The Scottish Ocean Cluster has appointed former Associated Seafoods chief executive Victor West as its first chairman, as the initiative moves from building industry support to driving commercial opportunities

West, who is now CEO of Scottish family butcher and food manufacturer Malcolm Allan, was unveiled at the cluster’s inaugural summit in Glasgow on Sept. 9.

“Victor brings unrivalled industry knowledge and experience,” said Seafood Scotland CEO Donna Fordyce, adding the cluster is moving “at pace into the next phase.”

The appointment is aimed at unlocking greater value from Scotland’s seafood sector by fostering closer collaboration across industry, investment and innovation.

“The summit has connected people who may not traditionally work together, generating insights and connections to help shape the Cluster’s future activity,” West said. “Our focus now is on turning that collaboration into commercially viable opportunities.”

The Scottish Ocean Cluster is a Seafood Scotland initiative launched in March 2025 to convert 265,000 metric tons of annual fish byproducts into high-value biotechnology, cosmetics and pharmaceutical products.

Modeled on Iceland’s successful cluster, the project aims to triple the value of Scotland’s seafood waste from £21.5 million to potentially over £60m (from $30m to over $80m) within three years.

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