Meet the team

We are so proud of our creative and innovative-thinking Kelpies, who work tirelessly to make our oceans a little better every day.

Jacintha Kartyoa

R&D Specialist

Meet Jacintha “Latifah” Kartyoa, our vibrant R&D Specialist Assistant. Jacintha holds an Honors degree in Biochemistry from the University of Namibia. She is passionate about everything science-related, loves socializing, is dedicated to fitness, and her passion for painting brings a unique and dynamic energy to the team. With her creativity and enthusiasm, she contributes to the innovative spirit that defines Kelp Blue’s work culture.

Petenen Nankela

Junior Project Engineer

Raised in the small mining town called Rosh Pinah, he is a proud “Ndonga” who holds a B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). He loves traveling, outdoor activities, and is always up for new adventures. He’s mostly driven by his ambition to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible.

Fanuel Isak

Barge Supervisor

Born and raised in Lüderitz with a background at sea working on research, fishing and mining vessels. Holds a class 5 navigation officer certificate from Namfi. He’s a work horse on the football pitch (an asset for any team) and when he’s not kicking a ball around you can find him watching Formula One.

Greater Mukumbira

Chief of Staff

A passionate believer in leveraging the power and enthusiasm of the youth to change the planet. Has extensive experience bringing multi-disciplinary teams together and providing the necessary support and structure to creative thinkers. Greater loves cooking and running and has been known to lose flip-flops in the sand dunes.

Tuwilika Melania Amunyela

Kelp Cultivation Engineer

There is no lack of enthusiasm and ambition in Tuwilika. Raised in the costal town of Walvis Bay, but born in Outapi, she holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Namibia. Her emphasis is on designing, building, and testing mechanical systems. As an introvert, she enjoys soothing walks by the beach, listening to music and reimagining non fiction books she reads.

Xu Ben Zhang

De-carbonator

Xu was born in Zwollywood (a.k.a Zwolle, a countryside city) and studied Industrial Ecology at the University of Leiden, Delft University of Technology and at the University of Melbourne. She started her career as a sustainability consultant for the real estate sector and worked with the Port of Amsterdam on bioremediation. Xu is an avid and elegant rock-climber, has a one-eyed cat and loves cooking, travelling and plants.

Sarel Niese

Company Analyst

Delft University of Technology and ETH Zurich graduate with a Master’s in quantum physics. He loves challenges that require both a creative and analytical approach. Growing up in the country side and having lived in Botswana bush for 3 months helped him develop his strong interest in natural ecosystems. He’s passionate about football, modern art, exploring the Alps and wearing baseball caps backwards.

Clarke Scott

Jetty Crewman

Meet Clarke, a friendly individual from Luderitz, who has a genuine passion for cars and boats. Working on vehicles is not just a job for him; it’s a love affair. Beyond his mechanical prowess, Clarke-Scott enjoys kicking a soccer ball around and embarking on adventures to catch crayfish and fish. Whether on the field or by the water, he’s adept at scoring goals and reeling in those aquatic delights.

Michael Mwinga

Sales & Agronomy Lead Namibia

Michael comes from a background of horticulture and mushroom farming. Before even knowing about Kelp Blue, he had tested 1L of StimBlue+ on various crops he had at home. With success! He joined the company to help farmers realize increased ROI using environmentally friendly products. Michael enjoys learning about everything and anything. On weekends, he can be found fixing or building things, or getting his hands dirty in his little garden.

Caroline Slootweg

Co-founder Kelp Blue, CEO Kelp Blue Biotech

A start-up, change management and digital transformation specialist, Caroline has worked at Unilever, WPP, in mar-tech and agri-tech. Her purity of purpose expresses itself as clarity, simplicity and speed. Caroline sailed half-way around the world and across the Pacific Ocean in the Clipper Round the World yacht race and is also a keen forager and traveller.

Maranda Hamma

Alaska Project Lead

Maranda specializes in community and regional environmental projects in Southeast Alaska. She is proficient in grant writing, event planning and project management and has a proven track record in collaborating with rural communities and agencies to achieve goals and objectives. Outside of work, she thrives in the Southeast Alaskan way of life, where she takes part in hunting, fishing, foraging, and operating her own oyster farm with her dog and partner.

