Salaks Appoints Kine Beate Heggelund as New Group Head, Launching Second-Generation Family Succession

The board of Norwegian aquaculture company Salaks has appointed Kine Beate Heggelund as its new daily leader (daglig leder), a position through which she will also serve as group head of the Salaks group. The appointment was announced by Salaks on 11 November 2026.

Heggelund previously served as a specialist in general medicine in Bardu municipality (Bardu kommune) in Troms county. According to a press release issued by Salaks, over a medical career of nearly twenty years she has accumulated experience in management, decision-making and close contact with people. The board acknowledged this background, considering it a solid foundation for her role as group head.

Board chairman John-Tore Berntsen said he was very pleased that Kine has accepted the task of leading the Salaks group's continued development, and stated that her experience with people, organisations and complex issues gives her the ability to work with the board, the heads of the group's individual companies and all employees to further develop the group.

The appointment carries a clear family succession dimension. Heggelund is the youngest daughter of current group head and major shareholder Odd Geir Bekkeli. She holds shares in the wholly locally owned group together with three siblings and her father. Shortly before this appointment was announced, Heggelund's younger brother Karl Erik Bekkeli had just taken up the position of daily leader at Salaks Produksjon.

Outgoing group head Odd Bekkeli will continue as daily leader of Salaks Service and Salaks Slakteri. As the group's largest shareholder, he will remain active in the development of the companies, including involvement in objectives, strategy and overall priorities. Odd Geir Bekkeli said the Salaks group is currently in a strong position, that he looks forward to following developments together with Kine, the board and the rest of the organisation, and that he is confident she will carry forward the values and culture on which the group has relied for many years.

In announcing the appointment, Salaks said that by appointing Heggelund the group is creating the conditions for a gradual, planned generational transition while continuing to uphold its direction of local ownership, long-term operation and value creation in the region.

Heggelund herself said that her board work over the past few years has been rewarding and has sparked her interest in learning more about the aquaculture industry, decision-making processes and strategic choices. She said she is highly motivated for the task and reassured by the support of her co-shareholders and other family members, and that she feels both humble and in awe of the trust placed in her, and will do everything she can to live up to it, although the learning curve in the initial phase will be steep.

Given her current position, Heggelund will take up the post as soon as circumstances allow, and no later than 1 May 2027.