OUR TEAM

André du Plessis
Chairman
Andre is the founder of the abalone business that has become Aqunion and has been in marine aquaculture for forty years. He started Aquafarm Development (Pty) Ltd in 1994 and retired as Chief Executive of the Group in 2012. Obtained a BSc (Biology) at Stellenbosch University after which he conducted research and development work in marine aquaculture for the next ten years. This was followed by over ten years in the fishing industry where he gained valuable experience in management and processing.

Jacques du Plessis
International Commercial Director / Sales Manager
Jacques has over 20 years of experience in abalone aquaculture and marketing, as he started his career at the group in 2000. Typically, he is responsible for overall business strategy and leading the Executive Team. Highlights of his tenure at the company includes the expansion of the production capacity of Roman Bay Sea Farm from 50 to 215 tonnes per annum, over a period of 8 years. He has been integral in establishing Aqunion as the new consolidated abalone group. This is the culmination of his vision and a process that started 4 years ago.

Rowan Yearsly
Chief Executive Officer
Rowan is the Chief Executive Officer of Aqunion and has been with the company since 2008. He initially served as the Research & Development Manager of Aqunion and as Managing Director of Group subsidiary Marifeed before being appointed as CEO in 2017.