GSA Announces Two Senior Management Team Promotions
The Global Seafood Alliance (GSA) is pleased to announce two promotions on its senior management team. Steven Hart has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Market Development and Mike Kocsis has been promoted to Chief Strategy Officer.
As SVP of Market Development, Hart oversees GSA’s market development team, which engages with retailers, foodservice operators and suppliers to drive the growth of GSA’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) and Best Seafood Practices (BSP) certification programs. Hart’s responsibilities also include
Hart joined GSA, then the Global Aquaculture Alliance, in 2015, and has spent most of his career at GSA as the Vice President of Market Development, overseeing teams in Europe, the United Kingdom and Asia.
Previously, Hart was the Executive Director of the Soy Aquaculture Alliance, which develops new, domestic markets for U.S. soybeans through the development of aquaculture production. He also holds a Ph.D. in aquaculture nutrition from Purdue University.
“The global seafood industry is experiencing unique and challenging times right now,” said Hart. “I look forward to working with all of GSA’s stakeholders to face these challenges head-on and develop solutions that will allow us to continue providing assurances to marketplaces around the world that their seafood is being produced responsibly. We provide those assurances through the BAP and BSP certification programs and the Seafood Processing Standard as well as through our partnership with Responsible Fisheries Management, which GSA signed a memorandum of understanding with in March.”
Kocsis joined GSA in 2022 as Chief Systems Officer, overseeing information technology and certification operations departments. He has more than 20 years of supply chain and operations experience in the seafood industry, holding leadership roles with some of the leading U.S. seafood brands including High Liner Foods, King & Prince Seafood and Gorton’s Seafood.
In his new role as Chief Strategy Officer, Kocsis oversees information technology, certification operations as well as the marketing and communications team.
“I’m honored to engage more deeply with our members, stakeholders, and the entire GSA team to build trust in seafood, and I look forward to supporting the continued growth of responsible seafood practices globally,” said Kocsis. “In addition to recognizing and supporting our certified facilities for their commitment to best practices and continuous improvement, I’m excited to work more broadly across GSA to maximize our impact through technology, education, advocacy, and third-party assurances. We have an incredible team at GSA and I’m grateful to work alongside them in support of our mission.”
About the Global Seafood Alliance
The Global Seafood Alliance is an international, nonprofit trade association dedicated to advancing responsible seafood practices through education, advocacy and third-party assurances. Through the development of its Best Aquaculture Practices and Best Seafood Practices certification programs, GSA has become the leading provider of assurances for seafood globally. The organization’s work addresses the full spectrum of responsibility, from environmental responsibility and social accountability to food safety. Established in 1997 as the Global Aquaculture Alliance, GSA is headquartered in Portsmouth, N.H., USA. To learn more, visit www.globalseafood.org.
