GROENVERMOGENNL - Key Persons
Afkenel leads the Hydrogen team for Uniper in The Netherlands. She is Non-Executive Director at HydrogenOne Capital, the first renewable hydrogen investment trust listed on the London Stock exchange. She was previously COO Energy at First Hydrogen, and SVP of Hydrogen Business Development for The Netherlands at ENGIE. She has held senior positions at Gasunie, Shell and NAM. Afkenel has delivered hydrogen, heating, and oil & gas projects in the Netherlands and world-wide.
Alexandru is part of Ørsted's Ventures and Open Innovation hub in the Netherlands. With more than 10 years' experience in the Offshore Wind Sector he is currently working on the next gen offshore wind farms developments where System Integration will play a pivotal role towards meeting our climate goals.
Arjan van der Stelt studied Electrical Power Engineering at Avans University of Applied Sciences and Technology Policy at the Technical University in Eindhoven, specializing in Energy and Environment.
Since then, he has been active in the energy sector for over 20 years. He has been active in various roles, including - Manager of Business Economics at Essent - Operations Implementation Manager of the Moerdijk 2 new build project. Subsequently, he was Operations Manager of the Moerdijk 1 and Moerdijk 2 gas-fired power plants.
Currently, he is the Knowledge & Change Manager at RWE Generation, with responsibilities covering Germany, England, the Netherlands, and Turkey.
Job Titles:
- Mott MacDonald BV As a Technical Consultant
Bas Terlingen joined Mott MacDonald BV as a technical consultant after obtaining his PhD in heterogeneous catalysis at Utrecht University.
Job Titles:
- Distinguished University Professor
Bert Weckhuysen (1968) His research group has been active in the design, synthesis, characterization and application of catalysts for the manufacturing of our current and future fuels, chemicals and materials. Recent research is devoted to the catalytic activation of CO2 and H2O, as well as the chemical recycling of plastics and the upgrading of municipal and agricultural waste. He has received for his research work many prizes, including the Emmett Award, Bourke Award, Spinoza Award, Tanabe Prize, and most recently the Chemistry Europe Award. He has been appointed Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion and is a member of a.o. the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts, and European Academy of Science.
Job Titles:
- Director Business Development
- Is Director Business Development at ISPT
Carol Xiao is Director Business Development. She has a background in Chemical Engineering, studied at Technische Universiteit Delft and started her career in the chemical industry and high tech sector. Carol: "What I enjoy most is that innovation can be disruptive: it can bring a real change to the world in how we interact, live or (economically) behave."
Dirk graduated from Utrecht University in 1989 with a PhD in Mathematical Physics, String Theory. He went on to complete an academic post-doctorate at Berkeley and was awarded a post-doctorate at Harvard University. He joined Shell's Geophysics R&D department in the Netherlands in 1992. He retired from Shell in November 2023.
While at Shell he has held numerous positions, including Chief Geophysicist for Shell UK, and Vice President Exploration and Upstream Technology. Since 2011 he has been Chief Scientist Geophysics and since 2016 he has been appointed Vice President Research Strategy while continuing in his roles as Chairman for the Shell Science Council. From 2016 onwards his work is mostly on "systems thinking and engineering" aspects of the energy transition to a net-zero emission system. He is frequently asked keynote speaker in Europe, US and Asia, and writes about aspects of the energy transition. He was Shell's (first ever) Corporate Chief Scientist (Chief Science Officer) since 2022 advising the Executive Committee and Board.
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor at Delft University of Technology
- Kortlever Is an Associate Professor at Delft University of Technology ( TU Delft ) in the Department of Process & Energy
Dr. Ruud Kortlever is an associate professor at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Department of Process & Energy. His group is interested in electrochemical conversions that are relevant for renewable fuel production and the electrification of the chemical industry. With the help of mechanistical insights, modelling and experimental work his group contributes to solving contemporary energy problems by developing new electrocatalytic systems and devices.
