Effective May 1, the company has appointed Kate Furhovden Stenerud as the new Commercial Director for salmon, while Thommy Holmvåg was promoted to the position of Commercial Lead for genetics in Norway. These changes are part of the company’s strategy to enhance its sales of genetics and health products for the aquaculture industry. The sales department is now better equipped to continue the positive growth of Benchmark’s product range.
Stenerud takes over the commercial responsibility from Geir Olav Melingen, who will become the new Head of Benchmark Genetics starting June 1, 2023. Stenerud previously worked with regional customer responsibility in South Norway and has collaborated closely with the global sales team. In her new role, she will report to Melingen, who is pleased that Kate has accepted the position.
Melingen states: “Kate has proven to be a strong candidate for this role, and we are delighted to have her take on this new responsibility. Her contribution will continue the great work that has been done in genetics and health for salmon worldwide.”
Benchmark’s commercial teams for Atlantic salmon are located in Norway, the UK, Iceland, North America, and Chile, and the company provides fertilized salmon eggs and delousing services to more than 40 countries worldwide.
Newly created position
To support Stenerud in her new role, Thommy Holmvåg has been appointed as the Commercial Lead for genetics in Norway, a newly created position, and will report directly to her. Holmvåg previously held the responsibility of managing regional customers in Northern Norway.
“Thommy is a dynamic and collaborative team player who effectively communicates with both our customers and the team. These strengths will help us further develop our work both internally and externally,” commented Stenerud.
Successful reorganisation
The commercial team and genetics marketing department were reorganised in June 2022 to focus more holistically on sales and marketing of the company’s Atlantic salmon-related products. This restructuring has positively contributed to building even stronger customer relationships and improving collaboration across different departments.
