Building Skipper Otto: Sonia Strobel on Fair Fisheries, Human Connection & Redesigning Food Systems

In this episode of The People-Driven CEO Podcast, Shane sits down with Sonia Strobel, Co-Founder and CEO of Skipper Otto, to explore how a simple idea for connecting fishing families directly with consumers grew into one of Canada’s leading community-supported fisheries.

Sonia shares how Skipper Otto built a completely different business model by asking customers to commit to seafood before the fishing season begins. That upfront commitment gives independent harvesters a reliable market, helps fishing families earn fairer value for their catch and allows the company to remain independent without sacrificing its mission for outside investment. What began with one fishing family and 40 members has grown into a network of dozens of independent harvesters serving Canadians across the country.

The conversation goes beyond seafood into leadership, trust and the future of human-first business. Sonia and Shane discuss why relationships are difficult for competitors to replicate, how technology can remove friction without removing humanity, and why growth should protect the people, communities and ways of life at the heart of a company rather than replace them.