Ed graduated at Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands and also defended his PhD thesis at the Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands on the degradation of lignocellulose by white-rot fungi (1993). Ed jointed Avantium in 2007. He is currently VP Development - responsible for Public-Private partnerships of Avantium. In addition he is involved in feedstock selection and pretreatment (Avantium's Dawn Technology and Ray Technology) and Catalytic Biomass Conversion of carbohydrates into building blocks for polyesters such as PEF, an improved replacement of PET. He is also involved in the valorization of side products of the YXY & Dawn Processes, cq lignins, humins and levulinates. He is co-chair of the IEA-Bioenergy Task 42 on Biorefineries.
Ed de Jong graduated at Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands and also defended his PhD thesis at the Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands on the degradation of lignocellulose by white-rot fungi.
Job Titles:
- Technical Program Manager and Principal Science Expert in the Hydrogen Technology Team of Shell Project
Frank Geuzebroek He is responsible for management of the Hydrogen R&D technology program dealing with aspects of production, transport, distribution and end-use of hydrogen. Frank is also the Shell representative in the Mega Watt Test Centre of the Institute for Sustainable Process Technology project, building two electrolysers at EnTranCe at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen.
Job Titles:
- International Project Manager Hydrogen
is currently Technical Program Manager and Principal Science Expert in the Hydrogen Technology team of Shell Project and Technology.
After obtaining a MSc in chemistry, with a specialization in heterogeneous catalysis from the University of Utrecht in 1992, Guido received his PhD in 1997 from the Delft University of Technology on a thesis on catalytic purification of Diesel exhaust gas. After a Post-Doc position at SRI-International (Stanford Research Institute) (1997-1999), he was awarded a fellowship of the KNAW (Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences) to return to the Delft University of Technology as assistant professor, investigating the mechanism of heterogeneous catalytic processes using in situ spectroscopy and transient kinetics. He was awarded a VIDI scholarship in 2005 to develop liquid phase (photo)catalytic processes.
In 2009 he was appointed full professor initiating the research group ‘Photocatalytic Synthesis' at the University of Twente. Prof. Dr. Guido Mul is a leading scientist in synthesis and performance evaluation of (photo)electrodes and photocatalysts for environmental and industrial applications, including using Raman and Infrared spectroscopy, and published over 200 peer-reviewed papers. He chairs the discipline of chemical engineering at the UT, is a member of the Dutch ECCM advisory committee (Electrochemical Conversion and Materials), a member of the CCPTS council (Chemical Conversion, Process Technology, and Synthesis (Top Sector Chemistry)), editorial board member of the international journals "ChemElectroChem" and "ACS Environmental Science & Technology - Engineering", and presently cooperates with industry in various Public-Private, and Dutch Science Foundation-funded consortia, such as RELEASE.
Dr. Hamed Aslannejad has been a prominent figure in the field of hydrogen since 2008, with a strong background in the development of solid oxide fuel cell systems. His primary area of expertise lies in the production and utilization of hydrogen through electrochemical conversions, particularly in the domains of electrolyzers and fuel cells, and their integration into energy systems. With a foundation in chemical engineering, he is deeply involved in the multi-scale modeling of electrolyzer and fuel cell units, aimed at enhancing their sustainability and longevity. Dr. Aslannejad is also dedicated to the concept of a reversible electrolyzer unit that can seamlessly connect to both electricity and gas grids, serving as an innovative energy storage solution. He holds a Ph.D. with the prestigious Cum Laude designation and was honored with the Interpore Young Researcher Award in 2020. Presently, he serves as the technical manager of Work Package 3 within the GronevermogenNL program, where, in collaboration with their consortium, they are pioneering the direct application of hydrogen in the Netherlands.
Harry is a Chemical Engineer by background supplemented with an MBA. He has worked since 1988 in the refining and chemical process industry in over 20 countries. In this period, he has lived for 12 years in Singapore, Malaysia and the UAE. Roles range from R&D, Engineering and Operational support, Business development and Project development.
Since 2016 Harry has focused on supporting the industry in NL to become more sustainable. Next to GroenvermogenNL he has done so on behalf of organisations such as Deltalinqs, ISPT, Havenbedrijf Rotterdam and TKI E&I.
