We Are A Strong Team That Pulls Together
Get to know us better
Kenneth Junge Hermansen
Senior Partner, CEO Norway
MSc. Business and Administration
kjh@nordicinnovators.no
+45 31 20 55 38
Kenneth leads the way with his high spirit and runs the office in Aarhus and Bergen with focus on business development and innovation.
Kenneth's many years of experience within innovation management and funding schemes have made a big difference to many companies and universities. He also has extended proposal writing skills and a profound knowledge of project administration in both EU and national context.
The few hours Kenneth does not work are spent with his family or his racing bike to clear his head.
Henrik Kemp
Senior Partner, CEO
MSc. Management of Technology
hk@nordicinnovators.dk
+45 31 52 32 36
Henrik has got a real nose for discovering the great idea which is one of the focal points for Nordic Innovators - he always thinks of new ideas.
During Henrik’s entire career, he has focused on helping companies on their funding journey and has also developed many successful applications. However, as Nordic Innovators started to grow he uses all his energy on ensuring the continued growth of our company.
In his spare free time, Henrik enjoys paddle tennis and cross fit which give him new energy.
Kristoffer Riis
Partner, CCO
MSc. Management Research
kr@nordicinnovators.dk
+45 22 74 59 70
Kristoffer’s calm but sharp mindset makes him the perfect manager of the sales and marketing team.
Moreover, Kristoffer uses his many years of experience with soft funding to advice our clients on matching the their innovation projects with the best funding programmes available, both in Scandinavia and within the EU.
Outside of work, Kristoffer's background as business development engineer shines through as he always has several ongoing projects - he says, he just needs more time to finish them, we wonder...
Félix Urbain
Partner, Senior Consultant
PhD Materials Science
feu@nordicinnovators.dk
Tel.: +34 605 227 722
Besides his PhD in the field of Renewable Energy Conversion and Storage, he earns a MSc in Business Management and Economics.
Félix is a world record holder. Together with his former research team, he improved the efficiency record for Solar-to-Hydrogen conversion for prototype devices based on cheap photovoltaic materials. Leaving the science community, he aims to support clients with his experience to propel their innovative ideas to pplications.
Félix is a Luxembourger and speaks five languages, however, he enjoys living and working in Malaga close to the sea.
Filippo Maria Contenti
Partner, Senior Consultant
MSc. Social Needs and Urban Areas Design, MSc. Marketing Research
fmc@nordicinnovators.dk
Tel.: +34 663 795 286
Filippo helps businesses to express the potential of their innovative ideas in a simple, clear and attractive way. He successfully advises them how to analyse target markets, define commercialisation roadmaps, refine business models, connect with key stake-holders, to finally turn breakthrough innovations into solid business cases.
He develops comprehensive financing strategies and guides clients from project ideas to market-ready solutions, and from start-ups to scale-ups, up until large-scale industries.
After work, Filippo enjoys time with his family along Malaga seafront. Filippo is a gourmet food & wine nerd and loves to explore new cities and landscapes.
Gabriel Morales Cid
Partner, Director of Operations
PhD Analytical Chemistry
gm@nordicinnovators.dk
Tel: +34 696 213 641
Gabriel has a recognised scientific background with a strong industrial slant.
Moreover, he has many years of experience with innovation management and soft funding programmes. He
Before joining Nordic Innovators, he was the founder and manager of a European Project Office and led an industrial research team collaborating with innovative SMEs and large industrial companies across the automotive, aerospace and food and packaging sectors.
Off work, Gabriel loves spending time with his family and not least his bass guitar.
Darya Zavertalyuk
MA Psychology
dz@nordicinnovators.dk
Tel: +34 650 708 971
Darya leads our EU Project Delivery Services equipping clients to prepare and sign grant agreements, manage their projects, meet reporting obligations and achieve objectives.
With +10 years of experience in research, compliance and advisory services, Darya delivers solutions for all stakeholders. Passionate about innovation and sustainability, she also enjoys advising SMEs and universities on market readiness.
When time permits it, she enjoys travelling and exploring new cultures.
Jan Rezek
Head of Private Placement & Acquisition Advisory
MSc. Strategy, Organisation, Leadership
jr@nordicinnovators.dk
+45 25 33 98 89
Jan's academic background is his true passion; business strategies and development. Moreover, he has an entrepreneurial background with focus on startups and new ventures.
His internationally-focused mindset enables him to see things around himself from many different perspectives - an attribute he first used in his approach to write successful applications and now as Head of our Capital Raising department.
