Michel Van Spankeren SpeakerSponsor

Business Development Manager
Protix

Michel is at the forefront of sustainable aquaculture as Protix’s dedicated Business Development manager. Born and raised in the heart of a maritime community, Michel's journey in the aquatic world has evolved into a personal mission: transforming aquaculture into a more sustainable and environmentally conscious industry.

Since entering the field in 2010, Michel has strategically navigated various facets of the aquaculture industry, accumulating invaluable experience in research, farming, and nutrition. His diverse roles across hatcheries, research institutions, and aqua-feed companies have afforded him a comprehensive perspective on the industry's intricacies.

Educationally, Michel has a robust theoretical foundation obtained at Wageningen University. Here, he earned two master's degrees, providing him with a comprehensive understanding of aquaculture and animal nutrition.

Michel's current position at Protix reflects his dedication to driving sustainability within the aquaculture industry. He plays a crucial role in navigating the intricate dynamics of the value chain, facilitating the translation of circular ingredients into innovative and sustainable seafood propositions. In essence, Michel acts as a bridge, connecting Protix's cutting-edge solutions with the broader industry, catalysing positive change.

Kenneth Fredriksen SpeakerPresenting company

CCO
Aker QRILL Company

Kenneth Fredriksen joined Aker QRILL Company in 2026 as Chief Commercial Officer. With more than 25 years of international leadership experience, Fredriksen has held a wide range of senior executive roles in the telecom and ICT sectors.

From 2012 to 2025, he held several senior positions at Huawei Technologies, including Senior Vice President for Europe and CEO of Huawei Sweden, where he oversaw operations across the Nordic and Baltic markets. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Birmingham.

Eric Öste SpeakerPresenting company

CEO
Cirkulär AB

CEO & Founder of Cirkulär AB. Cirkulär designs, builds and operates large-scale alternative protein production plants, utilizing local biomass raw material as feedstock and converting it to high-protein, microbial ingredients. The company launched the worlds first commercial fish fed mycoprotein last year and is gearing up to scaling its production in the Nordics.

Kristian Botnen SpeakerSponsor

CEO
Benchmark Genetics

Kristian Botnen is the Chief Executive Officer of Benchmark Genetics, a global leader in aquaculture genetics solutions. He assumed the role in November 2025 and brings extensive executive experience from the aquaculture sector, including leadership positions at AKVA Group—where he served as Chief Operating Officer—and Lingalaks, where he was CEO and COO. Botnen’s career spans operational management, finance and strategy, consistently delivering performance excellence and building high-performing teams. He holds a Master of Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration from BI Norwegian Business School. At Benchmark Genetics, he is driving strategic growth, innovation and sustainable value creation across global breeding programmes and genetic services.

Chris Haacke SpeakerSponsor

Commercial Director
MiAlgae

Chris has almost 30 years experience in the Global Aquaculture industry, spanning salmon sales, aquafeed, fish health, and sustainable production. Throughout his career, he has held senior international roles, driving market development and expansion, commercial leadership, and innovation across the seafood value chain.

In recent years, Chris has focused on advancing alternative feed ingredients, supporting the development and commercialization of novel protein and Omega-3 sources to strengthen the sustainability and resilience of aquaculture.

At the North Atlantic Seafood Forum, he brings industry insight built over many years and a forward-looking perspective on how innovation in feed and ingredients will shape the next phase of growth in global aquaculture.

Simen Kristoffersen Speaker

Director VRMD Aquatic Health
PHARMAQ part of Zoetis

PhD in molecular microbiology from University of Oslo
Started in Phq 2015
Involved (leading/part of) vaccine research and development, SRS LiVac among others. 
Leading Kløfta site
since 2022, leading Pharmaqs R&D team

Will Davies Speaker

Group CSR Manager
Sofina Europe / Youngs Seafoods

Will Davies leads sustainability and corporate responsibility strategy across Sofina Foods Europe, including Young’s Seafood. With responsibility for sourcing, environmental performance, and value chain engagement, he works at the intersection of retailers, suppliers, and producers to ensure seafood meets evolving expectations on climate, biodiversity and transparency.

Bringing a retailer-facing and market-driven perspective, Will offers insight into how sustainability commitments translate into procurement decisions, and what it takes for new feed and ingredient solutions to gain acceptance in the European retail landscape.

Patricia Sugui SpeakerPresenting company

Head of ESG & Corp Communications
CJ Selecta

Professional focused on developing sustainable solutions in the agro-industrial sector, working as part of the team at CJ Selecta, a globally recognized company known for producing high-quality soy-based ingredients. Her career is marked by experience at the intersection of agribusiness, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement, contributing to strategic initiatives related to environmental responsibility and the strengthening of resilient supply chains. Leader of sectoral initiatives focused on deforestation-free supply chains and leads regenerative agriculture programs such as Renova Terra. Motivated by topics such as soil conservation, food security, and responsible production, Patricia believes in the transformative role of agribusiness in building more balanced and efficient production systems. Strengthen the sustainability agenda in the soybeansector while generating shared value for companies, society, and the environment.

Jovana Djisalov SpeakerPresenting company

Head of external relations SEE
Donau Soja

Jovana Djisalov brings long-term expertise in shaping sustainability across feed and food system transformation. Over the past decade at Donau Soja, she has been driving the transition toward sustainable European protein sources in aquaculture, while advocating for market transparency and fairness. She holds a PhD in Biotechnology from the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Novi Sad, Serbia.

Tarjei Eide Speaker

Managing Director
Cargill

Sebastien Rider SpeakerPresenting company

Principal Scientist
dsm-firmenich

Sebastien Rider is a Principal Scientist in Aquaculture Nutrition and Health at dsmfirmenich. His role spans innovation in vitamins, carotenoids, and eubiotics, as well as project management. He holds a PhD in Fish Nutrition from the University of Plymouth. Sebastien has over 10 years of research experience with aquatic species in aquaculture and biomedical sciences. He has also worked as a RAS production manager, fish health inspector, and consultant for environmental impact assessments and RAS farm design.

Brett Glencross SpeakerSponsor

Technical Director
IFFO

Dr Brett Glencross is the Technical Director of IFFO (The Marine Ingredients Organisation). Prior to this he was the Professor of Nutrition at the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Over the past 30 years he has worked across various domains with experience in academia, institutional, and industrial roles in the Asia-Pacific, LATAM, Middle East, and Europe. His work has a strong practical focus, resulting in the development of new processes, products, and applications, most notably in the aquaculture feed sector. He is the former Chair of the Scientific Committee of the International Society for Fish Nutrition and holds directorships on several companies in the UK, as well as previously being a director of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society. He has Honours and Masters Degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Western Australia and a PhD in Animal Nutrition from the University of Queensland

Marco Beltrao Speaker

VP EMEA Region
Corbion