Numbers man Kia Zadegan brings stellar experience to the finance chair at fast-growing Norwegian aquaculture venture Norcod (NCOD.OL) as it gears up for its first commercial harvest of high-quality farmed cod this summer.
“I’m really thrilled to welcome Kia to our management team. In addition to his extensive financial experience, Kia also has a close understanding of the fish-farming and fishing industries. I believe he’ll bring great value as we build on our great foundations to become the leader of a new industry. He also complements our existing leadership perfectly,” said Norcod CEO Christian Riber.
“This is a tremendous opportunity. Norcod is on a fantastic journey that I’m eager to be part of. It’s a great time to join, especially as the ground has been very well laid to start generating income. I really look forward to joining the team” Zadegan said.
Zadegan (54), who is a Norwegian-British national, joins Norcod from the CFO spot at Dusseldorf-based software and IT consultancy group DataLab GmbH. Prior to that he was Managing Director Northern, Central & Eastern Europe for specialist payment and data analysis company PRG-Schultz.
With senior positions at international stock-listed companies both in the EU and US under his belt, Zadegan boasts strategic and operational experience across different verticals and locations. He brings deep insight in finance and IT, as well as experience from start-ups and M&A activities.
Zadegan’s market knowledge of fish-farming stems from his three years as Head of Finance at Stolt Seafarm, while as President and CEO of US operations for Aleutian Seafoods based in Seattle and Alaska he also gained first-hand knowledge of major fisheries.
“Kia’s exposure to the global seafood market makes him uniquely qualified to guide financial developments at Norcod. His exceptional numerical and analytical skills will also be invaluable for analyzing our data with regard to future planning,” said Riber.
Zadegan takes over the CFO slot at Norcod from Ragna Engvik, who has occupied the position to date on secondment from global professional services firm PWC.
“We’ve been very happy having Ragna on board but it has always been a priority for us to get our own full-time CFO, who we now have in Kia,” Riber said.
Zadegan is expected to start in his new position on 1 June and will work out of Norcod HQ in Trondheim.
About Norcod
Norcod AS’ core business is commercial sea farming of cod but through ownership and partnerships is involved in the entire value chain. Norcod’s existing fish farms are located in Mid-Norway with ideal conditions for cod. The company is contributing to blue ocean value creation with minimal impact on the environment while supporting local communities. Norcod is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange’s Euronext Growth Market.
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