Corporate Structure
Management Team
Board Of Directors
Policies
Transparency Act

Good corporate
governance

We create long-term value by ensuring good and healthy business practices, reliable reporting, regulatory compliance, and a culture that emphasizes ESG principles and standards.

Atlantic Sapphire ASA is headquartered in the United States.

Atlantic Sapphire ASA is the parent company of the Atlantic Sapphire group of companies, which includes:

  • Atlantic Sapphire Denmark AS registered in Hvide Sande, Denmark
  • S.F. Development LLC registered in Miami, FL, USA
  • Atlantic Sapphire IP LLC registered in Miami, FL, USA
  • Atlantic Sapphire USA LLC registered in Miami, FL USA, which owns 100% of AS Purchasing, LLC, registered in Miami, FL, USA

Atlantic Sapphire is led by aquaculture experts from around the world

Johan Emil Andreassen

Johan Emil Andreassen

Co-Founder and Interim CEO
of Atlantic Sapphire USA LLC

Johan E. Andreassen is a Co-Founder of Atlantic Sapphire, has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2010, and serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Sapphire USA LLC. Mr. Andreassen has served as the Group’s Chief Executive Officer from 2010 to 2012, and from 2017 to 2020. Prior to founding the Atlantic Sapphire, Mr. Andreassen founded and led Villa Organic, a 30,000-ton capacity conventional salmon farming company, which was subsequently sold to Lerøy and SalMar in 2010.

 

Damien Claire

Damien Claire

Chief Sales
and Marketing Officer

Damien Claire is the Group’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Prior to joining Atlantic Sapphire, Mr. Claire was the President of Platina Seafood, Inc. Mr. Claire’s experience includes positions in several industries around the world. From 2009 to 2014, he served as Sales/Analyst for South Pacific Specialties in Miami. From 2004 to 2008 he also acted as Vice President of Business Development for Global Outsourcing in Chile. Damien earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Business Administration from Lander University in South Carolina.

 

Mario Palma

Chief Operating Officer

Mario Palma was appointed the Chief Operating Officer of the Group in October 2023. Mr. Palma has been involved with the Group’s US operations since such operations commenced, and prior to being appointed Chief Operating Officer he held the position as Director of Aquaculture Engineering within the Group. Mr. Palma also has more than 8 years of experience from other companies within aquaculture, including 5 years in various positions at Mowi. Mr. Palma holds an engineering degree from the Universidad Católica del Norte in Chile.

 

Karl Øystein Øyehaug

Karl Øystein Øyehaug

Chief Financial Officer

Karl Øystein Øyehaug is the Group’s Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Øyehaug was hired as the Group’s Finance Director in 2018 and was elected as Managing Director of ASA at the time of conversion to public limited liability company in May 2020 until June 2023. Prior to joining the Group, Mr. Øyehaug served as an Equity Analyst at Carnegie Investment Bank in Oslo, Norway, covering the seafood sector. Mr. Øyehaug holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Norwegian School of Economics (“NHH”) and Columbia University in New York.

 

Svein Taklo

Chief Development
and Infrastructure Officer

Svein Taklo is the Group’s Chief Development and Infrastructure Officer since joining the Group on 1 October 2019. Before joining Atlantic Sapphire, Mr. Taklo held several positions within the cruise line industry, including most recently as Vice President Marine & Technical with ROW Management (The World, Residences at Sea) and previously as Chief Operational Officer and Senior Vice President of Maritime Operations for Hurtigruten from May 2014. Mr. Taklo holds a Bachelor’s in Safety and Maintenance from Høgskolesenteret i Vestfold in Norway and completed the Executive Education Program by Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Valerie Leath

Director of Human Resources

Valerie Leath joined Atlantic Sapphire in 2021 as a Director of Compensation and Benefits, and currently serves as Director of Human Resources. Leath has broad experience within the fields of HR with a strong focus on compensation, compliance and strategic management. She is a professional member of the Society for Human Resource Management and currently holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources designation through HRCI. Leath’s prior work experience includes her role as HR/Benefits Manager at Weller Management and HR Consultant with Corporate Business Solutions. Leath has a strong academic background, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida, a Master’s degree in International Business from the University of Florida and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the EM Lyon Business School.

Board of Directors

Our board members ensure Atlantic Sapphire operates with integrity and accountability.

