Our team

The Ocean Plastic Forum secretariat consists of a small and dedicated team of members with diverse professional expertise sharing a mutual ambition of turning Ocean Plastic Forum into the preferred platform for collaborations and value chains that contribute to the removal and upcycling of plastic from our oceans.

Get to know our team

christoffer-engstrom-wc9avd2RaN0-unsplash-2

Lars Have Hansen

Chairman

Lars graduated engineer school in 1983 and started his career at sea before he went ashore and got a job at Stålvalseværket in Frederiksværk, Denmark and later in the pharmaceutical industry. He then became a teacher and associate professor at Aarhus Maskinmester-skole, where he has been for 25 years – until the election as chairman of the Danish Engineers’ Association, which has 14,000 members. At Ocean Plastic Forum, Lars is the chairman.

Email: lh@mmf.dk
Phone: +45 25 14 03 23

Thomas Alstrup

Secretary Manager

For more than 15 years, Thomas has been working with establishment and day to day running of partnerships, triple helix models of innovation and collaboration in value-chains where focus has been on identifying new solutions and launching initiatives in the field of environment, waste, and energy. As the Secretary Manager, Thomas has the overall responsibility of the activities and intiatives of Ocean Plastic Forum.

Email: ta@oceanplasticforum.dk
Phone: +45 30 29 30 72

Ida Holmgaard

Project Manager

Ida has a background in digital marketing and communications. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration and Brand & Communications Management. Ida has experience with sustainability challenges and value chain collaborations from her work on open innovation in the plastic recycling industry for her Master’s Thesis.

Email: ih@oceanplasticforum.dk
Phone: +45 22 98 10 75

Louise Keller Nielsen

Program Assistant

Louise is studying European Business at CBS. She has previous experience with management of volunteer projects, focussing on environmental pollution and protection of marine life, from her work in Spain.

Email: lkn@oceanplasticforum.dk
Phone: +45 27 84 45 26

Malthe Friis Schmidt

Program Assistant

Malthe is studying Ocean Engineering at DTU. He has previous experience with research projects, including data collection on jellyfish in the North Sea and coastal protection.

Email: mfs@oceanplasticforum.dk
Phone: +45 60 65 97 07

Charlotte Bjørn Hansen

External Project Advisor

Charlotte has a strong background in project management, process and quality assurance, sustainability, and circular economy. She is hired as an external project advisor for our project From Beach to Big Bags in Chennai, India.