We are
The Ocean Cleanup

Inventor since birth. Founded The Ocean Cleanup at age 18. Youngest ever recipient of the UN’s highest environmental accolade; Champion of the Earth in 2015. Awarded the maritime industry’s Young Entrepreneur Award in 2015 by HM King Harald of Norway.

Chosen as European of the Year by Readers Digest in 2017. Member of the Thiel Fellowship.

Over 15 years of experience in finance in senior positions across both for-profit and non-profit sectors. MSc in International Business Administration from Erasmus University Rotterdam (2006) and an International Executive Master of Finance and Control from Maastricht University (2014). Previous roles include senior positions at ING, GE, and Greenpeace.

Julian is a high-performance Corporate Development Professional with experience in Consumer Electronics, Clean Energy, Semiconductor, Life Sciences, Aerospace, and Telecommunications industries. He played a key role in developing a first of its kind grass roots technology development services business at SVTC Technologies and Novati Technologies. As Chief Commercial Officer at SCRG, he led the company from a negative position to profitable growth exceeding 30% annually.

Over 17 years of experience in managerial and director positions across for profit and non-profit sectors. Master’s in business of Energy Systems from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft, 2014), Bachelor of Science in Meteorology & Oceanography from the University of East Anglia (2005) and completed the Executive Leadership Program at THNK School of Creative Leadership in 2019. Previous roles include senior positions at Heerema Marine Contractors and Fugro.

Joël Jansen has worked for over 14 years in the offshore industry, gaining practical, technical, safety, and leadership experience at Ampelmann, a high-tech start-up turned scale-up. He has a broad professional background in the fields of R&D, engineering, quality, health, safety, and environment; project engineering; and management. Joël holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and an MSc in Offshore Engineering, both from Delft University of Technology.

With an academic background in civil engineering and management, Marco’s studies concluded in Cambodia, where a deep interest in Asia first took root. Professionally, he worked primarily with consulting engineering firms such as Royal HaskoningDHV and Arcadis, leading various water-related departments. Marco spent nearly six years in Jakarta with Royal HaskoningDHV, overseeing water operations in both Indonesia and the Philippines.

CEO at Gefira Solutions; former executive roles with Tesla, SunEdison, Cypress Semiconductor, Biomason and Next Gen Powersystems. Holds a B.S. and M.S. in Electrical Engineering and Micro-Electronics from the Katholieke University in Leuven. Currently serves as an advisor to Torramics, a microfluidic pump solution, and Shyft, a smart energy management solution.

Non-executive director at Prysmian Group, Redcare Pharmacy and Nobian. Former CFO at Royal FrieslandCampina and Royal HaskoningDHV. Other former leadership roles at Leaf, CSM and Boston Consulting Group. Holds an MBA and a M.Sc. in Econometrics and Operations Research.

String of roles with Royal HaskoningDHV incl. CEO for over 10 years. Currently Chief Commercial Officer in the Executive Board, various (advisory) board roles [e.g. International Advisory Board Deltares, Inspirational Board Green Village at the Delft University of Technology], consulting engineer, energy transition advocate, co-creator for a better world. M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering.

Entrepreneur, Filmmaker and Investor. Former director at PharmAccess Foundation and Health Insurance Fund. MSc. Civil Engineering (hydraulic Engineering).

Chairman Supervisory Board Royal Philips, Former CEO DSM (2007-2020, Honorary Chair), Co-chair Global Climate Adaptation Centers, Member Private Lab World Bank Group (Carbon Pricing Champion), Member Board Trustees World Economic Forum. Awarded Humanitarian of the Year (2010)by United Nations, Honorary Doctorates Universities of Groningen & Maastricht, Listed by Fortune World’s Greatest Leaders (2018) and by Harvard Business Review World’s 100 most successful CEO’s (2019), Decorated as Grand Officer in order or Orange Nassau.