Outside of work, Jan enjoys exploring all different aspects of Danish hygge.
Jessica Pellarini
COO, Norway
MSc. Political Science and European Studies
jp@nordicinnovators.no
+39 351 47 82 399
Jessica is the cornerstone for Nordic Innovators Norway - she is in charge of the daily operations including management of financial and HR tasks.
Also, before coming COO of Norway, Jessica used her great experience to work successfully with different funding programmes, both national and EU.
Jessica moved from Italy to Denmark years ago and recently moved back to Italy again. In her free time, she likes to read, cook and hike and to immerse herself in nature.
Business Developer (Norway)
MBA in Finance
olt@nordicinnovators.no
+47 90 25 97 73
Olav joins Nordic Innovators with +25 years of experience within sales, finance and business development. Moreover, he has been a entrepreneur himself starting several companies along the way within fields like FinTech, Health and Credit Insurance.
Olav lives in Norway with his family but before settling down in Olso and nearby he lived in the US where he got both his Bachelor's degree and MBA.
Cesar Hagenfeldt
Business Developer
MSc. Business Management
chg@nordicinnovators.dk
+46 76 633 62 32
As our Business Developer for the Swedish market, Cesar is part of our Sales & Marketing team and is making a difference to our growing number of Swedish clients. Before joining us, Cesar worked as a management consultant at Deloitte where he led the business development segment.
Cesar lives in Stockholm, football has been a lifelong passion and he also finds great joy in spending time with friends and exploring through travel.
María Gómez-Reino Pérez
Business Developer
MSc. Environmental Sciences
mgp@nordicinnovators.dk
+34 951 245 480
María, our Business Developer in Spain, comes from an Environmental Sciences background and has dedicated the past 12 years to various roles associated with European funding, including managing, writing, and designing projects supported by European funding programmes.
On a personal note, she balances her life as a busy mother with her passions like traveling, reading, engaging in photography, and visiting the gym.
Business Developer, Norway
BA Marketing
vam@nordicinnovators.no
Tel: +47 938 48 405
Vivvi has worked with R&D funding for the past 12 years for the most Norwegian programmes and this is also her main focus now at Nordic Innovators. However, she will also be moving towards international / EU programmes and projects as well.
Vivvi is based just outside Oslo, where she likes to scubadive, freedive, photography, hiking, travel all around the world as well as spending time with family and friends.
Morten Skarra Grøtterud
Business Developer Norway
MI Real Estate & Practical Management
msg@nordicinnovators.no
Tel.: +47 93 09 13 72
Morten is one of the Business Developers in Norway with a specialisation in SkatteFunn, however, he also works with other soft funding programmes.
He has more than 15 years of expertise in navigating and not least guiding clients through the entire application process empowering them to innovate and grow by securing financial support.
Off work he enjoys family life outside Oslo where he also assist as a coach for his son's football team.
Business Developer
International Sales
mrk@nordicinnovators.no
+47 942 64 880
Mona is an experienced advisor in national research and development programmes. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with some of Norway's most innovative companies, contributing to the realisation of ambitious projects and strengthening innovation.
In her free time, Mona enjoys spending time in nature. Mona also enjoys continuously improving her dart skills and is always ready for new adventures while travelling the world.
Sébastien Allibe
Partner, Head of Innovation in Business
MSc. Applied Mathematics and Computer Science
sa@nordicinnovators.dk
+33 (0)6 35 26 22 48
As Head of our Innovation in Business Division, Sébastien is responsible for organising, planning and managing the daily operations of the Division. He provides operational support and quality assurance to Nordic Innovators' clients and our consultants across our offices in Europe.
With + 20 years’ experience within EU Framework programmes, Sébastien has successfully coordinated, negotiated and managed + 100 EU proposals across different sectors and technology areas.
Lise Nesgaard
Partner, Head of Science and Societal Challenges
PhD Science and Technology
ln@nordicinnovators.dk
+45 53 83 20 18
Lise has a strong intellectual and technical background in molecular biology and biotechnology and scientific programming. Before joining us, she was a fundraiser at Aarhus University.
With emphasis on creative problem solving, knowledge generation and project management, Lise has taken on several tasks, lately as Head of Scientific Programmes & University Partnerships.
When not busy with work, Lise has a partiality to creative chores and needlework.