Elianne Oei

CFO Biotech

A seasoned professional with experience across many continents, and has defined her personal mission to create a world where there is enough for all. Believing we collectively have all we need, it becomes a distribution and access problem. Combined with the global challenges we face, Eli believes that private enterprise is the best way forward. And she’s a great cook of Indonesian food.

James Nampala

Production and Maintenance Supervisor

James holds an honours degree in fisheries and aquatic science from University of Namibia and a diploma in marine engineering from NAMFI. He worked as a marine engineer on fishing vessels for two years. He has experience in maintenance of different machinery such as large diesel engines, diesel generators, boilers, Turbocharger, freshwater generators, pumps and filters.

Michael Fleischman

Marine Monitoring Lead

A true seaweed enthusiast. Holds a Masters degree from the University of Cape Town in Phycology and Aquaculture and comes from an abalone aquaculture background. He loves being in the water, is a patient teacher and can often be found sprinting up and down Table Mountain.

Ferdi Knoester

Operations Manager

Graduated with a Masters in Hydraulic Engineering from TU Delft. Built an artificial reef to combat coastal erosion in North Sulawesi and built a bamboo factory in the jungles of Nicaragua while working together with the indigenous Miskito populations. Ferdi loves to dive and does this in every place he visits (where possible), has run the Rotterdam marathon and completed the Barcelona Iron Man 70.3.

Iryna Kucherevska

Office Administrator

Iryna moved to the Netherlands 1.5 years from Ukraine. She is experienced in office administration and in human resources and previously worked as an economist in the banking sector. Iryna keeps our office humming! She loves reading books, looking at the sea and learning new things.

Madeleine Tresselt

Marine Scientist

Maddie has a degree in Marine Science and Management with Honours in marine turtle behaviour. Growing up on the East Coast of Australia, Maddie developed a deep love and curiosity for the ocean. This evolved into a passion to be a part of the solution to restore and conserve our blue planet and I became a seaweed enthusiast due to its ability to do just that! She enjoys spending time in the water, especially surfing and free diving.

Daniel Hooft

Founder, CEO

Daniel has over 20 years’ experience in various executive roles gained with Royal Dutch Shell in 7 different countries. He has a track record of delivering extraordinary business results by identifying technical and commercial opportunities and acting on them decisively. Daniel is passionate about the sea and the complex Anthropocene world we live in.

Jonathan Kennedy

Dive Supervisor

From Lüderitz, a proud graduate from SEADOG Commercial Diving School. Worked for Bresler De Beer in ship husbandry and vessel docking. Diving experience with propeller cleaning, hull inspection, UWILD inspection and Centrifugal Pump usage used in dredging for salvage work. Crayfishing and rugby are his past times.

Jordan McKay

Factory Operator

Born and raised in Luderitz. Working background Electrical Assistant at a fishing factory and fishing vessels with a level 3 in Electrical. Electronics caught his attention whilst working in the electrical field and he would like to further his studies in Electronics and Electrical. In Jordan’s spare time, he likes to listen to music, podcasts, and cook Curry Chicken (being his signature dish) and of course being the Braai Master when it comes to Braai. He also plays rugby for the local team.

Rivaldo Visagie

Diver

Born and raised in Luderitz, graduated from Seadog Commercial Diving School as Commercial Diver Class III. Worked at Namport as a general worker loading and offloading cargo such as fish and manganese. Also known as the friendliest person in the team. If you don’t have a smile on your face yet, you will get one because of Rivaldo. Rivaldo likes to watch rugby, loves family time and enjoys a jog in the morning.

Felicity Perry

Managing Director NZ

Raised on a farm in New Zealand, Felicity has worked in international intergovernmental organisations including the International Renewable Energy Agency and United Nations Environment Programme. From renewable energy to sustainable finance, her career has led from technological solutions to the financial system and now to how nature-based solutions and good business can create the change we need. If there is one thing she has learnt, it is that a small committed team – who can laugh! – can achieve great things. Felicity is passionate about people, skiing, adventures and good coffee.

