Defra’s Colin Faulkner has been appointed the new chief executive of Seafish.
Faulkner, currently head of international fisheries at the ministerial department, will join seafood sector body on 12 January 2026.
He succeeds incumbent Marcus Coleman, a veteran of 10 years in his post, who will take up the role of chief executive at the Water Management Alliance and its member boards in January.
“I am very pleased that we have been able to attract someone of such high calibre and industry knowledge as Colin Faulkner to join us as Seafish chief executive,” said Seafish chair Mike Sheldon. “We have known and worked successfully with Colin for many years and we look forward to continuing that to great effect in his new role.”
He continued: “Colin has big shoes to fill as Marcus leaves us but the board and I have every confidence in him.
“We thank Marcus for his 10 years of service at Seafish and wish him every success in his new role.”
In addition to his time at Defra, from 2015 to 2018 Faulkner was director of government affairs for the UK Green Investment Bank and Macquarie in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Prior to that, he worked in the private sector in a range of roles concerning constitutional, environment and fisheries policy for the UK and Scottish governments.
“Joining Seafish feels like the start of an exciting new chapter, both for me and for the organisation,” said Faulkner. “I can’t wait to get started on working with all parts of the seafood industry across the UK, and the whole team at Seafish, to take the organisation to new heights.”
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