The Frozen At Sea Fillets Association (FASFA) has announced the appointment of Julie Waites as its new Executive Director following the retirement of Malcolm Large.

Julie has over 25 years of experience in the wider food and commercial seafood sector and joins FASFA from her previous role of Regional Manager in England at Seafish. Julie is no stranger to the fish and chip industry, notably through organising the World Seafood Congress in 2015, when it was hosted in the UK for the first time. In addition to this, Julie also organised the Humber Seafood Summit for several years, bringing together businesses throughout the supply chain and throwing the spotlight on the key issues.

Julie Waites, Executive Director of FASFA said:

“After working in collaboration with FASFA for many years, I am very much looking forward to representing the great work of FASFA and implementing many more initiatives, whilst working closely with all those connected to ensuring Frozen at Sea fillets are promoted for their high quality and sustainability. I am delighted to be the first female Executive Director for FASFA and, as such, will continue to champion and fiercely advocate for women in business, particularly within the seafood sector.”

FASFA represents suppliers and vessels from all over the world. As well as profiling the quality and environmental benefits of eating FAS fillets, FASFA also plays a key role in supporting the UK’s fish and chip shops with a year-round supply of the highest quality fillets, sustainably sourced from responsibly managed fisheries in the North Atlantic.

Julie continued:

“My passion for this industry and our FASFA members is rooted in the three pillars of sustainability, traceability and quality, which remain at the heart of FASFA’s vision for the future. I look forward to building on Malcolm’s fantastic work by continuing to closely collaborate with our members to profile their specialist expertise, cutting edge technology and top-quality produce.”

Outgoing Executive Director, Malcolm Large said:

“During my tenure at FASFA it has been a pleasure to work with the members and the wider fish and chip sector. I am confident that fish and chips will remain the Nations favourite hot takeaway food for many years to come and that FASFA members will continue to ensure that the frozen at sea fillets supplied to the sector are of the finest quality sourced from the sustainable well managed stocks of the North Atlantic.

Having known and worked with Julie for many years I am sure that she will prove to be a great asset to FASFA and champion for the fish and chip sector.”