Who is Fride?
Fride is a 45 years old proud “bergenser” who joined the NCE Seafood Innovation team 1th of May this year. I spent 12 years away from Bergen, which formed both my career and also made it clear that we are lucky to work in an industry with such a number of opportunities and potential for sustainable development and growth. I am educated as a pharmacist, and my career is mainly from research and innovation, the last 7 years in the aquaculture industry where I participated in an exciting journey developing a sustainable and environmentally friendly calcium-based product to combat sea lice. I had the warmest welcome from the NCE team, and I am really looking forward to participating in the cluster´s work!
What is your role in the NCE Seafood Innovation Team?
I am responsible for the cluster´s work within future knowledge and talent attraction. One of my key tasks will be to further develop the international competence program Seafood Next, a module based one-year program to accelerate the competency for professionals new to the seafood industry. The program intention is to support the industry´s constant need for knowledge by giving the participants insight about sustainable growth and innovation throughout the seafood value chain as well as presentation of the most important megatrends.
What are you most looking forward to in your position as Project Manager, and what have you done so far?
I am really looking forward to contributing and facilitating for the seafood industry´s constant need for wise minds, creativity and innovative power to be able to ensure sustainable development and meet the future. I believe that the best competence enhancing measures are created through collaboration in a perspective where the entire line of the organization is included. The future´s competence is best absorbed through flexible training programs easily adapted to all employees’ work situations from office based positions to breeders working at the net pens.
I have already had the opportunity to join two of the Seafood Next groups, and I have seen the importance of meeting with actors of different seafood industry segments combined with visits to fish farms to get the practical perspective. This gives a complete picture of the value chain, and makes visible the importance of theoretical and practical co-working for optimal innovation in a learning industry.
I have also had the pleasure of planning two interesting educational projects, one regional for the primary school and one national for high school students. The common thread is to increase entrepreneurship skills and trigger seafood interest among children and young people. The participants are presented for real challenges in the industry, and through innovation camps they get the opportunity to solve concrete problems and contribute to value creation in their own local environment. These activities are highlighting the importance of co-operation between business actors and teaching institutions to ensure the future wise heads see opportunities and are attracted by the maritime industries for their upcoming career.
Describe yourself in three words?
Sporty, curious, and fond of people.
If you had one more hour each day, what would you do?
An extra hour would be brilliant! A morning jog combined with an extended morning coffee to send grateful thoughts to all the skilled people I constantly learn from, would be a perfect combination.