Pernille Barkholt Rask
Team Manager, Norway (On maternity leave)
Cand.Scient Molecular Biology
pbr@nordicinnovators.dk
Pernille is a driving force as the Team Manager at the Aarhus office that mainly focusses on the many different Norwegian funding programmes.
Before joining Nordic Innovators, Pernille spent much time in the Laboratory doing research in aging and thereby developed a scientist mind. However, she enjoys expanding her knowledge, broaden her horizon as well as gaining new skills.
In her spare time, Pernille enjoys different outdoor activities with her family but also relaxing with board games or knitting.
Michelle Jo Kirkeberg
Team Manager
MSc. Psychology of Language
mki@nordicinnovators.dk
+45 60 38 90 42
Michelle is always eager to meet new challenges and is now the managing the Innobooster team. Her linguistic background has given her a sharp pen and an eye for details which benefit her team and the projects she is working on.
Michelle is a great example of how you can explore the career opportunities we have - she started out as an intern, then project consultant and now a great Team Manager.
Off work, Michelle enjoys life with family and friends and not least long walks along the beach.
Bernat González Llinares
Senior Consultant & Business Developer
PhD Experimental Neurosciences
bg@nordicinnovators.dk
Bernat’s perseverance and teamwork skills have been key to secure EU funding. His dedication has been evident in successfully implementing EU projects, from grant agreement preparation and amendments to preparation of deliverables, business plans, as well as financial and progress reports.
After taking on different roles, Bernat is now Business Developer for the EU Project Delivery Services. He supports diverse projects from his expertise (linguistic, ICT, biological, and medical sector) to other technology areas covering widely from agriculture to machine learning.
Senior Consultant
MSc. Biotechnology, PhD Plant Molecular Biology
bgs@nordicinnovators.dk
With a background in classical and molecular genetics of cultivated plants, plant breeding and forestry, he spent many years as a plant breeder and geneticist in the UK.
Bruce handles all manner of European and Danish projects, from mechanical engineering, IT, biomedicine, food science, water quality and fish farming, to mention just a few.
He moved to Spain with a secret ambition of restoring an abandoned farm and live the simple life in the mountains with mosquito bites and goats, being sunburnt in summer and frozen in winter.
Ana Catarina Lima
Senior Consultant
PhD Bioengineering Systems
acl@nordicinnovators.dk
Her PhD focused on development of natural-based hydrogel complex particles for drugs and cells encapsulation to be used in tissue engineering applications.
After her PhD, she was a research scientist in a startup. She saw how SMEs struggle to get funding. Hence, she became a Innovation Consultant supporting and advising companies and universities on funding programmes and preparing applications.
Ana Catarina works remotely from Northern Portugal where she enjoys water sports.
Ana-Marina Popescu
Senior Consultant
MSc. Urban Planning and Management
amp@nordicinnovators.dk
Marina graduated from Aalborg University in 2016 where she did research on livability, smart mobility planning, and citizen participation in Denmark, Romania, the UK and Poland.
Marina has a strong background in developing funding applications and project management within mainly international and sustainable development, active citizenship and youth engagement.
In her free time, Marina enjoys photography and being together with friends and family.
Alejandro Varas Gálvez
Senior Consultant
MSc. Innovation Management
avg@nordicinnovators.dk
Alejandro has been involved in R&I since 2008 trying to find disruptive solutions for social demands and thinking about how to improve the world.
He was also an adviser to start-ups and participated in incubators and support programmes for Technology Based Enterprises. He loved brainstorming about new applications to their products.
When his two daughters don't occupy him, he enjoys DIY-projects related to electronics and rocketry, basketball or reading sci-fi books or biographies.
Vera Pinheiro
Senior Consultant
PhD Neurosciences
vp@nordicinnovators.dk
Vera only needs a short brief and then she runs with the ball. This is shown in fact that she can work on all funding programmes, both Danish, Norwegian and EU... and she is very successful with writing proposals as she has many years of experience and extensive knowledge of the many different grant schemes.
Vera is not a typical Portuguese as she speaks five languages fluently: Portuguese, French, Spanish, Italian and English – pretty impressive. We wonder if Danish will be her sixth language.
Though Vera never experienced a really cold winter in her childhood, she enjoys winter swimming in Denmark, however, she now lives in Italy with her family.
Sam Bobbino
Senior Consultant
MSc. Economics of Science and Innovation
Sam brings +11 years experience in innovation funding. Prior to Nordic Innovators, he worked for an IoT startup helping energy utilities and municipalities deploy smart grid and smart building technologies. He also managed various large EU grant proposals and projects.