Jacqueline Vaessen has been Figurehead for the Top Sector ChemistryNL since September 2021. In this capacity, she also chairs the Circular Economy Mission Team. Vaessen, who has a master's degree in chemical engineering and a bachelor's degree in psychology, began her career in 1989 at Shell Chemicals. She then worked for Syntens for eight years as an innovation broker and later as regional manager. In 2004, she decided to become self-employed, focusing on energy saving within industry and on alternative ways to generate renewable energy. Jacqueline Vaessen was politically active as a member of the Province of Utrecht until September 2018, acting as spokesperson for energy and economy. From 2018 to 2022, Vaessen was general manager of Nexstep, the national platform for reuse and decommissioning of oil and gas infrastructure.
Jan Jaap Nusselder is Sustainability Lead for OCI Nitrogen Europe. OCI Nitrogen Europe is a subsidiary of OCI Global, a leading global producer and distributor of hydrogen based products - ammonia and its derivatives, and methanol, providing low carbon fertilizers, fuels and feedstock. Jan Jaap leads OCI Nitrogen Europe's efforts to lower the carbon footprint of OCI's products during production and work with customers across downstream value chains to minimize emissions occurring during the application of those products.
Jan Jaap joined OCI in 2013, working in roles across business development and public affairs before transitioning to his current role in September 2022. Prior to OCI, he held various positions within DSM in research, business intelligence and business development. Jan Jaap has a PhD in Physic Organic Chemistry and Masters in Chemistry from the University of Groningen
Dr Jan-jaap Aué is lecturer in hydrogen applications at Hanze University Groningen and director of EnTranCe, Centre of Expertise Energy. He is regional liaison Human Capital Groenvermogen in the Northern Netherlands, chairman of the LEVE lectors' platform and ECCM committee member. After his PhD, he has worked at KPN Research and TNO and from 2009 at Hanzehogeschool Groningen. He has been responsible for the development of an interdisciplinary applied research group on Energy Transition, which led to the establishment of the EnTranCe|Centre of Expertise Energy in 2012. EnTranCe now has 11 lecturers and around 50FTE staff.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager Hydrogen FME & EMP - NL
Moderator Jörg Gigler has been working on themes at the interface of sustainability, energy transition and innovation for almost 30 years
Jörg Gigler has been working on themes at the interface of sustainability, energy transition and innovation for almost 30 years. Since 2013, he has been director of TKI New Gas | Top Sector Energy. From that position, Jörg facilitates "innovators" looking for support, funding, networking and information on the themes of hydrogen, green gas, CCS (carbon capture & storage) and geo-energy. Before that, Jörg held various positions in consultancy, at companies and regional organisations, for the government and in research. Jörg studied agricultural engineering at Wageningen University, where he obtained his PhD on the topic of bioenergy in early 2000. Jörg is a regular speaker and moderator at conferences and courses.
My name is Kees Boer, 56 years old. I graduated in planning from the UVA. I work for the municipality of Hoogeveen. I have been the project manager of the Waterstofwijk (Hydrogen District) for about five years. With the Hydrogen District Hoogeveen project, we want to add an extra option to making existing districts in the Netherlands more sustainable. This by reusing the existing natural gas network to transport green hydrogen and replacing the natural gas boiler with a hydrogen central heating boiler. And using the knowledge and experience gained for possible upscaling in time to accelerate the energy transition in the Netherlands. Learning by doing, by putting the pilot project into practice. Learning takes place in the national network of the Green deal H2 districts. For the parties involved, the focus is also on the realisation of the project and on the learning process.
Lennart van der Burg is hydrogen expert and as cluster manager green hydrogen responsible for the green hydrogen R&D development program within the leading Dutch applied research centre TNO. In 2022 only, the program contains more than 50 projects related to hydrogen production, transportation, storage and application. Lennart is leading the Power-2-Hydrogen program line of the Shared research initiative VoltaChem. Here we work together with industry on next generation PEM, SOE, AEM and CO2 electrolyser technology and breakthrough improvements with respect to circularity, cost, performance and upscaling.