Kenneth Jarl Andersen

CHAIRMAN

Kenneth Jarl Andersen has served as a Director since August 2022. Andersen is the CEO of Strawberry Equities AS, which recently made a significant investment in the Company in the private placement announced on 28 June 2022. Andersen has extensive experience from the Strawberry group, where he has been employed since 2007. In addition, Andersen has experience from Terra Fondsforvaltning and Arthur Andersen Consulting.

Mr. Andersen is a Norwegian citizen, currently residing in Oslo, Norway.

Eirik Welde

DEPUTY CHAIR

Eirik Welde is a Norwegian national who holds a veterinarian degree from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (2001) and has over 20 years of experience from the Norwegian aquaculture industry. He has worked with fish health, production management and design of live fish support systems, including hatcheries and post-smolt facilities. He has experience as project manager and project executive within several aquaculture species and RAS technology. From 2012, he was the general manager of Nordlaks Smolt AS, and since 2019 he has been CEO of the Nordlaks Group.

André Skarbø

DIRECTOR

André Skarbø has served as a Director since 2015. Mr. Skarbø is owner and managing director of Platina Seafood AS, a Norwegian fish distribution company headquartered in Stranda, Norway and also with offices in Miami, Florida, USA. Mr. Skarbø has been involved in the salmon processing and sales industry for 35 years.

Mr. Skarbø is a Norwegian citizen, currently residing in Stranda, Norway.

Ellen Marie Sætre

DIRECTOR

Ellen Marie Sætre is an educated veterinary from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (2006). She has been working as a consultant in private fish health companies on questions regarding fish health, welfare, hygiene and biosecurity since 2006. Now she is leader of the fish health department in Møre og Rømsdal for Åkerblå AS.

Ms. Sætre is a Norwegian citizen, currently residing in Vikebukt, Norway.

Marta Rojo Alonso

DIRECTOR

Marta Rojo Alonso is a Spanish national with over 25 years of international experience in Europe, Asia and Latin America. She has worked with various large companies within the aquaculture industry, such as Mowi, Skretting and as CFO of Salmones Camanchaca in Chile (listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange). She is the current CEO of Sterner Group, a Norwegian water treatment technology provider working with RAS. She has a Master’s degree in Economics and Management from the University of Madrid, as well as an Executive MBA from Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands.

Code of Conduct

Nomination Committee Charter

Investor Relations

Human Rights

Remuneration Policy (updated May 2023)

 

Statement on Transparency Act

 

Atlantic Sapphire (the “Company”) strives to adhere with the expectations and requirements as per the Transparency Act with the purpose of promoting the Company’s respect for fundamental human rights and decent working conditions, and of ensuring transparency through general public access to such information. As part of our duty under the Transparency Act, we are currently in the process of conducting our due diligence assessments of our procedures to handle actual and potential adverse impacts on fundamental human rights and decent working conditions. We will also, to the best of our ability, answer all questions with this respect.

The Company holds offices in Norway, Denmark, and the United States, and holds a large and diverse extended supply chain with contractors primarily in those locations. Such contractors may also have their own wide range of contractors across the globe, including Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Our suppliers must be transparent about their human rights and labor practices and work to remedy any shortfalls, and their commitment to complying with our Code of Conduct is contractually secured through their signature of our Terms and Conditions. We are exploring ways of monitoring their performance and expect to have a more formalized responsible sourcing program in place in the future.

Atlantic Sapphire’s Human Rights policy can be found in the “Corporate Governance: Policies” sub-section under the “Investor Relations” section of our website. It informs employees, business partners, and customers of Atlantic Sapphire’s commitment to respecting and promoting human rights and in making a meaningful contribution to uphold human rights across our operations and our supply chain. Our Human Rights Policy applies to all Atlantic Sapphire employees, anyone doing business for or with Atlantic Sapphire (including suppliers), and others acting on Atlantic Sapphire’s behalf to ensure that the Group is not complicit in any actual or potential actions that may bear adverse impacts to human rights directly or indirectly.

For more information about Atlantic Sapphire, please visit the “About” section on our website. Atlantic Sapphire encourages open communication and our stakeholders’ Right to Information. Any written feedback or questions should be sent to info@atlanticsapphire.com.

The above statement under the Transparency Act is hereby approved by Atlantic Sapphire’s Board of Directors and Managing Director as of 30 June 2023.