s.Pro Team

Angela Schultz-Zehden

founder and managing director

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 40

Angela Schultz-Zehden (MBA, MSc European Studies, BSc Economics) is manager-owner of s.Pro - sustainable-projects GmbH. She is highly experienced in the development and management of complex international cooperation projects and strategic project pipelines covering the whole spectrum of sustainable development. She has been involved in the development of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Integrated Maritime Policy since 2001. In this time, she has developed and led a whole string of projects related to MSP and sustainable use of marine resources in the Baltic Sea Region and beyond. Two current focal roles are contract lead manager of the MSP Platform (an assistance mechanism for the implementation of MSP commissioned by DG MARE) and managing director of the pan-Baltic SUBMARINER Network, whose secretariat is hosted by s.Pro.

Carsten Beyer

managing director

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 44

Carsten Beyer (MSc Economics) is managing partner of s.Pro - sustainable projects GmbH. Carsten is an advocate for international cooperation and a believer in the benefits of the European Union. He has dedicated more than 20 years of his professional life to publicly funded international cooperation projects. He has developed and managed projects for the European Commission, within EU-funded programmes (like Interreg) and globally (also for other donors). At s.Pro, his special expertise is in developing and managing complex and large-scale projects in the field of sustainable regional development and blue growth. He is in charge of the company’s finances and contracts.

Programme Managers:

Efthalia Arvaniti

programme manager Submariner Network

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 40

Efthalia is a community builder and curates ideas and concepts with an impact. She develops sustainable blue/green value chains, that can improve people's lives, reduce waste and protect the marine environment. Efthlia holds a PhD in biorefining for production of chemicals and fuels, an MSc in environmental sciences and a BSc in chemistry. She is also certified expert in Promoting Innovation by Climate-KIC. In the last 14 years Efthalia has worked with numerous cross-disciplinary and cross-functional teams in 5 EU countries.

Clare Waldmann

Programme Manager for Maritime Issues

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 49

Clare (MLA Environmental Planning, BA Environmental Studies & Geography) is Programme Manager for Maritime Issues, where she is engaged in business development and multiple projects on maritime spatial planning as well as estuary management. Clare is the main contact for the European MSP Platform, where she is responsible for overall coordination, developing knowledge products, and leading a technical study on cross-border consultation. Drawing from her background in project management and coordination, Clare applies her science-to-policy communication skills and ocean governance knowledge from her work as a Project Manager for the California Ocean Protection Council (USA). Clare was awarded a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship in 2014-2015, through which she gained experience working on European and international initiatives at Ecologic Institute and the Blue Solutions Initiative. Clare is a native English speaker, is fluent in German and has a working knowledge of the French language.

Consultants:

Susanne Altvater

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 48

Susanne (Lawyer, Diploma Landscape management) is a maritime spatial planning (MSP) and policy consultant with s.Pro. She has been working on marine topics like integration of biodiversity protection into other policy fields or combating marine litter for more than 15 years and is conducting trainings. For the European MSP Platform she is facilitating exchange of knowledge and experience on MSP between EU Member States. With partners of the Interreg project BalticRIM she is aiming to strengthen the sector of coastal and underwater cultural heritage within national and sea-basin wide MSP developments.

Joanna Clarkson

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 43

Joanna (MSc European Studies) is a consultant at s.Pro – sustainable projects GmbH with extensive experience of EU project and programme management. At s.Pro, she applies her organisational and communication skills to Interreg projects in the areas of Integrated Maritime Policy and Resource Efficiency and Blue Growth, as well as undertaking editorial work for online and print publications. Previously, Joanna worked both directly and as a contractor for the European Commission in programme management and editorial roles. She is a native speaker of English and German and has a good command of French.

Clara Coornaert

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 53

Clara (MSc European Studies) is in charge of Interreg project management in the area of Smart Specialisation, Shipping and Blue Growth and works on EU projects related to Maritime Spatial Planning. Previously, Clara was responsible for EU fund raising for regional maritime and port projects at the Region Hauts de France. She also has an extensive knowledge of project application writing, lobbying and events organisation. Clara is fluent in French and English and has a good command of German.

Lisa Simone De Grunt

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 41

Lisa is a maritime planning and policy consultant with s.Pro, where she applies her knowledge of maritime affairs to ‘blue’ projects, including the EU MSP Platform. Her interdisciplinary professional background was formed by working as an editor and includes completion of the MSP traineeship with DG MARE. She has an international Masters degree in Maritime Spatial Planning and an academic background in Literary Studies and Spatial Planning & Human Geography. Lisa is currently pursuing a Masters in Business Administration (MBA). Lisa is fluent in Dutch and English, has a good command of German and a working knowledge of the French language.

Irina Zimmermann

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 51

Irina is a consultant on market research and communication. She holds a B.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in Global Politics & Economics. Previously, she gained experience as a consultant on energy policy and communications within German and international entities in sustainability sector. She is currently aspiring a doctoral degree in Environmental Governance at the Free University Berlin. Her research looks into coordination challenges of cross-border environmental projects. Irina is fluent in English, German, Russian and has a basic knowledge of Finnish.

Ivana Lukic

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 47

Ivana is working on the projects related to maritime economies, stakeholder engagement and maritime spatial planning (MSP). Her professional background includes work on the regional offshore renewable energy aspect of the Rhode Island Ocean Special Area Management Plan. Ivana also has extensive international experience with industry engagement as the leader of the World Ocean Council MSP Working Group. Ivana holds an international master diploma in MSP and quality engineering, and research experience at the Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (Portugal).