Lennart has a strong dedication to tackle climate change and is besides TNO active as a local councillor and was involved in the social enterprise on sustainable lifestyle. Lennart has over 15 year professional experience in the renewable energy and water technology sector. Before TNO he worked for 7 years at engineering company Sweco. Lennart and has a master degree in environmental economics and water technology.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Environmental Psychology at the University of Groningen
Linda Steg is professor of environmental psychology at the University of Groningen. She studies factors influencing sustainable behaviour, the effects and acceptability of strategies aimed at promoting sustainable behaviour, and public perceptions of technology and system changes. She is a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the Dutch Scientific Climate Council. She is laureate of the Dutch Royal Decoration with appointment as the Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, and laureate of the Stevin prize of the Dutch Research Council. She was lead author of the IPCC special report on 1.5°C and AR6, and participates in various interdisciplinary and international research programmes in which she collaborates with practitioners working in industry, governments and NGOs.
Maarten Wetselaar joined Cepsa as CEO in January 2022 and is based in Madrid. In March 2022 he announced the firm's "Positive Motion" strategy that is aimed at transforming Cepsa into an Energy Transition leader in years to come.
Prior to joining Cepsa he worked at Royal Dutch Shell for 26 years and served on the firm´s Executive Committee as Director of Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions from 2016-2021. In that role he oversaw 38 countries for Shell, including Australia, China, Canada, Japan, Qatar, Russia and Trinidad. Before 2016 he held various financial, commercial and general management positions in Shell's Upstream, Downstream and Trading businesses in Europe, Singapore, Brazil, Ghana, the Middle East and Russia.
Wetselaar holds a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Groningen and a postdoctoral degree from VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. After his studies he discharged his military service as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis at Leiden University
Marc Koper is Professor of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis at Leiden University, The Netherlands. He received his PhD degree (1994) from Utrecht University (The Netherlands) with a thesis on nonlinear dynamics and oscillations in electrochemistry. He was an EU Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow at the University of Ulm (Germany) and a Fellow of Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) at Eindhoven University of Technology, before moving to Leiden University in 2005. His research in Leiden focuses on fundamental aspects of electrocatalysis, theoretical and computational electrochemistry, and electrochemical surface science, in relation to renewable energy and chemistry. He has received various national and international awards, among which the Spinoza Prize of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (2021), the Allen J. Bard Award for Electrochemical Science of The Electrochemical Society (2020), the Netherlands Catalysis and Chemistry Award (2019), and the Faraday Medal (2017) from the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 2021-2022, he was President of the International Society of Electrochemistry.
Marco leads Nobian's R&D and Technology agenda and is responsible for sustainability across the company. He brings a deep knowledge of technology transformation, open innovation (collaboration with universities, startups and in consortia), circular economy, electrification and Industry 4.0. Marco has held various (senior) management positions, including at Unilever and AkzoNobel. Previously, he was Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Maritime Engineering and Materials Science at Delft University of Technology. Marco is member of the Board of the VNCI (Dutch Chemical Industry Association) and Chairman of its Technology and Innovation Policy Committee. He is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the ISPT (Institute for Sustainable Process Technology and member of various committees and advisory boards. He studied (bio)chemical engineering and information technology at the University of Amsterdam.
