Aquaculture industry veteran, Einar Wathne, joins the advisory board of Protix
Protix says former CEO of EWOS and president of Cargill Aqua Nutrition, Einar Wathne, and Dutch strategic advisor, Bert Pauli, are joining its board.
The Dutch insect ingredients producer said these “highly regarded” specialists will bring their valuable input and insights to help it in the next stage of its journey. Wathne will bring his unparalleled expertise in aquaculture to the table, while Pauli will help to oversee regulatory matters and complex stakeholder management, said Protix.
Kees Aarts, CEO and founder of Protix, said: “With these two seasoned leaders and experts, we will be able to roll out our plans even better and faster.”
Wathne [in picture], the former CEO of EWOS and president of Cargill Aqua Nutrition, is a long-time leader in the aquaculture industry. He is currently an assistant professor in the Faculty of Biosciences at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) and also sits on the board of directors of salmon farmer Bakkafrost, growth companies like Blue Lice AS, and C-feed AS and is chairman of NCE Seafood Cluster AS and Nutrimar Holding AS.
Commenting on the advisory role, he said: “The farming expertise, and the technological and commercial nature of Protix are unique in the world and will be a critical success factor in bringing this new category of nutrition to the aquaculture industry. I look forward to helping to drive their long-term impact in this exciting industry.”
Protix said it worked with regulatory expert, Pauli, between 2013 and 2019, and that alliance generated “major successes” in terms of deregulating the insect-based nutrition industry.
Pauli, said Protix, will support the company’s development mainly in the areas of complex stakeholder management, international regulatory affairs, and national and municipal interests.
“Creating an industry is no easy task. It demands innovation on all aspects: from biology to technology to regulation. Protix has proven its ability to drive multi-stakeholder dialogue through its transparent and motivating agenda and vision. I look forward to continuing to support them in the scale-up phase,” said the advisor.