Sealord appoints Doug Paulin new CEO from next year

Doug Paulin will take over the reins at Sealord from next year. Image / File

Fishing and seafood company Sealord has for the first time appointed an internal candidate as new chief executive, with general manager group operations Doug Paulin due to take up the job in October next year.

As part of a year-long transition to taking over from chief executive Steve Yung, Paulin will from next month become the chief operating officer, the company said.

Yung told the Sealord board earlier this year he would be stepping down at the end of the company's 2020 financial year.

The board said the appointment of the company's first internal candidate reflected a focus on executive leadership development.

Sealord, half-owned by New Zealand Maori through Moana New Zealand or Aotearoa Fisheries, and 50 per cent by global seafood company Japan's Nissui, is one of the largest seafood companies in the Southern Hemisphere.

A large New Zealand quota holder, it employs more than 1100 people in New Zealand and overseas. The company has an annual revenue of $450 million and assets valued at $775m.

In his current job, Paulin heads Sealord operations which is responsible for catching and processing fish caught in New Zealand, Australia and the Indian Ocean, the operations of King Reef Barramundi farm in Australia and Sealord interests in mussels, Westfleet, Petuna Deepsea Fishing and Australian Longline.

Before joining Sealord in 2011, Paulin was chief executive of Hubbard Foods. Prior to that he was at Lion Nathan for 13 years.