The OFI Executive Board is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Ofer Carmeli (Israel), Mr Eric Wang (Taiwan) and Mr Mario Wipfler (Germany) as Advisors to the Board. 

Ofer holds a Master’s degree (M.Sc.) in Life & Animals Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with a specialization in ornamental fish aquaculture. His master's research focused on ornamental fish nutrition, providing him with in-depth knowledge in this field. Since 1992, Ofer has been advising ornamental fish farms on various biological and farming aspects, including economic programming, fish nutrition and feeding, breeding, filtration, and water systems planning, as well as water chemistry. Ofer also pursued studies in Business Administration and Marketing at Tel Aviv University, which paved the way for his involvement in the global ornamental fish market as a Marketing and Sales Manager for various companies since 1996. Currently, Ofer serves as the VP of Sales and Logistics at Aquamade Ltd., a position he has held since January 2021. 

Eric is the owner of Larmax International Co., Ltd., a company he has successfully managed since 2013. Eric is a graduate of the Department of Business Administration at National Taiwan University. Under his leadership, Larmax has become a prominent name in the ornamental shrimp industry, particularly known for breeding world-leading Neocaridina species. Expanding beyond shrimp, Larmax began offering comprehensive solutions for the trading of ornamental aquatic animals and plants from Taiwan in 2015. In 2023, Eric and Larmax made a significant impact on the industry by hosting the Taiwan Shrimp Open at the Taiwan Aquarium Expo, further cementing their reputation in the global aquatics community.

Mario Wipfler is an experienced fishkeeping professional, born on April 23, 1992. He has been passionate about fishkeeping since 2000 and has gained significant experience in the field over the years. Mario worked as a student worker at Aquarium Glaser GmbH for six years, where he honed his skills and knowledge. In 2021, he advanced to the role of Operations Manager at the company, where he continues to contribute to the freshwater fish trade. His expertise was further recognized in 2024 when he became certified as an expert in the freshwater fish trade under §11 of the German Animal Protection Law (TierSchG).

OFI Secretary General, Jonathan Poh, expressed his gratitude towards the newly elected advisors, stating, "I would like to thank all our newly elected advisors for availing their time, experience, and willingness to accept the role. I look forward to working with all of them in elevating our industry standards to a higher ground”.

Join us to welcome them in their new positions with OFI. We would also like to thank the past advisors, Mr Ran Epsteen (Israel) and Mr Willy Heidbrink (Germany) for their contribution to OFI over the years.