Moreover, Sam worked as innovation consultant & lead proposal writer for startup and SME clients across a range of industries. He loves jumping into clients' projects and helping to mature their technologies and business models, with the goal of delivering massive improvements to human and planetary wellbeing.
Outside of work, Sam loves surfing and swimming with his family in the Mediterranean Sea.
Senior Consultant
Dr. rer. nat.
Before joining Nordic Innovators, Vasco worked at various Germain universities as researcher and research coordinator.
He enjoys working across our different teams has developed many successful proposals for both national and EU programmes. Vasco is now also coordinator of the Eurostars programme with great success.
Vasco was the first Northern European to join the Malaga office and his heart already belongs to Andalusia.
In his free time, Vasco enjoys hiking, mountain biking and skiing as well as stand-up paddling in the Mediterranean Sea.
Marta Coma
Senior Consultant
PhD Environmental Engineering Technology
mc@nordicinnovators.no
Before joining Nordic Innovators, Marta worked for universities, teaching and doing research and development together with companies. However, she wanted a change and is now counselling and developing successful proposals for Norwegian funding programmes.
Marta is back living in the northeast part of Spain but has lived in several countries such as Portugal, Belgium, UK, Australia and Denmark.
She loves to cook savoury food, try new dishes from different countries and bake cakes!
Natalia González
Senior Consultant
MSc. Chemistry
ngr@nordicinnovators.dk
Until she graduated, Natalia had only lived in Madrid. However, her career took her to the Netherlands where she dedicated 10 years to the pharmaceutical R&D industry working as a researcher.
Natalia is specialised in Medicinal Chemistry and vaccine formulation development. When she got back to Madrid she became an Innovation Consultant and has worked with proposals for EU programmes, especially EIC Accelerator.
Hobbies... Natalia loves music and spending time with friends and family.
Senior Consultant
MSc. Computer Science
oso@nordicinnovators.no
Olav is part of the Bergen office. He throws + 5 years of varied and strong experience with all Norwegian grant schemes of significance as well as all the major EU funding schemes.
Olav has a background in computer science and we sometimes make use of this when he is not too busy with helping our clients being successful with the Norwegian funding programmes.
Outside work, his interests range from the financial markets to exploring nature, hiking in the mountains and fishing when possible.
Sondre Tystad
Senior Consultant
BA Economics
Sondre is part of the growing Norwegian office in Bergen and he is busy being the head of the SkatteFunn proposals.
He has been working with the Norwegian grants schemes for more than six years with a special focus on the SkatteFUNN and Innovation Norway funding programmes.
Besides work, Sondre has lots of interests that range from economical growth and history, brewing beer and cider to watching sports, especially football and biathlon or anything competitive in nature.
Bjart Frode Lutnæs
Senior Consultant
PhD Organic Analytical Chemistry
Besides his PhD where he specialised in natural product chemistry, Bjart also completed an Executive MBA.
He worked several years as a researcher on biorefinery products from lignin and cellulose, as well as on oil spill contingency research. For the past 14 years, Bjart has focused on securing soft funding with an emphasis on Norwegian funding schemes like SkatteFUNN, Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Research Council and ENOVA.
Of work, Bjart enjoys traveling, history & culture, wine and brewing beer.
Erik Ländström
Senior Consultant
PhD in Bioinformatics
egl@nordicinnovators.dk
After finishing his MSc. in Molecular Biology, he spent 4 years researching diabetes at Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich.
Erik has experience in applying statistical and data scientific methods to tackle problems in life science and this experience is also used when he develops successful funding applications for our many clients.
In his free time, Erik enjoys traveling, going to concerts and cooking recipes from all over the world.
Marc Baiget Francesch
Senior Consultant
MSc. Pharmaceutical Engineering
Marc is from south of Barcelona but spent some years in Denmark studying at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Here, he was introduced to the startup and innovation environment and has not left it since.
Back in Spain, Marc did some science writing and editing but moved on to being an innovation consultant writing and managing proposals for, e.g., Accelerator, RIA/IA and the WomenTech EU.
Off work, sports, photography, poetry, his guitar and travelling is a big hit.
Rajat Pandey
Senior Consultant
PhD Biochemical & Metabolic Engineering
rp@nordicinnovators.dk
Rajat has several years of experience writing successful funding applications for many different programmes and clients, especially the EIC Accelerator and EIB VD.
