Peter Pan Seafood announces leadership changes

Barry Collier steps down as CEO, moves to senior advisory role

A long-time executive of Peter Pan Seafood has transitioned to a senior advisory role and the vertically integrated company, under new ownership since January, has added two industry veterans to its top management team.

Barry Collier, a 33-year veteran of the company, is stepping down as chief executive officer into a senior advisory role for the company’s ownership group, Rodger May, president and chief growth officer of Peter Pan, announced on Tuesday, March 29.

May said that Collier had played a key role earlier this year in ensuring that the ownership transition went smoothly, “and we’re glad to have his trusted voice in his new role on our senior advisory board.”

May will continue to lead the company, alongside a growing team of industry professionals, including chief financial officer Mark Foster, business development manager Steve Minor and Jonathan Thorpe, who will focus on investment, strategically aligned partnerships, direct sourcing and development downstream products and customers, company officials said.

The announcements of Collier’s transition and the hiring of Foster, Minor and Thorpe follows the hiring of Jon Hickman to lead Alaska operations and Kevin Larsen on the sales team.

The sale of Peter Pan Seafood Company LLC to the new ownership group became final on Dec. 31, 2020. The ownership group includes May, of Northwest Fish; the Na’-Nuk Investment Fund, LP, managed by McKinley Alaska Private Investment LLC and McKinley Capital Management LLC; and the RRG Global Partners Fund, managed by RRG Capital Management LLC. The sale brings company ownership back to the U.S. and to Alaska, with a focus now on value-added sales channels combined with the legacy of a storied seafood processor.

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Foster, who has been serving in a consulting position for Peter Pan for several months, has a blended background in finance, operations and strategy, which includes senior roles with Alaska Communications Systems.

Much of Minor’s career has focused on development and protection of state and federal marine resources and coastal communities, managing commercial fishing assets and science-based, sustainable management of those marine resources.

Thorpe, who comes from a multi-generational Cook Inlet set-net family, has a diverse track record in the industry spanning from his days fishing to management roles, including serving as chief financial officer and chief investment and strategy officer for Central Bering Sea Fishermen’s Association.

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