Board of trustees
Johan Askehave
Founder
Johan Askehave is a Founder of the Askehave Climate Foundation and a Director at Outlook Energy, a UK-based short-term energy trading company he co-founded in 2015. Johan worked at energy trading firm Danske Commodities prior to founding Outlook Energy, and studied Sustainable Energy Planning at the University of Aalborg.
Ajla Askehave
Founder
Ajla Askehave is a Founder of the Askehave Climate Foundation and Legal Counsel at Region Nordjylland, where she is responsible for the region’s disciplinary proceedings. Ajla holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Law from Aarhus University and bachelor’s in Business Administration and Commercial Law from Aalborg University.
Belma Illic
Advisor
Belma is Head of the Technical & Logistics Department at Aalborg University Hospital. Through her work, she focuses on sustainable development and the green transition within the healthcare sector. She holds an Engineering degree in Architecture and Design and a Master's in Public Governance.
Programme experts
Rikke Johannessen
Humanitarian Response
Rikke Johannessen has 20+ years of humanitarian management experience across East Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. She has served as Deputy Regional Director for Danish Refugee Council (DRC), global programme advisor on migration for Save the Children International, and led DRC's Global Programme Innovation Unit. From 2022-24, she has worked as an independent consultant, supporting UN and civil society organizations. In September 2024, Rikke took up a position as Program Director for Humanitarian Programs at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, supporting projects within human and planetary health.
Poul Toft Frederiksen
Research & Innovation
Poul Toft Frederiksen is Chief Scientist at Grundfos. He is a member of the Danish National Research and Innovation Policy Council (DFIR), and has previously been Head of Research and Learning at the Grundfos Foundation, as well as member of the evaluation committees of various public research funding agencies, including the Independent Research Fund Denmark (Technology and Production). Poul has a PhD from the Technical University of Denmark.
Esther Michelsen Kjeldahl
Policy & Activism
Esther Michelsen Kjeldahl has co-founded the Danish grassroots organizations Fossilfri Fremtid (2023) and The Green Youth Movement (2018). She is co-author of the justice-oriented biodiversity manifesto Retfærdig Naturbevarelse (2018) and author of Vi er sammen om at mærke det (2020), a book that helps readers find their role in the climate justice movement and analyses the deeper societal, philosophical and economic roots of the climate crisis. Esther has an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy from the London School of Economics and a master's in Philosophy from the University of Copenhagen.