Prior to his PhD, Rajat worked as a research scientist at an Indian Drug Discovery Company where he worked in protein production and structural studies. Before moving to Denmark, he worked in 7 years in Portugal.
Off work Rajat's eyes are clued to books or other hobbies like traveling, gardening and singing.
Veronika Zsuzsanna Bankó
Project Consultant
MSc. Industrial Engineering and Management
vzsb@nordicinnovators.dk
Veronika came to Denmark for her master degree and worked as a student assistant. Luckily, she accepted to stay after her studies as a consultant.
Veronika has a background in industrial product development, mechanical engineering, and graphical design, which is spiced up with business development and project management. She is certified in ISO 21500:2013 - Project management.
Off work, she enjoys spending time with her family in Hungary, cycling, yoga and be immersed in nature or a good book.
Tina Sondergaard Thorsen
Project Consultant
MSc. Food Policy
tst@nordicinnovators.dk
Her academic background gave Tina insight in to policies related to the food supply chain ie. agriculture, sustainability and climate change mitigation, health and social policies.
Tina worked in the Danish tech startup ecosystem for companies like Techsavvy and TechBBQ before being a a lead consultant to secure soft funding for innovative business projects from funds like Innobooster and EIC Accelerator.
Tina spends a lot of her free time being a yoga-geek and she loves gardening and being outdoors.
Patricia Soto Ramos
Project Consultant
MA. Economic Social and Legal Management of the Environment
psr@nordicinnovators.dk
Her academic and professional background focuses on environmental issues. Patricia spent 11 years working for the former Spanish Ministry of Environment, specifically in the Environmental Risks and Environmental management schemes area.
She evaluated LIFE projects which made her a great proposal writer and gave her thorough expertise in many innovation areas like TIC’s or EUHT.
Patricia is passionate about languages, gastronomy, yoga, her vegetable garden as well as spending time with her daughter.
Iwona Blaszczyk-Lezak
Project Consultant
MSc. Chemical Engineering & Environment, PhD in Chemistry
With her international experience, Iwona fits in perfectly having worked more than 15 years Spain.
Iwona has an extensive experience in Research, Development and Innovation. She is a true professional with a strong background in nanomaterials, chemistry and physics of polymers, including thin layers, plasma, nanostructured materials and environmental protection.
In her free time, Iwona enjoys cooking international dishes. She is passionate about history and loves going for hikes with her family.
Project Consultant (On maternity leave)
PhD in Biochemical Engineering
aly@nordicinnovators.dk
Anna has experience with research and development projects in the field of bioenergy production and agro-environmental technology.
Eager to keep learning about new technologies, having a broad view of where society is heading and wanting to help others led Anna to be a consultant.
She is a true globetrotter, originally from Greece, but lived in the US until she was 5 and has now lived abroad since 2009, first in Spain and then Denmark.
Off work, she enjoys cooking, theater, hanging out with family and friends and travelling.
Sandra Storey Mancebo
Project Consultant
MBA
Sandra is experienced and adept at EU-funded project implementation. Her background in languages and business led to international experience in technology start-ups, including vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, medical logistics, and consumer products.
Sandra is part of the EU Project Delivery Services team and offers in-depth support, from back-office assistance to strategic consulting. Her skills include financial reporting, stakeholder analysis and market research. She ensures compliance with EU standards and supports project coordination for multi-beneficiary projects.
Outside work, Sandra enjoys motherhood and different cuisines.
Teodora Pados-Dibattista
Project Consultant
PhD, Natural Sciences
tpd@nordicinnovators.no
Originally from Hungary, but Teodora has lived abroad for quite some time now - Austria, Germany and Spain before moving to Denmark in 2018.
Teodora is a multidisciplinary scientist with a background in marine biology, marine geology and climate science. She is very interested in sustainability and nature conservation and has a never-ending love for the oceans and for all creatures living in it.
She spends her free time with her little son and looks forward to introducing him to her biggest passions if life: Travelling scuba diving and underwater photography.
Project Consultant
PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Paloma came to Granada to study Environmental Sciences and have not left since. She did her PhD in Microbiology and Molecular Biology focused on soil bacteria and enzymes with the aim of developing bio-based products for agriculture and bioremediation.
After 14 years in the research field, Paloma decided it was time for a professional change and has been working as Project Consultant with funding scheme ever since.
In her free time, Paloma is very much into science dissemination, she likes to read and watch movies but she is also a crafty person.
