SeaDragon appoints new Chief Executive

NZX / MEDIA RELEASE 18 July 2016. Link here.

SeaDragon appoints new Chief Executive Dr Nevin Amos to take the reins of the company in October 2016. SeaDragon Board thanks outgoing Interim Chief Executive Richard Alderton for leadership through the company’s transition to Omega-3 fish oil markets

SeaDragon, New Zealand’s largest refiner and blender of high-quality, internationally-certified Omega-3 fish oils, is today delighted to announce it has appointed Dr Nevin Amos as its new Chief Executive.

Dr Amos, who joins SeaDragon during October 2016, brings to the company a wealth of experience in adding value to New Zealand’s primary products in the forestry, food, nutraceutical, health and beauty, natural products, apiary and fruit industries. He takes over from Interim Chief Executive Officer Richard Alderton, who will remain on SeaDragon’s Board as a Non-Executive Director.

Dr Amos is currently Chief Executive at Pacific T&R, a Taupo-based start-up that extracts natural rosin acids and terpenes from waste material left over from forestry operations. Prior to that, he spent nearly a decade at global natural health company and SeaDragon cornerstone shareholder Comvita, where he held a number of senior roles including General Manager Asia and Chief Supply Chain Officer.

He has also held senior roles at Kiwifruit exporter Zespri and sat on numerous boards, including the board of Natural Products New Zealand, the national industry organisation representing the natural products, functional foods, complementary medicines, cosmeceuticals and nutraceuticals industries.

SeaDragon Chairman Colin Groves said: “We are fortunate to have attracted someone of Nevin’s calibre. He has strong leadership skills and a proven record in global business. This includes an awareness of SeaDragon’s target markets and an in-depth understanding of supply chain systems and processes. These skills have the potential to add enormous value as we transition to the production and marketing of sustainably-sourced Omega-3 fish oils.

“Nevin’s strong links to Comvita will also assist SeaDragon to make the most of the strategic alliance we have formed with our cornerstone investor to add value to New Zealand fish and aquaculture products.

“Meanwhile, the SeaDragon Board expresses its gratitude to Rich Alderton, who as Interim Chief Executive has provided strong leadership as the company has transformed itself over the last year.

“Rich’s expertise in leadership, change and supply chain management have proved a tremendous asset as we have commissioned the new Omega-3 fish oil refinery, recapitalised, secured the strategic relationship with Comvita and exited from the volatile Omega-2 market. We are grateful Rich has agreed to continue to provide support to SeaDragon as a Non-Executive Director.”

Dr Amos said: “After a lot of hard work SeaDragon has positioned itself to capitalise on the strong market demand it sees for Omega-3 fish oils. My goal is to first make sure the company maximises the potential from its state-of-the-art refinery and delivers the returns shareholders seek.

“The company has a unique opportunity to create high value Omega-3 products using single-source sustainable supply. Over the longer term I expect the company to build a leading branded oils business in Omega-3 markets on the key principles of sustainability, traceability, freshness and quality. I am looking forward to getting started.”

Dr Amos has a PhD (Bioprocess Engineering) from Massey University and has attended the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD in Singapore. He is also a recipient of a New Zealand Prime Minister’s business scholarship.

For further information contact:
Investors Media:
Colin Groves Richard Inder
Chairman The Project
Tel: +64 21 928 003 Tel +64 21 645 643

About SeaDragon www.seadragon.co.nz
SeaDragon (NZX:SEA) is New Zealand’s largest refiner and blender of high-quality, internationally-certified concentrated fish oils and fractions, including Omega-3 oils. Our oils are sourced from fish caught in the clean and pure waters around New Zealand, in the Southern Ocean, and elsewhere. We have more than 20 years’ experience processing fish oils and we are recognised for the quality and purity of our products. We supply health supplement manufacturers around the world to meet the burgeoning demand for pure, high-quality fish oils, which are scientifically proven to deliver significant human health benefits such as lowering the risk of heart disease, improving brain function and joint health. The majority of our supply is exported.