Armi Chia is the manager of our wetfish factory in Nelson, which processes hoki in season from May to September and species such as orange roughy, dory and ling throughout the year.

A new migrant to New Zealand from Malaysia, Armi has quickly built an impressive seafood career in a short space of time.

He and his wife Jeslyn started here in 2013 with positions in the Talley’s mussel processing factory, from where Armi worked his way up into supervisor and project manager roles, and Jeslyn into corporate roles.

After project-managing the build of Talley’s new mussel factory and subsequent factory management roles, Armi accepted a job offer from Sealord in 2023 to manage our substantial wet fish operations.

Armi says one of the things he enjoys most at Sealord is working with and mentoring people. That gives him a lot of satisfaction, he says.

In his first weeks on the job, Armi found many things that appealed to his strong organisation and management skills – such as the Mahi Tahi project to integrate the management of Sealord’s business processes.

He also appreciates Sealord’s use of cutting-edge reporting and automation software.

“With support from the IT team, I am able to analyse available data and present an insightful report to the weekly senior team meeting,” Armi says.

One of Armi’s many hobbies is 3D printing, which allows him to use his extensive problem-solving skills. He recently collaborated with our Innovation and Coated Products teams on a project to design and make custom moulds for a new high-end factory machine.

Jeslyn now works close by at Port Nelson-based engineering firm Kernohans. She and Armi are loving the work-life balance living in New Zealand and working for Sealord offers.

“Jeslyn and I never got to spend New Year’s or Valentines Day together in Malaysia as I was always working. In New Zealand I get home at 6pm and Jeslyn and I can go for a walk.”