New Zealand’s Seafood company Sanford appoints David Mair as CEO

NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand seafood giant Sanford has appointed David Mair as its CEO, effective immediately.

Mair, the former CEO of Skellerup Holdings, steps into the role previously held by Craig Ellison, who served as the acting CEO since August 2023 and will continue as a non-independent director on the Sanford board.

Sir Rob McLeod, the Chairman of Sanford, expressed gratitude to Ellison for his interim leadership and voiced confidence in Mair’s ability to deliver exceptional results.

Mair, a recipient of prestigious accolades including the Deloitte Top 200 CEO of the Year for 2021, expressed enthusiasm for leading Sanford toward its full potential as a sustainable seafood supplier.

Sanford, New Zealand’s largest seafood company, operates a robust fishing fleet and farms greenshell mussels and king salmon.

Mair assumes leadership at a time when Sanford has been performing well, with continued positive performance in the latter half of 2023.

Despite revenue and earnings not yet reaching pre-Covid levels, Sanford recorded its highest revenue in five years at NZD 553.4 million (US$ 332 million) for the financial year ending September 2023.

Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) also saw a notable increase, reaching NZD 49.4 million (US$ 30 million), a 23 percent rise compared to the previous year.

However, reported net profit after tax declined to NZD 10 million (US$ 6 million), attributed in part to non-trading adjustments and unusual transactions, such as the one-off sale of crayfish quota in 2022.

Looking ahead, Mair aims to steer Sanford toward sustainable growth, leveraging its strong foundation and industry expertise.

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