Job Titles:
- CEO HyET Hydrogen
- CEO HyET Hydrogen / Co - CEO HyET Solar Encountered Sustainable Technology Development at HyET Solar After Studying Chemistry at UU
Maria Fennis, CEO HyET Hydrogen / Co-CEO HyET Solar encountered sustainable technology development at HyET Solar after studying Chemistry at UU. This is where her enthusiasm was aroused and after working in product development for several years, she started doing her master in Science and Business Management full time at UU. It seemed very sensible for Maria to also learn a bit more about how exactly to put such a great product on the market, strategy, vision, people, capital. After having seen a number of other companies, including Nedstack where she first came into contact with hydrogen, she returned to Hyet Group 4 years ago to first further build up HyET Hydrogen and then to further develop the HyET Group proposition together with Rombout Swanborn. Crucial here are the collaborative projects with universities, finding strategic partners, finding the right people, and making sure there is enough capital to continue growing.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Program Board
Marjan Oudeman, MBA was a member of the Executive Committee of the European part of the Tata Steel Group (formerly Corus) and Executive Director of the Strip Division of the steel company, and then a member of the Executive Committee of AkzoNobel. She is also former chairman of the Executive Board of Utrecht University. Oudeman is a supervisory board member of several companies in the Netherlands and abroad, including UPM-Kymmene Corporation and Solvay SA. She also holds various secondary functions.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Surface Chemistry
Mark Koper is Professor of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis at Leiden University, The Netherlands.
Martijn is responsible for strategic business management for TNO's programs in the field of Industrial Transformation, Power-2-X and CCU. He works at the intersection of multiple technologies, products, companies and market segments to accelerate the transition to a CO2-neutral and circular economy. Previously, he worked in various business development positions focused on innovation in the chemical, process technology and high-tech industries. He is deeply involved in setting up public-private partnerships at regional, national and transnational levels, with a focus on industrial transformation and electrification in Northwestern Europe.
Martijn de Graaff is responsible for strategic business management for TNO's programs in the field of Industrial Transformation, Power-2-X and CCU.
Moderator Martin Weissmann is an advisor at the Financieringsloket of the Top Sector Energy. In recent years, the Financieringsloket has been able to help more than half of the 700 innovative Dutch energy startups and scale-ups present understand the financing landscape and find suitable financing and investors.
Want feedback, tips, or connections with investors for your innovation? Join the Speeddate session with Martin Weissmann. Then make a 1-on-1 appointment. The Financieringsloket of the Top Sector Energy gives you insight into the investment landscape and, if possible, refers you to investors. In this 10-minute appointment, you'll hear what an initial response would be to your financing request and whether it's worth making a follow-up appointment. Register now
Neha has about 17 years of R&D experience in the automotive industry. She holds a master degree in Real time embedded systems and a bachelor in Telecommunication engineering. She started her engineering carrier in 2006 at Bosch in the software domain. In Feb 2014, she joined the Hyster Yale group Big truck development centre as a System group lead - controls and electricals and currently holds the Innovation lead position for Big Trucks. Through her previous role and current, she has been extensively involved in concepts and development of on Fuel Cell Electric Forklift and Container Handler trucks.
Job Titles:
- CEO and Founder of Power2X
Occo Roelofsen is the CEO and Founder of Power2X, a global energy transition project developer and consultancy based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Power2X develops large-scale new energy assets and infrastructure focusing on decarbonizing industrial value chains and heavy transport in collaboration with industrial companies around the world. The company is focused on clean hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol, with a diverse portfolio of projects that are initially prioritizing European demand. Two of its projects are ErasmoPower2X, a 1 billion solar and hydrogen plant in Spain, and MadoquaPower2X, a 1 billion industrial-scale hydrogen and green ammonia project in Portugal.
After obtaining the Ph.D. degree in Bio-Organic Chemistry at the Leiden University, he started his career at TNO as Research Scientist in 2001. In the successive years he occupied various other functions amongst others Project Manager, Senior Business Developer and Head of Department. In 2013, he directed his attention towards Singapore and the region. The TNO SEA business plan was accepted in the summer of 2013. Successively, under his supervision the office grew in leads, project portfolio and local staff. As branch Office Manager, he was responsible for all operations and sales in Singapore and the South East Asia region. In 2020, Peter was appointed as Deputy Director of Operations of the Unit Energy Transition. In this function he coordinated several dossiers on behalf of the management team of the Unit, such as QSHE, portfolio management, valorisation of IP and reducing red tape.
As operational program manager at the Fieldlab Industrial Electrification (FLIE), he was tasked in May 2021 to set-up the infrastructure of the pilot hall. Since July 2022 Peter acts as Director of FLIE. In his work, Peter is eager to create and build new collaborations. Due to his vast experience in the area of business development as well as operational management, he successfully brings together the stakeholders to translate ideas into realities.
