Longtime Cooke Aquaculture VP Nell Halse is Retiring at End of the Year
SAINT JOHN – Cooke Aquaculture’s long-serving Vice President Communications Nell Halse will retire at the end of 2017, the company announced Tuesday.
Halse has been with Cooke since 2004, joining the company after serving five years with the New Brunswick Salmon Growers Association. As vice-president communications, she was a spokesperson for Cooke Aquaculture and its various seafood divisions.
“Nell helped build this industry. She had a big role in working with government officials and engaging with people in the communities where we operate to help educate and inform them about our mission to grow responsibly and sustainably,” said Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Aquaculture in a release. “We’re going to miss Nell a lot.”
Since Halse joined the company in 2004, Cooke Aquaculture has expanded from $80 million in annual salmon farming sales to more than $2 billion. Cooke has earned the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification, and was selected as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies by Deloitte and has been named as the top seafood company in North America for 2017 by SeafoodSource. Glen Cooke says Halse played an important role in this success.
“Nell plays a critical role in acquisitions both in communicating the news to the public but also internally, helping to make our new employees feel part of the team,” Cooke said.
Halse will be replaced by Joel Richardson, who joins Cooke after serving as Divisional Vice President for the New Brunswick and PEI branch of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) and executive director of the Metal Working Association of NB.
“Joel brings valuable experience and fresh ideas to our company and will help guide our communications and government and public relations efforts going forward,” said Cooke. “We look forward to working with him as we continue to grow our seafood business, here in Atlantic Canada and around the world.”