Østvang New Director of Seafood at Nofima
Bård Thomas Østvang (42) has been appointed the new Director of the Seafood division at Nofima. He is succeeding Magnar Pedersen, who will be retiring this autumn.
Østvang is currently Executive Vice President of Innovation and Development at Aalesundfisk Holding, a company that became the new owner of Norwegian Fish Company in 2020. Østvang served as the CEO of Norwegian Fish Company at the time of its acquisition by Aalesundfisk Holding.
“I’m very pleased to have Bård Thomas on the Nofima team,” says Nofima CEO Øyvind Fylling-Jensen. “He has good knowledge of the industry and is therefore well equipped to determine how we as a research institute can best contribute our knowledge to strengthen competitiveness in the industry.”
Bård Thomas is from Skjervøy and holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Norwegian School of Economics. He has also studied, among other things, market expertise and political science. For much of his professional life, Østvang worked for the consulting firm PWC before joining the fishing industry in 2017.
“I’m extremely glad to have this opportunity,” says Østvang. “Nofima is a centre of expertise with many talented people, and with a particularly important social mission. Being able to participate in and further develop the potential that this organisation possesses is very exciting. In addition, I still get to work closely with the seafood industry, which I have very much enjoyed being a part of.”
Nofima is organised into three divisions: Seafood, Aquaculture, and Food. The divisions cooperate closely so that the different industries can benefit from interdisciplinary knowledge. The institute has approximately 400 employees across departments in five locations in Norway. The head office is in Tromsø. Research conducted at the Institute contributes to sustainable food production and management.
Østvang will take up the position on 1 August.
