US salmon farm developer GNS nets new finance chief

Great Northern Salmon (GNS), which is building a land-based salmon farm in Millinocket, northern Maine, has recruited Katie Pullen as head of finance.

In a LinkedIn post, GNS said Pullen brings over 15 years of experience in finance, operations, and strategic management across multiple industries, including consumer goods, manufacturing, and technology.

It added that she has led cross-functional teams in accounting, budgeting, and systems integration, building robust financial infrastructures to support growth and operational efficiency.

Pullen’s background includes developing financial models for scaling organisations, overseeing enterprise resource planning implementations, and driving process improvements that align with both startup and mature business environments. She holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and an MBA.

Former paper mill

GNS plans a 7,500-tonne recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) salmon facility which it will build on the bed of a large lagoon that was part of a larger site occupied by the now-defunct Great Northern Paper company’s mill.

Great Northern Salmon was founded by chief executive Marianne Naess and her husband, Erik Heim. The Norwegian pair were previously executives of Nordic Aquafarms Inc. in Belfast, Maine, but parted company with Nordic in 2022. Nordic has since abandoned plans for a 33,000-tonne RAS facility in Belfast after opponents won a crucial court case blocking the company’s access to the sea.

In April this year, GNS entered into a strategic partnership with Norwegian company Eyvi, which will supply the RAS for the Millinocket project. Eyvi developed Hima’s 8,000-tonne trout farm in Rjukan, Norway.

In May, GNS hired engineer and former Mowi project manager Mick Watts to oversee construction planning and execution of the Millinocket RAS, and in June in netted hatchery expert Kevin Kelsey to head its early life stage operations.