Job Titles:
- Dean of the Faculty
- Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences
is a Distinguished University Professor at Utrecht University. He received his Master and PhD degrees from Leuven University, after which he worked as a postdoc at Lehigh University and Texas A&M University.
Prof Paulien Herder is the dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and professor of Energy Systems at TU Delft. She specialises in energy systems integration and in making energy and industry free of fossil fuels through electrochemical conversion by combining technical sciences with social and behavioural sciences. Between 2013 and 2019, she was Director of the Delft Energy Initiative, which is a portal to around 1000 energy researchers on the Delft campus. She is a member of the Supervisory Board of Hotelschool The Hague and a member of the Scientific Sounding Board Committee for the North Sea Consultation.
Rajat Bhardwaj. CTO, Power2X. Background in Chemical Engineering with 15+ years' experience in energy and oil and gas industry in functions ranging from technology development, assessment, and deployment. Part of (and lead technology) teams ranging from topics such as CO2 capture, methane pyrolysis, blue/ green H2, Power2X, chemical recycling, biochemicals and synfuel production Worked with several major energy companies including Shell, Exxon, BP, TATA and many others in NWEU for projects related to energy transition. At Power2X, I am responsible for selection and delivery of technology towards our projects from concept engineering till FEED/FID.
Job Titles:
- Board Member of IRO
- Expert
- Expert in Engineering
- Moderator
René Peters is an expert in engineering physics with a background at Eindhoven University of Technology. After his PhD in 1993 at the same university, where he optimized gas flows in pipeline networks, he worked at Shell Research on gas extraction from nearly empty gas fields. He then joined TNO in 1998, where he held various positions in gas extraction, transport, and storage. He is currently director of gas technology, directing research on sustainable gases such as green gas and hydrogen, the role of gas in energy transition and system integration.
His current focus is on smart utilization of existing energy infrastructure and system integration. He leads the North Sea Energy program, a public-private research program for system integration in the North Sea. This investigates the transition from oil and gas to renewable energy at sea by more than 30 partners from industry and government. This has led to the PosHYdon pilot, in which the conversion of offshore wind to hydrogen at sea is being demonstrated on a platform in the North Sea.
In addition, René Peters is a board member of IRO (association of suppliers to the offshore energy sector), board member of the World Energy Council NL and the Energy Reinvented Community. He also leads the TKI New Gas consortium for Geo Energy research under Top Sector Energy and is a member of the Board of Experts as advisor to the Ministry of EZK in the field of flow metrology.
René Schutte joined Gasunie in 2006. He has worked in several commercial roles in energy procurement, shipping and grid connections and implementation of new law and regulation requirements for Gasunie Transport Services. Since July 2018 René was Program Manager Hydrogen. In this role he was responsible to develop and implement the Gasunie hydrogen program. René now is director of HyNorth, the transition and coordination office for the Northern Netherlands Hydrogen Investment Plan, combing projects of more than 50 parties to accomplish a hydrogen eco-system of combined investment value EUR 10 billion. Until mid 2022 he was Board member at Hydrogen Europe and Chair of the Governance Board at Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
Job Titles:
- Scientific Director of the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy
- Scientific Director of the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems
Richard van de Sanden is the scientific director of the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES) and a professor at the Department of Applied Physics of the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. He is also a research group leader at the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research (DIFFER) where he has been director from 2011 until July 2020.
He received his Ph.D. in 1991 from the Eindhoven University on a fundamental plasma physics subject. In 1990, he was appointed an Assistant Professor, his main interest being the fundamentals of plasma assisted processing of materials. In 2000, he was appointed as a full-time professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology. At the DIFFER institute he focuses on the physics and chemistry of plasma-surface interaction and on research into the direct and indirect conversion of renewable energy into synthetic fuels and chemicals.
