Proximar moves its entire management to Japan
With the appointment of a new chief financial officer, the company's last employee with a workplace in Norway will disappear.
Published
Proximar Seafood is continuing the planned transfer of the organisation from Norway to Japan.
The Norwegian-owned salmon farmer has built a land-based facility at the foot of Mount Fuji. In the third quarter, 356 tonnes (head on gutted) of fish were harvested, bringing the total harvest volume so far this year to nearly 1,000 tonnes HOG.
In a stock exchange filing, the company announced that it has hired a new chief financial officer, Tetsuya Kobayashi, who will join in Japan on December 1, 2025.
No more employees in Norway
At the same time, the current CFO, Ole Christian Willumsen, has resigned from his position to pursue new opportunities outside the company.
Willumsen, who has held the role since August 2023, is the last employee in Norway after the rest of the management relocated to Japan earlier this year. He will continue in his position until January 2026 to ensure a smooth transition.
"Ole Christian has done an outstanding job as CFO of Proximar, and I would like to express my gratitude for his dedication and contributions – from Proximar's time as a development company to today's position with a fully operational facility supplying fresh fish to the Japanese market," said chief executive Joachim Nielsen.
Willumsen expressed gratitude for his time at the company and is optimistic about Proximar's future in Japan.
"Proximar has a unique position within land-based fish farming in Japan and an exciting future ahead of it. Now is the time for me to pursue new opportunities, but I will do my utmost to ensure a good handover – and I will continue to cheer from the sidelines," he said.
Broad experience
Incoming CFO Tetsuya Kobayashi has extensive experience in finance and banking, having held senior positions at Mizuho Securities, HSBC Securities and RBS Securities. He has previously been responsible for both debt and equity markets, and most recently came from a CFO position at a start-up company.
"We look forward to welcoming Kobayashi to the team and to helping shape the next phase for Proximar, while he helps strengthen our team here in Japan – in line with our strategy," said Nielsen.
Unique market position
Proximar's plant has a capacity of 5,300 tonnes annually and is strategically located just an hour and a half from Tokyo.
With 36 million people in the metropolitan area and the rest of Japan's largest cities within a few hours' drive, Proximar currently has a unique market position as the only local producer of Atlantic salmon.
The company expects production at the facility to reach full capacity by 2027.
