Torghatten Aqua CEO Øyvind Løvdahl to step down as company prepares for next growth phase.
Torghatten Aqua has announced that CEO Øyvind Løvdahl will leave his role later this autumn, after just over two years at the helm of the Norwegian aquaculture investment and development firm.
The transition comes as the company continues to position itself for growth within land-based and post-smolt salmon production. Løvdahl, who joined in April 2023, will relocate to Trondheim with his family and return to the banking sector, taking up a senior corporate role at SpareBank 1 SMN.
“I have a very exciting job and would have liked to stay longer in Torghatten Aqua, but we’ve decided to move to Trondheim where both my partner and I have accepted new positions,” Løvdahl said in a company press release. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead such a strong company. It’s been a very rewarding time.”
Chairman Frode Blakstad will become executive chair, stepping in to oversee operations directly — a role he has previously held. “Øyvind has prepared Torghatten Aqua for further growth and value creation,” Blakstad said. “We thank him for his substantial contribution and wish him all the best.”
The group’s CFO, Knut Idar Torgnes, will assume the role of interim site manager at the company’s Toft headquarters.
Torghatten Aqua is a holding company with ownership stakes in a number of aquaculture initiatives, including Helgeland Miljøfisk — which recently received regulatory approval to produce up to 40,000 tonnes annually of salmon, trout, and rainbow trout. The firm is among a growing number of Norwegian players seeking to scale sustainable land-based and post-smolt production.