He is a member of several (scientific) advisory boards for (inter-)national programs, institutes and departments. He was the chairman of the advisory committee on Electrochemical Conversion and Materials (ECCM) between 2017-2022, and an active member of the Energy committee of the European Academies for Science Advisory Council (EASAC). In 2021 he became a member of the NWO-TTW board and since 2022 he represents this board in the NWO-NWA program committee. Since 2023 he is a member of the Topteam Energy (Captain of Science of Topsector Energy).
Rombout is a successful serial entrepreneur and founder of several businesses based around oilfield processing and renewable energy technologies. In the Oil & Gas industry these businesses have enabled to lower upstream costs and increase recoverable reserves, while simultaneously reducing the environmental footprint of oil & gas production. On the renewable energy side his business include the HyET Group, which focuses on accelerating the energy transition. The HyET Group encompasses various activities, ranging from generating cost-effective renewable power using Solar PV to the production of Synthetic Aviation Fuels.
Besides these activities, he pursues his passion for nature conservancy in his role as chairman of Africa's Eden, with several long-running projects in Gabon and São Tomé & Príncipe.
Rombout Swanborn is a successful serial entrepreneur and founder of several businesses based around oilfield processing and renewable energy technologies.
Job Titles:
- International Project Manager Hydrogen
Job Titles:
- Account Manager
- Account Manager Energy Transition for Lifelong Development at the Hogeschool
Simone Maase is account manager Energy Transition for Lifelong Development at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. Learning for and by professionals, retrainers and lateral entrants in cooperation with research and training programmes where educational offerings in manageable modules enable a personal learning path. Simone is also regional liaison HCA GroenvermogenNL for the North-West region. She was one of the initiators of the development of the National Learning Community System Integration. Simone received her master's degree in industrial design from TU Delft.
Theo Koster is self-employed and has spent his working life wandering around the manufacturing industry in the Netherlands. First as a journalist for a trade magazine for engineers. Later as director of various industry associations within the FME.
Since 2017, he has been committed to the region (Metropolitan Region Amsterdam) and is deployed by Techport as Business Relations Manager, among other things. Techport is a public-private partnership between entrepreneurs, government and education. Techport's ambition is to work together in the North Sea Canal area to drive the Netherlands' first green industrial zone by connecting, organising and innovating.
In addition, Theo Koster is the initiator of the Innovation Cluster Transport & Logistics IJmond (accommodated by OV IJmond) and holds various board positions in the region. He is thrilled to use his education, work experience and developed network of the past 35 years to support individual companies, government, knowledge institutes and schools in the regional Manufacturing and Maintenance industry in the energy transition.
Job Titles:
- Founder and Chairman of HYDROGREENN
Willem Hazenberg is a revered authority in the renewable energy sector, especially noted for his work in hydrogen technology. As a Senior Consultant at Stork Asset Management Technology, he has significantly contributed to the integration of hydrogen technology into industrial applications, highlighting his commitment to sustainability and education. His academic achievements are impressive, having attained the highest European engineering qualification, EUR ING, and an MBA degree, both completed with distinction, Cum Laude. Furthermore, he has refined his expertise as a hydrogen specialist by completing a Post-HBO program with honors.
Hazenberg's influence extends globally, with work spanning across 16 countries, reflecting his extensive international experience and the global significance of his expertise. His role as a Practor at the Practorate Waterstof in de Industrie at Drenthe College is a testament to his dedication to educating the next generation of engineers for the energy transition.
Notably, Hazenberg is the founder and chairman of HYDROGREENN (HYDROGen Green Regional Energy Economy Network Northern Netherlands), where he has played a pivotal role in establishing hydrogen as a catalyst for innovation in Northern Netherlands. His leadership within the Groningse Ingenieursvereniging and his involvement with the NEN's Hydrogen Normalization Platform confirm his status as a key leader and thinker in sustainable energy.
Hazenberg aspires to join the Board of Directors of a company or organization, where he can further leverage his substantial knowledge and experience to advocate for the wider adoption of renewable energy technologies. His comprehensive expertise, combined with a hands-on approach, ensures he remains at the forefront of the industry, influencing policies and practices towards a greener future.