DONGEN, THE NETHERLANDS — Protix added two special advisors to its board as the company continues to scale its insect ingredient business. Einar Wathne and Bert Pauli joined the company’s advisory board and will focus on aquaculture and regulatory management, respectively.

“We are very excited that Einar Wathne and Bert Pauli are providing us with advice and support in our ambitious growth plans,” said Kees Aarts, founder and chief executive officer of Protix. “We are confident their in-depth knowledge, network and experience is a real asset in navigating our company through the next phase. With these two seasoned leaders and experts, we will be able to roll out our plans even better and faster.”

Prior to joining Protix, Wathne served as chief executive officer of EWOS and president of Cargill Aqua Nutrition. As a long-time leader in the aquaculture industry, Wathene is currently an assistant professor at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences’ Biosciences program (NMBU). He also part of the board of directors at BakkaFrost, a salmon farmer, as well as several other companies, including Blue Lice AS and C-feed AS.

Wathne will use his extensive experience in aquaculture, R&D and company growth to help further scale Protix.

“The farming expertise, and the technological and commercial nature of Protix are unique in the world and will be a critical success factor in bringing this new category of nutrition to the aquaculture industry,” Wathne said. “I look forward to helping to drive their long-term impact in this exciting industry.”

Prior to his board position with Protix, Pauli worked with the company from 2013 to 2019, helping to deregulate the insect-based nutrition industry. Pauli will now support the company by handling international regulatory affairs, as well as managing stakeholders and national and municipal interests.

“Creating an industry is no easy task,” Pauli said. “It demands innovation on all aspects: from biology to technology to regulation. Protix has proven its ability to drive multistakeholder dialogue through its transparent and motivating agenda and vision. I look forward to continuing to support them in the scale-up phase. Close collaboration with different stakeholders on an international scale will be crucial, and I am pleased to contribute with my expertise in that area.”

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.