Thai Union appoints Volker Büttel as CEO of Rügen Fisch

  • Volker Büttel will take over from current CEO Jens Vogler on May 9, 2022.
  • With his strong focus on innovation and results, Volker Büttel will intensify the collaboration with Thai Union Europe’s setup to strengthen Rügen Fisch’s competitive position and market innovative products.

BANGKOK, May 3, 2022 – As of May 9, 2022, Volker Büttel will take over as CEO of Rügen Fisch with its subsidiaries Hawesta-Feinkost Hans Westphal GmbH & Co. KG and Ostsee Fisch GmbH & Co. Produktions- und Vertriebs KG. In his role as CEO, Büttel will be responsible for strengthening Rügen Fisch’s competitive position and paving the way for future, innovative consumer products. He will continue the integration of Rügen Fisch into the Thai Union organization so it can fully benefit from the Group’s setup and the synergies it offers.

“With his strong focus on innovation, his many years of experience in the German retail market and his results-driven approach, we are convinced that Volker Büttel has the right skillset to integrate our German business into Thai Union and lead its iconic brands Rügen Fisch, Hawesta, Ostsee Fisch and Lysell into the future,” said Paul Reenan, Thai Union Europe President.

“I am looking forward to shaping the future Rügen Fisch organization together with our highly talented crew to secure and expand our footing in our markets,” said Büttel.

Büttel joins from northern German beverage company Hansa-Heemann, where he was responsible for marketing and sales. Before that, Büttel was responsible for domestic and international sales at Kühne. Prior to that, he worked at Coca-Cola and Apollinaris & Schweppes. Together with Chief Financial Officer Axel Wolff, Büttel will report to the Supervisory Board of Rügen Fisch AG. He will also sit on the Thai Union Europe Leadership Team.

Rügen Fisch’s current CEO Jens Vogler has decided to leave Thai Union to pursue other career opportunities. In his tenure, he has successfully led Rügen Fisch and its subsidiaries through the last three years and has laid the groundwork for the successful integration of Rügen Fisch into Thai Union Europe. Vogler will stay with the Company until May 31, 2022, to ensure a smooth transition.

Rügen Fisch is one of the most important producers of shelf-stable seafood in Germany. It supplies ambient and chilled fish products – including herring, mackerel, salmon and tuna – across the country and abroad to leading retailers under its own key brands, namely Rügen Fisch, Hawesta, Ostsee Fisch and Lysell, and maintains a significant private label manufacturing business. The Company employs more than 600 staff working across sites in Germany and Lithuania.

About Thai Union

Thai Union Group PCL is the world’s seafood leader, bringing high quality, healthy, tasty and innovative seafood products to customers across the world for 45 years.

Today, Thai Union is regarded as one of the world’s leading seafood producers and is one of the largest producers of shelf-stable tuna products with annual sales exceeding THB 141.0 billion (US$ 4.5 billion) and a global workforce of more than 44,000 people who are dedicated to pioneering sustainable, innovative seafood products.

The company’s global brand portfolio includes market-leading international brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West, Petit Navire, Parmentier, Mareblu, King Oscar, and Rügen Fisch, Thai-leading brands SEALECT, Fisho, Qfresh, Monori, OMG Meat, Bellotta and Marvo, and ingredient and supplement brands UniQ®BONE, Uni®DHA and ZEAvita.

As a company committed to innovation and globally responsible behavior, Thai Union is proud to be a member of the United Nations Global Compact, and a founding participating company of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). In 2015, Thai Union introduced its SeaChange® sustainability strategy. Find out more at seachangesustainability.org. Thai Union’s on-going work on sustainability issues was recognized when the company was listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) for the eighth consecutive year in 2021 and ranked number two in the world on the Food Products Industry Index. Thai Union was also named to the FTSE4Good Emerging Index for the fifth straight year in 2020.