Norwegian Seafood Council appoints new UK director
Victoria Braathen, the Norwegian Seafood Council’s envoy in China until last year, is to take up a similar post in the UK.
She replaces Hans Frode Kielland Asmyhr, who has been the council’s British Director for the past four and a half years. He will leave in the summer.
Victoria Braathen has held various international posts since 2016, but undoubtedly her most important and challenging was working in China much of that time during the height of the pandemic when restrictions were placed on seafood exports from the Nordic region.
She said: “It is a great privilege to work with Norwegian seafood which is based on traditions, with a unique history and quality that is sought after worldwide.
“ I am therefore incredibly proud of the opportunity to work with the industry, build on the good marketing work that has been done over several years and further develop our position in an exciting and important market for Norwegian whitefish.”
Braathen, who comes from Tromsø, holds a law degree from the University of Bergen with a specialisation in commercial law and international law of the sea.
She has previous experience as a political adviser to the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries and Tromsø Municipality.
Meanwhile, the Seafood Council has also appointed a new envoy for Portugal, one of Norway’s most important markets for salted fish. He is Trond Rismo, who has worked for the Council for the past six years in various positions and has considerable knowledge of the conventional fishing and whitefish industry. He has spent the past three years in global operations helping to design the council’s species and marketing strategy.