Anouk Bosman

Marketing & Communications Lead

Introducing Anouk. A little energy ball with a constant smile on her face. She has worked in digital marketing and e-commerce in the sports industry and in consultancy, but quickly fell in love with seaweed when she discovered its potential (who wouldn’t!), and joined Kelp Blue. Living in Paris, Anouk is always looking for something new. Spot her volunteering at the Olympic Games this summer.

Kathryn Saducas

New Product Development and Partnerships

Kathryn brings a wealth of experience, having worked with startups, scaleups and large corporates to drive innovation and growth. She is passionate about people and the planet and has recently earned her Masters in Sustainability. Before joining Kelp Blue, Kathryn co-founded a sustainable fashion tech startup and in her spare time she mentors budding entrepreneurs to help them bring their ideas to life. Having grown up by the beach, Kathryn loves swimming, diving and anything to do with the ocean.

Johnny Kapofi

Mechanic

A proud “Buchter” (someone from Luderitz) with a fascination for cars since a young age. That’s why he loves working on engines that much. In his spare time, he hikes, fixes cars, reads books and listen to audiobooks. And when he gets the chance, he holds services at a local church.

Cayne Moffat

Group CFO

Was offered a place at university at aged 15 but decided to live a little and entered at 17. Holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of Edinburgh and is a CFA Charterholder. He’s proudly Scottish, loves playing football, and is known to be highly competitive. At the moment he’s learning Dutch.

Rosalia Abner

Facilities Manager

A gem! Rosalia is the one who keeps the office running and tidy and always has a smile on her face. She has committed to reading one book a week from the Kelp Blue library. And we’ve all seen her reading during her breaks. Rosalia makes a fabulous roast chicken, the recipe for her spice rub is a closely guarded secret.

Maxime Penning

Operations Manager

She began her journey at Kelp Blue, designing production processes and creating products from giant kelp, with ‘waste’ never being part of her vocabulary. Passionate about solving operational challenges, she is now committed to growing, harvesting, and processing kelp efficiently in a new environment. On windy days, she can be found kite-surfing, dedicated to a life full of adventure.

Hadewych de Groot van Embden

Strategic Partnership Development

Hadewych recently graduated with an MBA from INSEAD and has previous experience working as a consultant in new ways of working, helping organisations and people navigate through the complex challenges that change brings. She takes every chance she gets to go hiking in the mountains and loves everything food related, from going to the farmer’s markets, to cooking and discovering new restaurants.

Okke Meijer

CTO Biotech

Okke is not comfortable with choosing the easy path. His passion for mechanical management and plant operations has seen him work in one of the biggest steel plants in Europe. His most recent role was running an organic avocado oil processing factory in Awassa Ethiopia. He holds a Masters degree in Supply Chain Management and a Bachelor of Technology from the University of Groningen. He’s often found cycling around the Ijsselmeer (350 km) climbing mountains in Peru or planning his next endurance endeavour and trying to convince others to join him. He also doesn’t drink coffee.

Ezra Hildering van Lith

Head of Delivery Excellence/Engineer

After earning a degree in mechanical engineering Ezra realised a desk job would not make him happy so he joined the army and marched to the frontline where he saved lives and fought injustice. After 7 years of being an army leader, Ezra joined us in helping fight the status quo by supporting others in delivering excellence.

Hugo Stam

Engineering Lead

A hydraulic engineer with a masters degree from the Delft University of Technology, Hugo is a dedicated team player. He explored Suriname while working on a project assessing the technical feasibility of establishing a terminal in Paramaribo. While in Namibia, he discovered a new hobby, mountain biking through the dramatic scenery of the Lüderitz peninsula.

Samuel Boamah

Hydrodynamic Engineer

Samuel, originally from Ghana, is a strong advocate for the Blue Economy, promoting ocean literacy, and global climate change. He prides himself in contributing to research in hydrodynamics of offshore seaweed farms and offshore structures. Samuel is a skilled musician, great piano player, drummer, and bass guitar player. When he's not making music, we find him in the gym.