Project Consultant
Business Administration and Computer Science
Intensely curious, Ask spent years studying business & computer science. While studying, he also worked as an independent contractor, which included writing several successful funding applications for Norwegian SMBs.
This led him to Nordic Innovators where he applies his writing skills and broad knowledge for our clients, while constantly looking for areas of improvement.
When he is not working, you might find Ask in a hammock in the forest or behind a piano, together with friends or doing exercise.
Iñigo Ozcoidi Gallues
Project Consultant
MSc. Industrial Engineering
His academic background serves as a solid foundation for his achievements with the Innovation Fund.
Iñigo has also been an Industry 4.0 technician, used machine learning methods for production planning, managed projects and participated in volunteer activities around the world.
Today, he actively contributes to the development of pioneering concepts and collaborates with colleagues from various fields and industries.
Iñigo enjoys immersing himself in nature, photography, hiking and salsa dancing with friends.
Project Consultant
PhD Engineering
Eduardo betragter sig selv som halv forsker, der også har undervist på universitetet i Buenos Aires , og halv ingeniør med erfaring i brintproduktion, biogasreformering og bio-alkoholkonvertering.
Som konsulent hos Nordic Innovators kombinerer han al sin viden til at udvikle succesfulde ansøgninger i samarbejde med vores kunder inden for især den grønne omstilling og bæredygtige energikilder.
Eduardo er født og opvokset i Argentina, men flyttede til Spanien for et par år siden. Fritiden bruges enten i fitnesscentret eller til svømning, trekking eller samvær med venner.
Astrid Wachauer
Project Consultant
MSc. Material Science
aw@nordicinnovators.dk
Astrid, who is Austrian, moved to Spain for work and she is characterised by her constant eagerness to learn new things and to broaden her horizon.
She is specialised in materials for electronics and microscopy and has for years now worked as Project Consultant for EIC Accelerator projects.
Off work, you find Astrid hiking, probably behind her camera waiting for the perfect shot. She also enjoys to explore faraway countries.
Miguel Narvaez
Project Consultant
University Expert in Air Traffic Management
mn@nordicinnovators.dk
Miguel has an academic background in photovoltaic solar energy systems and in Thermal & Photovoltaic systems design.
Before joining Nordic Innovators, Miguel was responsible for the technical department at Odin Importaciones. Moreover, he has had his own IT company.
Luckily, Miguel lives close to the sea. In his free time, Miguel enjoys doing almost any activity related to the sea, from sailing to diving or fishing.
Mariana Abuquerque Sousa
Project Consultant
MSc. Civil engineering
mag@nordicinnovators.dk
Her academic background is in civil engineering with a specialisation in geotechnical engineering and she worked 4 years in that field. Transitioning from engineering, she became an energy consultant, focusing on solar energy. Mariana has also worked as a European R&D project consultant, primarily contributing to the Innovation Fund and Horizon Europe programmes.
Mariana is originally from Lisbon, Portugal, but is relocating to Copenhagen. In her free time, she enjoys padel, bouldering, attending concerts, and traveling.
Simone Vespa
Project Consultant
PhD in Neuroscience
Originally from Italy, Simone has also studied in Latvia, Wales and Brussels where he did his PhD.
In Belgium, Simone got to know the healthcare industry. He collaborated with two biotech startups for his PhD and was also a freelance consultant, assisting grant proposal writing and clinical trial design & implementation, with a particular focus on medical devices. Leveraging his scientific background, he specialises in R&D and academic EU programmes.
Now, Simone lives in Andalucía, where he enjoys hiking, cooking local delicacies and lots of sport.
Gonçalo De Carvalho Rodrigues
Project Consultant
PhD in Business & Management
gcr@nordicinnovators.dk
Gonçalo is a Portuguese researcher, who wants to apply his knowledge to the private sector. He is experienced in biology research, medical research, and EU project funding and management and deeply engaged with the industry and policy sectors of the green transition.
Gonçalo received his MSc in Genetics and Evolution from the University of Porto, Portugal and BSc in Biology from the University of Lisbon, Portugal.
He has lived in 5 different countries, likes to read and watch sci-fi, sports and outdoors activities.
Daniel Lykke Gomez
Associate Consultant
Stud. MSc. Economic & Business Analysis
Daniel has experience from banking and accounting and has strong analytics skills gained through quantitative and qualitative research, data visualisation and programming. He is also well acquainted with the financial management, budgeting and forecasting.
Daniel supports clients performing, among others, market research, data analysis and visualisation, development and Quality Assurance of project reports.
