Cermaq Chile names new boss
Salmon farmer Cermaq Chile has promoted production director Pedro Courard to managing director, effective from March 1.
Courard, who has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, replaces Steven Rafferty who is taking over as new chief executive of Cermaq Group, based in Oslo, Norway.
Courard qualified as an industrial civil engineer at the University of Chile and has an MBA from the University of Tulane in the United States. His experience in the salmon industry includes holding senior management positions in the areas of processing and farming in Invertec, Scale Chile, Multi X and since 2019 as production director of Cermaq Chile.
An immense contribution
“Pedro is definitely the right person for this challenge, with his extensive knowledge of the industry and he has given an immense contribution to the teamwork of the management team and staff, and leading the production area thanks to his excellent management and planning skills,” Rafferty said in a press release.
“He will have my full support, and that of the Cermaq Group, to continue consolidating and improving Cermaq Chile.”
Courard said: “I am very happy to take on this challenge in a company like Cermaq, a leader in the industry both nationally and globally. My intention is to continue the work started by Steven, which has allowed us to improve our results in all aspects.”
Cermaq, owned by Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation, farms salmon in Norway, Canada and Chile and is the world’s fifth largest Atlantic salmon farmer. It was the fourth largest salmon farmer in Chile by volume in 2020, harvesting around 61,000 gutted weight tonnes.
