Anne-Marie Kats, until recently executive secretary at the Dutch Fish Federation, started as commercial marketing manager with the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) this week.
Marine ecologist Kats has worked for the Dutch Fish Federation for six years. As executive secretary she was the right hand of Chairman of the board, Guus Pastoor. In that capacity she represented the Dutch fish processing and trading industry in the European association for fish traders & processors, AIPCE-CEP, in Brussels. The portfolios she covered were food safety and sustainability.
“In the area of food law and food safety there are many regulatory developments. The work at the Federation therefore involved a lot of lobb
ying,” says Kats.
“It was my responsibility to gather input from the Dutch fish industry about the potential impact of regulatory changes on these companies. In Brussels we would integrate this input with the interests of other European sectors that are represented in AIPCE-CEP. A common European position has much more impact than that of sectors of individual countries.”
France and Belgium
This experience will be very useful in her new position as commercial marketing manager at ASC, explains Kats.
“An important part of my job will be interpreting the content of the ASC standard to importers and retailers in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. I will also assist them in getting in touch with suppliers of ASC certified products, help stimulate the demand for ASC products and support commercial partners with communication and marketing material.”
Fish Federation
The Fish Federation represents the interests of the Dutch fish trade, wholesale and processing industry. Most companies in the Netherlands dealing with salmon, from smokehouses to processors, are members of and represented by the Fish Federation.
Aquaculture Stewardship Council
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) is an international non-profit organisation that manages the world’s leading certification and labeling program for responsible aquaculture.
Together with its partners, ASC runs a program to promote responsible environmental and social aquaculture performance.
The ASC headquarters is located in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The organisation has employees from all over the world.