Off work, he enjoys being with friends & family and is a true coffee enthusiast.
Mario Andrés Castellanos Hernández
Associate Consultant
MSc. Science in Engineering
Mario is part of the Science & Societal Challenges team. He is a true globetrotter - Mario was born in Colombia, lived in Valencia for 17 years where he studied his Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering. After that he moved to Denmark to study his Master's.
During his studies, Mario worked in the Service Business Unit at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and gained experience in the wind industry which he hope can be of great use for our clients.
In his free time, Mario enjoys sports, movies and series and getting to know Denmark better.
Benjamin Meilhac
Associate Consultant
MSc. EBA Management of Innovation & Business Development
bme@nordicinnovators.dk
Benjamin is part of the Innobooster team at the Copenhagen office.
He recently graduated from Copenhagen Business School with a strong track record of winning case competitions, completing entrepreneurial programs, and volunteering as a consultant through his university. Additionally, he has published an academic paper on ESG and firm performance.
In his leisure time, he trains his Coton de Tulear dog, travels the world, and keeping up to date on the newest deep-tech developments.
Anton Witmeur
Associate Consultant
MSc. Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Anton is part of the Innobooster Team at the Copenhagen office.
He has a Master´s degree in Organizational Innovation and Entrepreneurship from CBS and his thesis focused on understanding how creative businesses make sense of AI to create new business opportunities.
On a personal note, Anton love dogs, movies and American Football where he still plays recreationally for the Copenhagen Towers, so if we see him limping, we know why.
Lefkothea Drosou
Associate Consultant
Msc Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Lefkothea joined NI after having her Master's from the University of Copenhagen completed last year, where she developed a strong foundation in sustainability, project management, and data analysis. She has previous experince from various sustainability-focused projects, including improving environmental practices and conducting greenhouse gas inventories.
In addition to a great enthusiasm for innovation, she enjoys spending time with friends, tae kwon do, reading criminal fiction and volunteering.
Leire Caizán
Associate Consultant
PhD Biological Recovery and Re-use Technology
Her Ph.D focused on Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs), specifically on developing capacitive bioanodes to generate and store electricity from wastewater.
As a researcher, Leire worked at CIC energiGUNE (Vitoria-Gasteiz), where she focused on electrochemical energy storage systems such as batteries, supercapacitors, and hybrid systems. She also conducted research in the area of Solid Oxide Cells (SOCs) for electricity and hydrogen production.
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, music, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Ashish Avasthi
Associate Consultant
Ph.D. Nanomedicine
asa@nordicinnovators.dk
Ashish has a strong academic foundation ranging from Nanoscience to Neuroscience. As an active MSCA alum and a former Bluebook trainee at the European Commission, he garnered certified skills in policymaking, communication, stakeholder engagement and project management.
As a researcher, he assisted on successful proposals. He is a creative thinker with great problem-solving skills that he intends to apply at Nordic Innovators.
In his spare time, he loves to play different sports, learn new languages, and travelling.
Capital Raising Analyst
MSc Finance
Mats is part of the equity team working primarily from the office in Bergen where he assists with research and analysis of different investment cases. This fits him quite well as Mats has interest and experience from the financial markets and company valuation in general.
Mats finds it particularly interesting to see how businesses grow, and all the new ideas that come to life.
When Mats is not working, he enjoys having a good time with friends or going to the gym. He also enjoys skiing or going salmon fishing in the summer.
Yuuki Nakamura
Capital Raising Analyst
MSc. Business Finance
Yuuki likes to work with data and numbers, where she absolutely excels. During her leisure time, she enjoys reading books, with a preference for genres such as Romance, fantasy, and memoir.
Emiliano Lepore
Business Development
PhD Structural Engineering
Emiliano is entrepreneurial and co-inventor of 7 patents, 5 have successfully been licensed out. He has +10 years of experience with innovation and business development in medtech and biotech in Europe, Japan and Singapore.
Emiliano has lots of experience with EU funding, initially as a writer but now on business development searching and identifying innovative companies across Europe with potential to be successful.
When he is not working, he likes long runs and exploring the world with his wife and daughter.
Susanne Kemp
Communications Manager
MSc. International Business Communication
sk@nordicinnovators.dk
Susanne is shaping the internal and external communication of Nordic Innovators and helps planning and conveying our communication activities.
She has a history of working with marketing communication, mainly Business-to-Business and digital marketing in the media and hearing aid industry. She has also experience with organising big seminars and team events.
