye to Aasjord. "He has been a significant and important contributor to building and shaping the Nova Sea many know today. He has been a forward-thinking and capable leader, both through storms and calm waters. There have been many tough challenges, and Tom Eirik has stood firm," she stated.
"I want to extend a big thank you to Tom Eirik for his tireless efforts and the work he has done for the company, the salmon, and our people. That commands great respect," Olaisen added while wishing him all the best in the future.
As for who will replace Aasjord at the helm of the company, the statement recalls that after Nova Sea's largest owner - Vigner Olaisen AS - announced the sale of its stake to Mowi in January this year, the transaction is still under review by the Norwegian competition authorities.
"Until any approval from the competition authorities is granted, Nova Sea will continue to operate as we always have. In the meantime, I will step in as an executive chairperson. The company has skilled leaders at all levels, and we will continue to produce the world’s finest salmon," Aino Olaisen announced.
Once a potential approval is secured, the Norwegian salmon company said, work can begin on merging Nova Sea and Mowi "to bring out the best from both companies."
Until now a family-owned company, Nova Sea is a leading producer of salmon in the Northern Norwegian production area 8, present throughout the entire value chain, from farming and smolt production to harvesting and sales. In the stock exchange announcement of the acquisition Mowi's CEO, Ivan Vindheim described it as a frontrunner in the Norwegian aquaculture industry, known for its excellent biological performance and industry-leading margins.
In fact, during the presentation of Mowi's Q4 2024 results, it was said that Nova Sea is expected to harvest 52,000 tons of salmon in 2025. These volumes will be in addition to those of Group Mowi, thus following the strategy set by the company for 2029.
"With Nova Sea on board, we expect our volumes to reach 600,000 tonnes next year, and we will be well on our way to harvesting 400,000 tonnes in Norway alone. Mowi was harvesting 375,000 tonnes globally as recently as 2018, so our volumes will have grown by 225,000 tonnes in just a few years. This corresponds to annual growth of 6.1% compared with 3.1% for the wider industry," Vindheim stated then.
