Mr. Mathiesen has over 30 years of experience in the international seafood and political arena, both as a member of the Icelandic Parliament, as a Minister of Fisheries and Minister of Finance in Iceland and most recently as the Assistant Director General at FAO in Rome and Head of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, where he served for ten years.

Árni is currently the independent Chair of the Global Round Table on Marine Ingredients and senior advisor at the Iceland Ocean Cluster. He received his professional qualifications from the Royal School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburg, Scotland and an M.Sc. of Aquatic Veterinary Science, University of Stirling, Scotland.