Valentin Pitiot

Sales and Market Development

Valentin graduated from ISTOM in Angers, France with Masters in Agronomy with a specialisation in Agriculture. He’s worked at the World Bank and became a seaweed enthusiast when he discovered the amazing potential of seaweed to usher in a new dawn of how to do business. He’s super sporty, any and all, but has a particular fondness for basketball. And doesn’t drink coffee.

Iriya Jona

Processing and Operations

Iriya is a Fisheries and Aquatic Scientist from the University of Namibia. She has skills on environmental monitoring and fish feed formulation & processing. Iriya was the top female entrepreneur in Namibia for the Total StartUpper of the year challenge, 2019 and has won multiple entrepreneurship awards. She is passionate about Research and Innovation. Iriya loves travelling & adventure and enjoys taking pictures of nature.

Viviane Kinyaga

Non Executive Director Namibia

A qualified marine biologist & water management specialist, Viviane has spent 20 years advising governments, NGO’s, the UN and inter-governmental bodies. Most recently, she has worked with the Benguela Current Convention. Viviane sits on the board of NamWater. She adores the natural world, its quiet wonder – and empowering people.

Protasius Mutjida

Water Quality and Hydrographic Lead

Protasius holds an honours degree in chemistry and Geology and completed a Masters degree in Chemistry at the University of Namibia. He’s worked as a science teacher for three years while also working in an environmental consultancy. He’s a local pastor in Luderitz, is passionate about research and building others up especially the youth.

Hilinganye Andreas

Biosystems R&D Specialist

From the north of Namibia, Hilinganye discovered a strong attraction to the ocean during her university years. A dedicated biosystems R&D specialist, she leads innovative research in kelp cultivation optimization. She has a background in fish and shellfish farming, and hatchery seaweed propagation and has recently completed her Master’s in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Hilinganye is committed to advancing aquaculture for a sustainable future and is known for her curios mind. She embodies the qualities of an introverted extrovert, combining deep thoughtfulness with the ability to engage and inspire others.

Darryl Smith

Marine Operations Lead

From Walvis Bay, Namibia. 9 years experience in marine Ops including diving & seafaring. Held chief officer position on a supply vessel specialized in cargo handling offshore transport. Commercial diving experience in vessel inspection and marine construction. His 5k personal best is 20.45, which is not as fast as some of the vintage cars he loves, but he will keep trying.

Shaneel Sharma

Biosystems

Enthusiastic about everything. Born and raised in the beautiful Fiji Islands. Holds a PhD in aquaculture from the Auckland University of Technology. Worked with a variety of species including geoducks, mussels, and abalone. While not in the lab he can be found wandering in the forests hiking and taking photos of mushrooms or at the beach fishing.

Giovanni Forbes

Kelp Deployment Quality Controller

Meet Giovanni – a humble seafarer and a skilled football player. His passion for the ocean’s diversity led him to Kelp Blue, where he found a community that shares his love. He ensures our kelp remains healthy throughout the deployment process and will soon take on the additional role of subsurface inspections for kelp success. When he’s not navigating the seas, Giovanni enjoys diving into books and going for hikes.

Aina Iyambula

R&D Specialist

With an honours degree in Biochemistry and a Masters in Chemistry from the University of Namibia, Aina is a great asset to our R&D team. She has held a variety of roles where she gained experience in product formulation and pilot extraction techniques, including CO2 extraction. Aina has a passion for laboratory work and especially piloting production processes which will be very useful in our biotech team. In her spare time, Aina likes reading non-fiction literature.

Careers

We’re not a ‘business as usual’ scale-up. We value originality and creativity, expect a healthy dose of common sense, that you are a problem solver by nature and that you’re comfortable getting on with tasks in an unstructured environment.

If you feel like you’re a good fit, please get in touch. You might be what we are looking for and we don’t even know it.

We’re always on the look out for those who want to join us on our journey to leave the planet in a better place. Send us an email with your resume to newkelpies@kelp.blue

Transform Your Farm with StimBlue+

Ready to boost your yields and enhance soil health? Contact our team of agronomists to learn how StimBlue+ can benefit your farm. Our team is ready to answer all your questions, comments, and requests.

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