In her free time, Susanne loves running, tennis and skiing and not least her daily dip in the sea all year round.
Hannibal Meldgaard
Media & Marketing Manager
MSc. Film and Media Science
His background in film and media has motivated Hannibal’s curiosity and great understanding of new and digital media. His many years of experience with communication in several fields has given him an all-round understanding of the power of channelling the right message through the right media.
Hannibal uses this experience to, e.g., write and produce compelling pitch videos for our clients in connection with the applications and to help strengthen our digital strategy.
Off work, he is active with spinning and running but also enjoys watching old films.
Katerina Hanzalova
Sales & Marketing Coordinator
MSc. Engineering
Katerina is part our Sales & Marketing team. Before joining us, Katerina worked for a Danish startup environment with a background in biotechnology and chemistry. What fuels her are the exciting moments while bridging the business, technology & science worlds.
Having worked full time for some time, Katherina returned to her studies and is currently finishing degree in Technology-Based Business Development.
Leisure time is spent in nature, winter swimming and any movement ranging from calm yoga to lifting at the gym.
Filippa Gjestvang
Sales & Marketing Assistant
BA in Media and Communication
Filippa finished her BA in Media and Communication in Norway and has now moved to Denmark to do her master at the University of Copenhagen in Information Science and Cultural Communication.
She works part time at the Copenhagen office where we benefit from her creative, positive and charming personlity. Filippa helps the sales and marketing department with various tasks like developing content, especially for our Norwegian clients.
In her free time, Filippa is a dancing queen that enjoys having fun with friends. She can also just relax with Scandinavian crime series.
HR Responsible
BA. Law
ad@nordicinnovators.dk
Ana has a degree in Law and is specialized in Human Resources. She joined Nordic Innovators to help us recrute the right people to our dynamic team and not least develop our HR department.
She brings more than 10 years of experience in Human Resources departments of multinational companies, in technology and innovation projects.
She thinks that the best way to work is to create the best environment, be generous, flexible and never forget a smile.
Her passion is her family and the museums, calling herself "friki of them".
Veronika Vinnytska
HR & Marketing Coordinator
MSc. English studies & intercultural comm.
vv@nordicinnovators.dk
Being raised between Spain and Ukraine, Veronika has a hybrid personality. Eventually, she moved to Spain and did a MSc in English studies, multilingual and intercultural communication. The ability of speaking multiple languages has opened doors for her in the field of HR and Marketing.
Veronika also has experience as a Copywriter, Digital Marketing Assistant and Communication Specialist and she is now a driving force in our HR department.
In her free time, she enjoys the good life at "Costa del Sol" hiking with her dog, going to the beach and reading.
Recruitment Coordinator
BA of Arts
kdo@nordicinnovators.dk
Kate is originally from Yorkshire in the north of England, but moved to Spain to escape the terrible weather!
She used to be an English teacher, but years ago Kay decided to change career and is now working in HR and Recruitment, which is also her main focus in Nordic Innovators.
In her free time Kay enjoys drawing and painting, surfing, and learning languages - besides English she speaks Spanish, a bit of French and German, and is currently learning Mandarin.
Carlos Sánchez Chávez
IT Specialist
MSc. Computer Engineering
Carlos is our IT specialist and a bit of an all-rounder, as Nordic Innovators has so many remote employees and four bigger offices where he also handles the IT systems. It is not always an easy task but Carlos takes it well and always has a big a smile on his face.
Carlos has experience working for a couple of IT companies in the United States and Canada, as well as IT support for a renewable energy company.
In his free time, Carlos likes to go out with friends, make good food, reading and he enjoys hiking.
Morten Hjermitslev Holm
Head of Accouting
HD Business & Adminstration, Board Education
As the Head of Accounting based in Copenhagen, Morten brings a strategic financial approach to our operations using his years of experience in financial management.
Moreover, his role involves overseeing financial activities, financial reporting and compliance.
Additionally, Morten is involved in several board work and when time allows it, he also likes to play golf and not least to brew his own beer - that we need to try...
Gintarė Kicaitė
Office Manager & Accounting
BA. Business Administration
gk@nordicinnovators.dk
Gintare has many different tasks and is always prepared to help everyone across our offices. However, she is mostly busy with office management and accounting.
Gintare is from Lithuania but has lived in Denmark for many years with her family. We try to get her to speak Danish - one day she will be fluent.
In her free time Gintare enjoys renovating her house, travelling, outdoors activities or just relaxing with a good movie or book.