Annika Steele

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 46

Annika (M.A. Politics) is a consultant at s.Pro – sustainable projects. At s.Pro, she applies her extensive experience in programme management and communication in EU projects to Interreg projects on blue growth and renewable energy. Whilst working for the German Development Agency (GIZ) and the Swedish think-tank FORES, Annika gained experience as a policy advisor in the field of international and national environmental policy. She is a native speaker of English and Swedish and is fluent in German.

Kamila Zalesiak

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 45

Kamila completed interdisciplinary studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Technical University Berlin in the fields of Scandinavian studies and Mathematics for the bachelor level and Baltic Sea Region Studies and history of science for the master level. She is completing her education by an extra occupational training in business administration. Kamila worked previously in the field of industrial B2B market research for an international company. At s.Pro she is responsible for the Interreg project BalticRIM.

Interns:

Maria Del Camino Troya

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 42

Maria (MSc in Countering Organised Crime and Terrorism and BSc in International Affairs) is currently completing an MSc in Maritime Spatial Planning. Her professional background includes international experience in public governance and international cooperation in the Ecuadorean government, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and MarViva in Panama. Her past research and work cover the areas of IUU fishing, artisanal fisheries and maritime transport. She is fluent in English and Spanish.

External consulting experts:

From studies to technical assistance and interactive project work, s.Pro has a long history of fruitful cooperation with external experts on a freelance basis. You can find here the profiles of a few of our most long-term, trusted partners. Looking for the opportunity to join a dynamic team for concrete assignments, missions and more while keeping the flexibility of self-employment and remote working? We are always happy to add qualified and motivated individuals to our pool of trusted external expert consultants, e.g. in the area of technical assistance. If you have the required skills and experience, please get in touch! Please send your enquiry with your CV attached to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kira Gee

Kira is a project expert who has worked with s.Pro GmbH – sustainable projects since its foundation. Kira has 20 years of experience working in the field of ICZM and MSP in the UK and Germany covering the Baltic and North Sea as well as the European Atlantic. She has been a government consultant in Germany developing a national ICZM strategy and preparing advice on transboundary MSP. She has been involved in numerous MSP projects including PlanCoast, BaltSeaPlan, KnowSeas, PartiSEApate and TPEA (Transboundary Planning in the European Atlantic) and has co-authored a number of key guiding documents such as the PlanCoast MSP handbook, the BaltSeaPlan Vision 2030 and the PartiSEApate recommendations on transboundary MSP governance.

Jacek Zaucha

Professor Jacek Zaucha is a project expert who has worked extensively with s.Pro since its founding. Prof. Zaucha is member of the faculty of the Economics Department of the Gdañsk University (since 1994), and also associated with the Maritime Institute in Gdańsk (since 2007). He served in several public bodies active in the field of his research interests, such as a member of the Committee on the Spatial Development in the Baltic Sea Region of VASAB (1994 - 2008) and Chair of VASAB (2015-2016), and as member of the Senior Officials Group (SOG) of the Baltic Agenda 21 (1997 - 2007). He is also a member of HELCOM-VASAB MSP Working Group (since 2010). Prof. Zaucha is currently responsible for drafting the first official maritime spatial plan in Poland. He serves as the Main MSP Expert for the Baltic Sea Region for the EU MSP Platform, and has provided his expertise at multiple MSP conferences and workshops. He has published more than 110 scientific publications and contributed to several MSP related scientific projects: ARCH (FP7), MUSES (HORIZON 2020), BaltSpace (BONUS) and many others. Prof. Zaucha is a native Polish speaker and is fluent in English.

Lucy Greenhill

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phone: +44 179 436 7797

Lucy Greenhill (Research Fellow in Marine Policy and Governance) contributes to the platform on behalf of the UK, and in particular as a focal point for Scotland. Lucy has over 12 years’ experience in marine management including in the public sector as Offshore Industries Advisor with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and in oil spill response, specializing in cold weather response for Arctic operations. Currently an applied researcher based at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), Lucy delivers research and consultancy on how governance can adapt to address the complex challenges of sustainable development such as integrating social and ecological risks into decision making, handling conflicts and adaptive management.

Bernhard Heinrichs

Bernhard Heinrichs is currently the team leader of the s.Pro team in the MARISMA project in Angola, Namibia and South Africa. This GiZ funded project is dealing with the Marine Spatial Management and Governance Programme for the Benguela Current. Bernhard Heinrichs is one of the first maritime spatial planning (MSP) practitioners in Europe. For nearly 20 years he was the General-Director of the State Planning Department (Ministerialdirigent) of Mecklenburg – Vorpommern (Germany), where he introduced MSP on the regional level. Furthermore he was the Lead Partner of 5 transnational projects funded by the EU Community Initiative Interreg - three of them dealing with maritime spatial planning (BaltCoast, PlanCoast, SuPortNet) where he closely worked together with s.Pro.

Please contact the Office Manager for all general enquiries:

Martin Krensel

Office manager

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phone: +49(0)308321417 - 40

Martin is responsible for the office management at s.Pro. He supports all s.Pro staff on a daily basis to help them fully concentrate on their project management work. Martin has a diploma in Economics (Dipl. Oec. Univ.) and has plenty of experience in office management in all types of national and international companies. He is a German native speaker and is fluent in English.