Alsted, whose most recent for the Danish feed firm was executive vice president of business relations, began his aquaculture career in 1974, working on a small trout farm in Denmark. He went on to study aquaculture research at the University of Tromso, in 1977, become an associate professor at Aalborg University, before joining BioMar to undertake a commercial PhD in 1987.
“Niels has been one of the most important people forming not only BioMar but also the industry. His dedication to developing a sustainable and professional aquaculture has led to industry standards and the high-end feed ranges we see in the market. Furthermore, he has been one of the most important people forming the culture in BioMar: a culture built upon trust, relationships, professionalism and a desire to pioneer the future of the industry,” said Carlos Diaz, CEO of BioMar Group.
Over the last 32 years Niels has held various positions in BioMar – including R&D, sourcing, food safety and business relations – and has been part of the executive management team where he contributed to opening new markets like Chile and China. Niels is valued for his broad and deep technical knowledge and while at BioMar has published several papers on nutrition and sustainability. He was instrumental in the creation of the first ever environmentally friendly aquaculture feed product, Ecoline and is known for his scholarly approach to feed product development.
Niels has represented the aquaculture industry and BioMar at numerous NGO events and been a member of various industry committees, most recently chairing the Board of FEFAC and as a valued member of both the GSI feed task force and IFFO RS.
“I am very grateful to BioMar, I have seen most of the world, meeting fantastic people and really enjoying my work in the aquaculture industry. I simply could not ask for more,” concludes Alsted, who now looks forward to spending more time with the family, but has not closed the door on potentially doing more aquaculture related projects.
