Victory Group appoints Mireille Van Dongen to drive commercial growth

KENYA – Victory Group, a leading aquaculture farm in Kenya, has appointed Mireille Van Dongen as Group Commercial Director to drive growth and strengthen its route to market across East Africa as it expands access to affordable, high-quality fish.

Van Dongen previously served as Group Director of Strategic Projects at Victory Farms, where she established and led the Group Strategic Projects Office. 

From November 2024 to October 2026, she oversaw company-wide transformation initiatives spanning commercial operations, business growth and operational efficiency. 

Her work included redesigning sales operations and route-to-market capabilities in Kenya and Rwanda.

In her new role, Van Dongen will lead Victory Group’s commercial function across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and other markets. 

Her priorities include pricing, commercial analytics, revenue and margin growth, distribution and market expansion.

Van Dongen will support the group’s ambition to make nutritious fish more accessible to African consumers by strengthening its commercial operations and distribution network.

Beyond the appointment

The appointment comes as Victory Group expands its aquaculture operations. On June 3, 2026, Victory Farms broke ground on its third Kenyan fish farm in Homa Bay. 

The development is expected to support aquaculture production, research and innovation, partnerships under its HEAP initiative, infrastructure development and skills training.

In April 2026, agricultural investor AgDevCo committed an additional US$15 million to support new fish farming sites in Kenya and Rwanda and improve supply reliability for market traders. 

The company expected to produce 30,000 tonnes of fish in 2026. 

Victory Group farms Nile tilapia in Lake Victoria in Kenya and Lake Kivu in Rwanda, supplying fresh fish through a network of sales outlets and supporting thousands of small-scale traders.

In July, Victory Farms, the group’s aquaculture business, marked its 11th anniversary and highlighted investments in technology and workforce development to increase production. 

These included using drones to transport fertilised fish eggs from smallholder partners to its central hatchery, improving delivery speed and reducing handling risks. 

As the business grows, strengthening its commercial network will be important to connecting increased production with consumers across the region. 

Victory Group aims to build a leading African aquaculture business that supplies nutritious protein at scale while creating opportunities for the communities and traders within its value chain.

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